Institute of Information Assurance
NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY
NSF Federal Cyber Service: Scholarship for Service

Northeastern University has received a Federal Cyber Service grant from National Science Foundation to educate graduate and undergraduate students in the area of information assurance and cyber security. For academic year 2013-2014, we anticipate 12 or more positions available to both undergraduate and graduate students.

Application deadline for early decision: March 1, 2013.

Late applications will be accepted as long as positions are available. Students will be notified about awards as soon as possible.

Information about the NSF Federal Cyber Service Program

The Federal Cyber Service Scholarship for Service (SFS) program seeks to increase the number of qualified students entering the fields of information assurance and computer security and to increase the capacity of the United States higher education enterprise to continue to produce professionals in these fields to meet the needs of our increasingly technological society

Eligibility

• Only students that fall within the following categories may apply:
  • All majors in the College of Computer and Information Science or in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering are eligible to apply.
  • Second and third year undergraduates may apply, with the scholarship covering the last 2 years (equivalently 8 full semesters of studies)
  • Students in BS/MS programs or PhD program and have three more years before graduation may also apply.
• Must be an American citizen
• Must have at least a 3.0 undergraduate GPA
• Must be able to meet the established criteria for U.S. federal employment
• Must be eligible for a U.S. security clearance

Benefits

• Undergraduate Students
  • The Scholarship program will support the equivalent of 4 full semesters during the last years of a student’s degree program.
  • Annual academic stipend ($10,000 for a full semester, $5,000 for a half summer semester)*,**
  • Full tuition scholarship (while in school)*,**
  • Coverage of health fee up to $1,200 per year and all required activity fees.
  • Two years of employment with a Federal Agency listed above (student is responsible to apply for and obtain a position to fulfill this service obligation. The Scholarship program, as well as the Coop department, will provide help in identifying employment opportunities.)
  • Travel funds to attend Information Assurance related conferences/activities
  • Students will be advised by Information Assurance faculty
• Graduate Students
  • Annual academic stipend ($25,000 for a two academic semesters)*,**
  • Full tuition scholarship (while in school)*,**
  • Coverage of health fee up to $1,200 per year and all required  activity fees.
  • Two years of employment with a Federal Agency listed above (student is responsible to apply for and obtain a position to fulfill this service obligation. The Scholarship program will provide help in identifying employment opportunities.)
  • Travel funds to attend Information Assurance related conferences/activities
  • Students will be advised by Information Assurance faculty
  • Opportunity to mentor undergraduates participating in the program

* Please note that the 2nd year of scholarship award is pending availability of federal funding obligations of the U.S. Federal Government.

 **Participation in program is limited to two years except students in Combined BS/MS or PhD programs.

Student Obligation

• Complete the degree program successfully.
• Complete co-op at Federal Agency, State and Local-Agency, Independent Agency, Government Corporation, Commission, or Quasi-Official Agency, or at a National Laboratory that signs a memorandum of understanding setting forth the parameters for participation. (See http://www.firstgov.gov/Agencies/federal.shtml for a list of organizations. Seehttp://dir.yahoo.com/government/u_s__government/research_labs/ a list of National Laboratories, and see http://www.nsf.gov/statistics/nsf0536/ for a list of FFRDCs.)
• Complete two or three years of work at a participating agency upon graduation.

Application Materials

Applicants should provide the following:

1. Completed and signed Northeastern University’s Federal Cyber Service: Scholarship for Service Application Form.
2. A resume listing all education, employment history, extracurricular activities and interests.
3. Copies of transcripts from all colleges attended.
4. At least 2 letters of recommendations, one of which must come from a faculty member.
5. A 2-5 pages of personal statement describing the applicant’s interest and past experiences (if any) with Information Assurance.

Applications should be submitted to:
Professor Agnes Chan
College of Computer and Information Science
Northeastern University
Boston, MA 02115

Point of Contact

• Prof. Agnes Chan, CCIS (ahchan@ccs.neu.edu)
• Prof. David Kaeli, ECE (Kaeli@ece.neu.edu)
• Prof. William Robertson, CCIS (wkr@ccs.neu.edu)