Government agencies and non-profit groups are investing in training youths in computer scienceand cybersecurity to address the growing need for qualified experts in the field.
SIGNAL magazine’s interview with Sandia National Laboratories highlights programs such asits Center for Cyber Defenders internship program that focuses on bridging education betweengovernment, universities and high schools. Located at the Cybersecurity Technologies ResearchLaboratory (CTRL), the lab uses industry/academic professionals, venture capitalists, and anunorthodox open-floor plan to attract top talent in an “open but secure” environment, accordingto Levi Lloyd, technical manager at Sandia and cybersecurity researcher and engineer.
The lab aims to tackle cybersecurity research and development, present-day/future threats, andprovide real-world cybersecurity solutions.
As part of the internship program, interns this summer successfully participated in a videoteleconferencing penetration exercise identifying vulnerabilities in Sandia’s system.
Of 481 applications for the 2015 program ranging from high-school to post-secondary students,16 were accepted.
In the end, Sandia brought in 16 interns from the University of California, Berkeley; CarnegieMellon University; Pennsylvania State University; the University of Texas at Dallas; AuburnUniversity; the University of Southern California; Kansas State University; the CaliforniaInstitute of Technology; California State Polytechnic University, Pomona; and Brigham YoungUniversity.
Craig Shannon, an instructor at Sandia’s Cyber Technologies Academy (CTA), mentioned toSIGNAL magazine that the Scholarship for Service (SFS) program is a preferred method ofrecruitment for him. Shannon also stressed the importance of cybersecurity awareness at anearlier stage of education (high school) for both students and teachers alike.
Former California-based high school computer science teacher Carol Kinnard outlined theIndianapolis-based Project Lead the Way (PLTW) which develops curricula for varying levels ofgrade school. The PLTW program includes cybersecurity courses with topics of cyber ethics andcyber hygiene as features and is scheduled for national rollout in fall 2017. Both Kinnard andShannon both emphasized to SIGNAL magazine that education in cybersecurity fundamentals ata younger age helps students to adapt to future fast-changing security situations, and coursecurriculum must reflect the dynamic pace of this change. Lloyd also mentioned that job appealfor the new generation is tied to its relevance in helping society.
Source:
http://www.afcea.org/content/?q=Article-training-tomorrows-cyber-gurus
