An Alabama university was awarded a cybersecurity grant worth $300,000 with the aim of “increasing diversity” within the field.
Three Alabama State University faculty members will administer the “Increasing the Diversity in Cyber Security Through Undergraduate Research Experiences” grant to increase the number of cybersecurity graduates and ensure “the growth of minority students in the field.”
“The objectives of this project are to expose highly qualified Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) underrepresented minority students to advanced topics in cyber security through undergraduate research in state-of-the-art methodologies, the use of cyber security tools through active learning, with an end goal of obtaining professional certificates, higher academic studies, and/or careers in cyber security,” said Rajendran Swamidurai, a professor and coordinator of the university’s computer science program, in a Friday statement announcing the grant.
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Swamidurai explained the grant’s goal, which will last from July 2021 to June 2022 with an option for extension, is for students “to learn by discovery as opposed to passive listening,” adding that $150,000 of the overall grant money is earmarked for student support.
“This will be accomplished by employing non-traditional forms of active learning such as cooperative learning, simulation-based research, and experimentation,” the professor added.
Swamidurai vowed the forthcoming research facility “will be one of the largest in the Montgomery area.”
Several government agencies tasked with cybersecurity have recently attracted scrutiny for their focus on advocating diversity in their hiring practices. The Central Intelligence Agency has released a series of ads highlighting that “inclusion is a core value here [at the CIA].”
“I am intersectional, but my existence is not a box-checking exercise,” a Latina agent says in one ad in the series, later adding that she “refuse[s] to internalize misguided, patriarchal ideas of what a woman can or should be.”
Weeks earlier, the FBI announced the hiring of Scott McMillion as its first chief diversity officer.
“As our chief diversity officer, Scott is the right person to ensure that the FBI fosters a culture of diversity and inclusion and that our workforce reflects the communities we serve,” FBI Director Christopher Wray said on April 20. “I’m grateful he has agreed to bring his talent, experience, and dedication to our Office of Diversity and Inclusion, where he will build upon the important work that others started.”
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The U.S. military has also taken steps to promote diversity in the armed forces. In February, the Navy created a task force designed to “combat discrimination,” which recommended sailors take a pledge to “acknowledge all lived experiences and intersectional identities.”
“I pledge to advocate for and acknowledge all lived experiences and intersectional identities of every Sailor in the Navy,” the proposed pledge read. “I pledge to engage in ongoing self-reflection, education, and knowledge sharing to better myself and my communities. I pledge to be an example in establishing healthy, inclusive, and team-oriented environments. I pledge to constructively share all experiences and information gained from activities above to inform the development of Navywide reforms.”
