Norwich University Awarded Grant for Experiential Cyber Security Program

The most important issues that face our country are always changing. One topic that we haven’t often discussed here is the importance of cybersecurity. National security is important on several levels, including online. And, protecting the government online is critically important. But citizens feeling safe online is important, too. And, as technology increasingly is a central aspect of our life, cybersecurity and data policy are now a focus. And, this is on a local, state, and federal level. But what does this mean in practice? Cybersecurity education answers this important question.

It’s also why we’re starting to see cybersecurity as a policy issue. And, this is true not just in government but in corporations. And now, a $1.5 million grant award to Norwich University will focus on policy-related cybersecurity education. This will help students get real-world experience in the field.

Cybersecurity Policy Education Will Help Us Understand the Future

This grant will go towards supporting ongoing work and research by the National Centers of Academic Excellence in Cybersecurity (NCAE-C) Program. This program is a project of the National Security Agency, who awarded this grant to Norwich University for their current Evidencing Competency Oversight Project. This project supports the NCAE-C program. The NCAE-C program focuses on several key action-items including:

• Establishing standards for cybersecurity curriculum and academic excellence.
• Competency development among students and faculty.
• Valuing community outreach and leadership in professional development. 
• Integrating cybersecurity practice within the institution across academic disciplines.
• Active engagement in solutions to challenges facing cybersecurity education.

Students Will Gain Risk-Free Experience in Real Time

This cybersecurity program aims to improve the current understanding of cybersecurity policy, improve upon current education in this field, and build greater collaboration between the NCAE’s. Students in this program will one day work in this field, so this work is key. And also, cybersecurity itself is such a new concept that crafting good policy is important early on. The program aims to mainly focus on two areas:

• Developing and facilitating 10 cybersecurity exercises.
• Engaging students for skills competency development and measurement.

Both will provide students with hands-on experience and alert them to the real-world dangers cyber attacks can pose. It will probably also be really fun!

The Importance of Preparing Students For The Future

So, let’s talk a bit about what this will look like and the importance of this award. First, these exercises will be help students at Norwich by:

1. Helping to improve skills in risk resiliency through opportunities to neutralize and understand common risks.
2. Strengthening students knowledge regarding crisis communications and incident response.

These exercises will be conducted using the Distributed Environment for Critical Infrastructure Decision-making Exercises (DECIDE) program. Interestingly, the Department of Homeland Security, Science and Technology Directorate, under Homeland Security, created DECIDE. Specifically, DECIDE is software that greatly advances state-of-the-art critical infrastructure protection exercises. And, DECIDE started receiving DHS funding back in 2008. After all, the government benefits from knowing what dangers may be lurking!

Using DECIDE, this program will enable students to accomplish the above-mentioned goals. By simulating cyber attacks, kinetic events, and other disasters of natural or human origin, the program hopes to train students in coordinating critical responses.

Phil Susmann, NUARI President, spoke on the award: “Norwich was founded in 1819 under the principle of experiential education – learning by doing – by our founder Alden Partridge. Norwich’s core principles are still pertinent today; technical education must be bolstered by experiential education – evidencing competencies to demonstrate knowledge and understanding.”

The importance of such programs is critical as we grow even more connected every single day. The more virtually connected the world is, the more risk there may be of a potential cyber attack. Therefore, competency among students who will become future engineers is vital.

GrantWatch Understands the Importance of Technology Grants

At GrantWatch we understand that technology is moving fast. We understand that cybersecurity and privacy are important. And we understand that important initiatives need funding. This is why we are so proud to have a Technology grant category on our website. Many of our subscribers are looking for grants within this field, and we know how important it is that they have updated and ongoing information.

Technology is always growing, shifting, morphing, and growing. Projects like this require funding. Knowledge is something that more people have access to than at any other time. And funding more access to that knowledge for more people seems crucial.

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