DENA0003985

Institution: University of Texas at San Antonio

Project Title: Application of Artificial Intelligence to Cybersecurity for Protecting National Critical Infrastructure

Project Description: This project aims to attract, educate, and train minority students in the STEM fields, especially cybersecurity, towards formulating a sustainable workforce recruitment pipeline between four Minority Serving Institutes (MSIs) - the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA), the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV), North Carolina at State University (NCAT), and Savannah State University (SSU) - and three DOE/NNSA laboratories - Sandia National Laboratories (SNL), Nevada National Security Site (NNSS), and Idaho National Laboratory (INL).

More specifically, the project has three objectives.

Objective One: Enhancing MSIs' IIoT Cybersecurity Education Capacity

Enhance the four MSIs' Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) cybersecurity education capacity by increasing the number of minority students pursuing B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. degrees in the IIoT cybersecurity field. To achieve this, the PIs will create and offer a coherent sequence of three courses for an innovative IIoT cybersecurity certificate program to provide minority undergraduate students with the opportunity to learn fundamentals of IIoT cybersecurity (e.g., reverse engineering), programming for data science, and ultimately AI for cybersecurity.

Objective Two: Enhancing MSIs' IIoT Cybersecurity Research Capacity

Enhance the four MSIs' cybersecurity research capacity by increasing the number of minority undergraduate and graduate students participating in AI-based and blockchain-based cybersecurity research projects. The participating students will apply the fundamental knowledge learned from the sequence of IIoT cybersecurity certificate program courses mentioned above to the research projects that will be designed by the PIs. In particular, the M.S. and Ph.D. students will conduct cutting-edge IIoT cybersecurity research with the PIs to prepare them for the research and development workforce at DOE/NNSA laboratories.

Objective Three: Create and Sustain a DOE/NNSA Cybersecurity Workforce Recruitment Pipeline

Increase and sustain the number of minority undergraduate and graduate students and post-docs who will be hired for the DOE/NNSA cybersecurity workforce. During the project period, 60 minority students will participate in summer internships at the three DOE/NNSA national laboratories. By the end of the project, we anticipate 50 minority B.S. students, 20 minority M.S. students, and 10 minority Ph.D. graduates will work at DOE/NNSA labs (full-time).

The University Of Texas At San Antonio

OBJECTIVE ONE: ENHANCING MSIS’ IIOT CYBERSECURITY EDUCATION CAPACITY. ENHANCE THE FOUR MSIS’ INDUSTRIAL INTERNET OF THINGS (IIOT) CYBERSECURITY EDUCATION CAPACITY, BY INCREASING THE NUMBER OF MINORITY STUDENTS PURSUING B.S., M.S. AND PH.D. DEGREES IN THE IIOT CYBERSECURITY FIELD. IN ORDER TO ACHIEVE THIS, THE PIS WILL CREATE AND OFFER A COHERENT SEQUENCE OF THREE COURSES FOR AN INNOVATIVE IIOT CYBERSECURITY CERTIFICATE PROGRAM TO PROVIDE MINORITY UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS WITH THE OPPORTUNITY TO LEARN FUNDAMENTALS OF IIOT CYBERSECURITY (E.G., REVERSE ENGINEERING), PROGRAMMING FOR DATA SCIENCE, AND ULTIMATELY AI FOR CYBERSECURITY. • OBJECTIVE TWO: ENHANCING MSIS’ IIOT CYBERSECURITY RESEARCH CAPACITY. ENHANCE THE FOUR MSIS’ CYBERSECURITY RESEARCH CAPACITY, BY INCREASING THE NUMBER OF MINORITY UNDERGRADUATE AND GRADUATE STUDENTS PARTICIPATING IN AI-BASED AND BLOCKCHAIN-BASED CYBERSECURITY RESEARCH PROJECTS. THE PARTICIPATING STUDENTS WILL APPLY THE FUNDAMENTAL KNOWLEDGE LEARNED FROM THE SEQUENCE OF IIOT CYBERSECURITY CERTIFICATE PROGRAM COURSES MENTIONED ABOVE TO THE RESEARCH PROJECTS THAT WILL BE DESIGNED BY THE PIS. IN PARTICULAR, THE M.S. AND PH.D. STUDENTS WILL CONDUCT CUTTING-EDGE IIOT CYBERSECURITY RESEARCH WITH THE PIS TO PREPARE THEM FOR THE RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT WORKFORCE AT DOE/NNSA LABORATORIES. • OBJECTIVE THREE: CREATE AND SUSTAIN A DOE/NNSA CYBERSECURITY WORKFORCE RECRUITMENT PIPELINE. INCREASE AND SUSTAIN THE NUMBER OF MINORITY UNDERGRADUATE AND GRADUATE STUDENTS AND POST-DOCS WHO WILL BE HIRED FOR THE DOE/NNSA CYBERSECURITY WORKFORCE. DURING THE PROJECT PERIOD, 60 MINORITY STUDENTS WILL PARTICIPATE IN SUMMER INTERNSHIPS AT THE THREE DOE/NNSA NATIONAL LABORATORIES. BY THE END OF THE PROJECT, WE ANTICIPATE 50 MINORITY B.S. STUDENTS, 20 MINORITY M.S. STUDENTS, AND 10 MINORITY PH.D. GRADUATES WILL WORK AT DOE/NNSA LABS (FULL-TIME).

81.123 - National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) Minority Serving Institutions (MSI) Program

National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) [DOE]

NNSA Weapons Activities [DOE - NNSA]

Multi-State United States

Multi-State

Minority Serving Institutions Partnership Program (DE-FOA-0002144)

Amendment Since initial award the total obligations have increased 147% from $2,000,000 to $4,949,001.