(TNS) — In recognition of October as National Cybersecurity Awareness Month,
Davenport University has activated its cybersecurity students — all of whom have received full-ride scholarships from the
National Science Foundation — to educate the public about the risks involved with online activity, ways to protect assets, and degree and career opportunities in this growing field.
This series of virtual events is designed to help people learn more about an individual's personal security and how cyber risks impact all facets of society.
The virtual series concludes at
6 p.m.,
Thursday, Oct. 29 with Cybersecurity 101: Meet the Future of IT, a seminar designed to educate both students and the public about ways to anticipate cyber-attacks and protect assets. Utilizing
Cisco curriculum, participants will learn the necessary tools, software and resources needed to protect their IT assets, the basics of cybersecurity and how to apply that knowledge to both personal and professional devices.
Members of the public can register for the
Oct. 29 event at
Davenport.edu/cybersecurity-month, and then sign on to the webinar the day of the event. Attendees will also receive access to additional, free cybersecurity training modules from
Cisco.
"
The Davenport University College of Technology is one of only a handful of schools in
Michigan designated by the
National Security Agency and
Department of Homeland Security as a
National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense Education," said Dr. Lonnie Decker, professor and department chair. "Students are hosting these seminars to both strengthen their knowledge and help those in our community."
During the Cybersecurity 101 seminar, presenters will address a series of questions, including:
—Why is it critical to understand the fundamentals of cybersecurity and how can that knowledge impact an individual personally and professionally?
—What are the types of cyber threats and what makes us more vulnerable to them?
—How do we protect ourselves from cyber threats using various cybersecurity tools, resources, and best practices?
—What education and career opportunities exist in cybersecurity?
Davenport University has been the beneficiary of three
National Science Foundation grants in three years.
In 2019,
Davenport University received a five-year, $4M grant from the
National Science Foundation (NSF) to train and educate the nation's next generation of cybersecurity experts as part of their CyberCorps® Scholarship for Service program.
The funding provides 28 students scholarship funds that cover their full tuition, any education-related fees and living costs. As part of the program, participating students mentor local high school students looking to pursue a career in cybersecurity. In return, graduates are guaranteed a full-time cybersecurity role at a government entity.
Most recently, the university was awarded a S-STEM grant for $647,527 to recruit, retain, graduate, and prepare 20 low-income, academically talented students earning a B.S. in Computer Information Systems or Computer Science for employment.
"Cyber security is a rapidly growing field. At
Davenport, we focus not only on educating our students, but preparing them for careers in both the public and private sectors," said Decker. "These seminars provide the public with a glimpse of what our students learn and ways to apply that knowledge in every-day life."
(c)2020 the Midland Daily News (Midland, Mich.). Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
