NEWS

Four Louisiana Tech University students have earned a CyberCorps Scholarship for Service (SFS) award for the 2018-19 academic year. Kimberly Atienza (computer science), Joseph Bingham (cyber engineering), Kaelyn Nguyen (computer science) and Ryan Parker (computer science) earned the award for excellent academic achievement and commitment to a career in cybersecurity.

The CyberCorps SFS program is funded by a $3.5 million grant awarded by the National Science Foundation. The grant will be used to prepare future cybersecurity professionals for entry into the government workforce.

Dr. Hisham Hegab, a lead investigator for the grant and the dean of Tech’s College of Engineering and Science, said, “We are excited to award our first cohort of CyberCorps(r) scholars at Louisiana Tech. These scholarship for service scholars will receive a generous stipend and full tuition and fees as well as have the opportunity to participate in cyber internships at federal agencies this next summer.”

On graduation, SFS recipients must serve at a United States government agency in a cybersecurity position for a period equivalent to the length of the scholarship. The Louisiana Tech Computer Science and Cyber Engineering programs provide students with the necessary training to be successful in cybersecurity fields. One opportunity for hands-on experience students in these programs can get is the Louisiana Tech Cyber Storm. Cyber Storm is an annual daylong cyber security competition in which teams of students try to hack other teams’ systems and defend their own networks from intrusion by other student and administrative teams.

“Majoring in Computer Science at Louisiana Tech has taught me to strive for what I want to accomplish,” Atienza said. “The curriculum pushes you to expand beyond the classroom and teaches you how to interact, with not only your professors, but with other Computer Science students. With all of the interaction and knowledge I have gained, the Computer Science program has prepared me for this scholarship and future job opportunities.”

The CyberCorps SFS Scholar program will provide scholarships to 36 Louisiana Tech University students over a five-year period. Eligible students must be enrolled in either the Computer Science program with a Cybersecurity concentration or the Cyber Engineering program, have a junior standing or higher and maintain a 3.0 grade point average. To learn more about the Louisiana Tech program, go to http://coes.latech.edu/students/cybercorps-scholarship-program.php.