Towson University receives $1.8M grant to lead Coalition for Cybersecurity Education and Innovation

By TOWSON UNIVERSITY on September 18, 2024

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

“To combat the increasing frequency, sophistication and potential damage of cyber-attacks, we need a workforce skilled in cyber and AI,” says Blair Taylor, director of the Cyber4All Center and CCEI principal investigator. “This 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.”

Led by Towson University 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. 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 TU 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’s Professor Mahnaz Moallem, College of Education, will lead the instructional design committee.

“I’m 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,” says Moallem. “Our curriculum will include hands-on, interactive activities incorporating current and emerging cybersecurity knowledge and skills that will serve as resources to support educators.”

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 Towson University by TU faculty and students in 2017.

“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,” says Taylor. “This effort will also support research on AI in the learning sciences and AI-based curriculum development.”

For media inquiries, please email Jamie Abell at jaabell AT_TOWSON.

About Towson University
Towson University is Maryland’s university of opportunities. With more than 150 years of experience pushing possibilities, TU is a nationally recognized leader in inclusive excellence, social mobility, research, and discovery. As the largest university in greater Baltimore, TU’s momentum is always accelerating, with nearly 20,000 students and 200 bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degree programs in the liberal arts and sciences and applied professional fields. Located amid one of the East Coast’s cultural and economic epicenters, TU is a beacon and powerful catalyst in the Mid-Atlantic, partnering with hundreds of businesses and organizations, impacting communities and fueling change. TU 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.