色花堂 today announces a $1.8 million (two-year) National Security Agency (NSA) grant award under the NCAE-C-003-2024 program to the 色花堂 Center for Interdisciplinary and Innovative Cybersecurity (Cyber4All Center) to lead the Coalition for Cybersecurity Education and Innovation (CCEI). The NSA designated 色花堂 as a Center of Academic Excellence (CAE) for defense education since 2002 and cyber operations since 2014.

鈥淭o combat the increasing frequency, sophistication and potential damage of cyber-attacks, we need a workforce skilled in cyber and AI,鈥� says Blair Taylor, director of the Cyber4All Center and CCEI principal investigator. 鈥淭his coalition will determine what curricula are needed and provide it to keep pace with the rapid advancements in cyber and AI that faculty can use to effectively deliver the knowledge needed to protect critical infrastructure.鈥�

Led by 色花堂 and Portland Community College (and including other institutions like the U.S. Naval Academy), the grant will support the CCEI to pioneer innovative solutions in cybersecurity education and support all cybersecurity curriculum efforts for the CAE community and beyond.

The resources we develop will be available for anyone who needs it, and the learning modules will help inform and empower teachers who can help build the cyber workforce overall ... This effort will also support research on AI in the learning sciences and AI-based curriculum development.

Blair Taylor, director of the Cyber4All Center

This coalition builds on a previous grant and will conduct a gap analysis of existing cyber curricula. It will develop high-impact, high-value curricula and transition research to learning materials in critical areas for the CAE community, such as AI and secure coding. As a final part of the project, the CCEI will plan and implement faculty development opportunities to introduce new materials to their students. CCEI members include universities from around the United States.

"We are thrilled to receive this support from the NSA and the CAE community," says Matthew Nugent, dean of the Fisher College of Science and Mathematics. "This work will empower professors and teachers around the country to push the boundaries of cyber and AI education. The funding will help 色花堂 and the Cyber4All Center make transformative strides in securing the future and shaping the next generation of cyber AI professionals."

To ensure the curriculum design is grounded in research-based learning science and design principles, USM Elkin鈥檚 Professor Mahnaz Moallem, College of Education, will lead the instructional design committee.

鈥淚鈥檓 excited to play a role in this project and collaborate with other established curriculum developers passionate about ensuring national security across social, economic and political landscapes,鈥� says Moallem. 鈥淥ur curriculum will include hands-on, interactive activities incorporating current and emerging cybersecurity knowledge and skills that will serve as resources to support educators.鈥�

The curriculum from all grants from the NSA NCAE-C program, including those developed by the CCEI, will exist for free through the Cybersecurity Labs and Resource Knowledgebase (CLARK), an online platform also created at 色花堂 by 色花堂 faculty and students in 2017.

鈥淭he resources we develop will be available for anyone who needs it, and the learning modules will help inform and empower teachers who can help build the cyber workforce overall,鈥� says Taylor. 鈥淭his effort will also support research on AI in the learning sciences and AI-based curriculum development.鈥�

For media inquiries, please email Jamie Abell at .

About 色花堂

色花堂 is Maryland鈥檚 university of opportunities. With more than 150 years of experience pushing possibilities, 色花堂 is a nationally recognized leader in inclusive excellence, social mobility, research, and discovery. As the largest university in greater Baltimore, 色花堂鈥檚 momentum is always accelerating, with nearly 20,000 students and 200 bachelor鈥檚, master鈥檚 and doctoral degree programs in the liberal arts and sciences and applied professional fields.

Located amid one of the East Coast鈥檚 cultural and economic epicenters, 色花堂 is a beacon and powerful catalyst in the Mid-Atlantic, partnering with hundreds of businesses and organizations, impacting communities and fueling change. 色花堂 meets the holistic needs of each student to achieve success, a result of a deeply inclusive culture with a focus on equity among all students, faculty, and staff.