Background and Requirements

Ceisare Center of Excellence in Information Systems Assurance Research and Education

NSF FEDERAL CYBER SERVICE SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATION

(Check the website: http://www.cse.buffalo.edu/caeiae for details on the DoD Scholarship)

1. BACKGROUND

         National Science Foundation started the Federal Cyber Service program about 23 years ago as a means to increase the number of qualified students in the area of computer security and information assurance. The motivation was to build capacity in the U.S. higher education enterprise to deal with the shortage of skilled professionals in the IA and security fields at the various federal agencies. This is one of the high-profile programs started by NSF and during the past few years, universities took up the challenge and produced hundreds of scholars who are now working for the federal government. Through this award cycle, UB is in a position to contribute to this cause this year and in the coming years. This program is called CyberCorps: Scholarship for Service (SFS).

        During breaks in their academic studies, SFS Scholars will receive progressive, hands-on experience in information security internships. In return, scholars must agree to some restrictions and obligations regarding curriculum, GPA, and pre- and post-program employment. If all conditions are met, SFS Scholars will receive full-time conditional/permanent positions in agencies and components of the DoD upon program completion.

HOW TO APPLY

1. Note: Students selected must attend school full-time. Positions are available at junior, senior, and Graduate Levels.

2. Review all application instructions and materials included with this announcement.

Pay close attention to the mandatory conditions of

financial assistance and employment.

3. Check with the identified Point of Contact for your discipline (see below) if you need any help during the application process.

4. Obtain all of the information required for a complete application package. You must provide all information that is requested in this announcement. Application deadline is January 31, 2025.

5. Submit your application package directly to the appropriate Point of Contact by regular mail or email. If sending electronic application, make sure that all the documents including Letters of Recommendation are included in the package, zip it and submit. You can also cut a CD and submit it if the file size is too large.

2. WHAT IS COVERED BY THE SCHOLARSHIP?

The scholarship covers two years of education in the BA/BS/MS/MBA programs with Information Assurance option. The following items will be covered: Tuition, Fees, Books, Stipend ($27,000 for Undergrads, $37,000 for Grads) and one Conference travel. In addition, each scholar will be required to do supervised research in the area of Computer Security and Information Assurance, which may lead to a term project or thesis. The students will also earn a certificate in Cybersecurity along with their respective degrees.

3. ELIGIBILITY AND REQUIREMENTS

To be eligible for the SFS scholarship, one must meet all of the following minimum requirements:

·         Undergrads must be juniors or seniors in fall 2025 (with a GPA of at least 3.4 out of 4), preferably admitted to the BS/MS program, grads must be in their first year of study in fall 2025 (with a GPA of at least 3.4 out of 4)

·         Must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents

·         Must be able to obtain security clearance

·         Must be eligible for federal employment

·         Must be eligible to transfer to the BS/BA program at UB or eligible for admission to the MS/MBA program at UB in the CSE, MIS, Law, Math, Communication disciplines

·         Scholars are required to do a paid internship and work for a federal, state or local agency year-for-year upon graduation

4. APPLICATION PROCESS

         Each applicant to the SFS program should provide the following:

·         Undergraduate Students

o    A cover letter describing your current student status along with the name of your institution, year of study, your major and your citizenship

o    A scanned copy of transcripts of all college work up to this point

o    An up-to-date CV

o    GPA in your current program, along with your SAT scores and class ranking (if known)

o    A Statement of Purpose (maximum one-page long) in which you are required to give: (a) A summary of your vision of Cybersecurity, (b) How this scholarship will help in fulfilling your academic goals, and (c) How you can contribute to solve the challenges faced by the nation in the area of Information Assurance and Cyber Defense

o    Two letters of recommendation from faculty members or employment managers familiar with your background (at least one letter must be from a faculty member)

o    If you are not a UB student, evidence of application and admission (if secured) into a program at UB. (If not applied yet, indicate when you will apply. This is the link for application to the UB Undergraduate program)

·         Graduate Students

o    A cover letter describing your current student status along with the name of your institution, year of study, your major and your citizenship/resident status

o    A scanned copy of transcripts of all college work up to this point

o    An up-to-date CV

o    Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores (for engineering/science majors, MIS majors) or Graduate Management Admissions Test (GMAT) scores (for MBA, MIS majors)if taken

o    A statement of purpose (maximum one-page long) in which you are required to give: (a) A summary of your vision of Information Assurance, (b) How this scholarship will help in fulfilling your academic goals, and (c) How you can contribute to solve the challenges faced by the nation in the area of Information Assurance

o    Two letters of recommendation from faculty members or employment managers familiar with your background (at least one letter must be from a faculty member)

o    Evidence of application and admission (if secured) into a graduate program at UB. (If not applied yet, indicate when you will apply. This is the link for application to the UB Graduate Program)

          Interested students send the application by regular mail or email to:

Technical Track

Prof. Shambhu Upadhyaya

338 Davis Hall

Department of Computer Science and Engineering

University at Buffalo

Buffalo, NY 14260

shambhu@buffalo.edu

Managerial Track

Prof. G. Lawrence Sanders

325G Jacobs Hall

Department of Management Science and Systems

University at Buffalo

Buffalo, NY 14260

mgtsand@buffalo.edu

5. POINTS OF CONTACT AND DEADLINES

           You may contact the Principal Investigators of the grant: Prof. Shambhu Upadhyaya, CSE (shambhu@buffalo.edu), Prof. G. Lawrence Sanders, MIS (mgtsand@buffalo.edu), Prof. Thomas Cusick, Math (cusick@buffalo.edu) or Prof. Mark Bartholomew, Law (bartholo@buffalo.edu) depending upon your field of study, but send the completed applications to either Prof. Upadhyaya or Prof. Sanders by January 31, 2025.

6. SELECTION PROCESS AND NOTIFICATION

The Principal Investigators of the NSF grant will review the applications and conduct any personal or telephone interviews. All the applications received by the deadline will receive full attention. Applications received after the deadline will be considered on a space availability basis. The final selection is subject to the approval by OPM. This is a competitive scholarship and high level of performance will be expected from the applicants.

The successful candidates will be notified by March 15, 2025 or sooner.

7. OTHER USEFUL LINKS

CEISARE Center of Excellence at UB

Office of Personnel Management

NSF Federal Cyber Service Program