Cybersecurity Education, Research & Outreach Center

Cybersecurity Education Diversity Initiative Coalition Project

Department of Defense (DoD) funded Cyber Education Diversity Initiative (CEDI) Coalition Program has been created with the purpose of developing lasting support systems for students in Minority Serving institutions (MSI)s and Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU)s. According to NSA press release “this workforce development program, redefines the academic path to a successful career in cybersecurity” for MSI and HBCU students. The universities interested in establishing a cybersecurity program are connected with NSA’s Centers of Academic Excellence-designated institutions in their region to provide opportunities, resources and advice on program development.

As part of this nine partner NCAE-C designated academic institutions, CEROC (Award# H98230-20-100385 with FORD0061-30353) at Tennessee Tech serves as a resource for MSIs and HBCUs and provide five different services to the students and faculty of these institutions which are:

- Expanding hands-on skill training opportunities for MSI students by developing and orchestrating Capture the Flag (CTF) competitions where the students can remotely participate to gain technical skills in cyber.
- Integrating security into computer science (CS) curriculum training for faculty by organizing workshops and providing free instructional materials to bring security topics and exercises into their classroom teaching.
- Expanding awareness, knowledge and skill training opportunities for students by facilitating and programming their remote participation in Cyber Interest groups (Capture the Flag, Defense and Offense).
- Establishing/Expanding local cybersecurity student cohorts for students by facilitating and programming their remote participation in two cybersecurity clubs: CyberEagles and WiCyS Student Chapter groups and helping them to create and sustain such student organizations for their schools.
- CAE Designation Guidance to faculty by providing virtual advisement sessions to discuss considerations and issues related to applying for NCAE-C designations including discussion of the 2020 program update.

Interested students who participate in the above-mentioned programs will be eligible for the DoD CySP and NSF SFS scholarships offered at Tennessee Tech.

Upcoming Events

April 29: "Gamified Learning Experience with Security Defense"

Tennessee Tech CyberEagles Cyber Interest group in Defense will conduct a workshop for students in HBCUs and MSIs seeking to gain some experience with defensive activities for security protection. The workshop will introduce students to some defense techniques and then engage them in team based exercises within a peer learning environment.

Registration has closed

Past Events

Video recordings of these webinars/workshops with slide decks are available upon request to ceroc@tntech.edu

» April 8: Gamified Learning Experience with Security Offense

Tennessee Tech CyberEagles Cyber Interest group in Offense conducted a workshop for students in HBCUs and MSIs seeking to gain some experience with offensive activities for security protection. The workshop introduced students to reconnaissance and exploitation offensive techniques and then engage them in team based exercises within a peer learning environment.
» March 25: Gamified Learning Experience with use of Ciphers in CTFs

Tennessee Tech CyberEagles Cyber Interest group in CTF conducted a workshop for students in HBCUs and MSIs seeking to gain some experience with Capture The Flag (CTF) activity. The workshop introduced students to common ciphers and then engaged them in cipher based CTF challenges within a peer learning environment.
» March 4: Crowdsource Learning in Cybersecurity with Cyber Interest Groups

Tennessee Tech facilitates and supports a mature peer mentoring program in the form of the CyberEagles Cyber Interest groups (Capture the Flag/CTF, Defense and Offense). These groups extends their offerings to HBCUs and MSIs seeking to create such cyber interest groups (CIG)s to drive interest in a future cybersecurity program. The webinar discusses the nature of these CIGs, how they run, activities examples, competitions related to CIGs, and benefits. The session will help MSIs to create and sustain an environment of team learning.
» February 25: Creating and Sustaining CyberSecirity Clubs on College Campuses

Tennessee Tech facilitates and supports two cybersecurity clubs: CyberEagles and CyberEagles-W groups, who come together for peer mentoring, training, and networking in cybersecurity. The CyberEagles-W club is the 1st WiCyS Student chapter in the nation out of currently 114, whose focus is empowering female students, who are under-represented in cyber. These groups are extending their offerings to MSIs seeking to create such cohorts to drive interest in a future cybersecurity program. It will help the invited MSIs to create and sustain such student organizations in cyber.