In the battle for cyberspace, the U.S. needs as many well-trained, ethically responsible cyber security experts as possible. Gen Cyber, a summer camp jointly developed and supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the National Security Agency (NSA), introduces middle- and high-school students to the basics of cyber security, providing mentor ship and diverse role models and helping them form communities of young cyber security experts.Six camps, with a total of approximately 30 teachers and 265 students, participated in a pilot version of the program in 2014. This year, 29 universities in 19 states hosted 43 camps on their campuses. Completely free, they attracted 1,400 participants, half of whom were female--an impressive ratio given that women represent only 18 percent of computing students and 11 percent of cyber security professionals.

"Our vision for the GenCyber program is to be part of the solution to the nation's shortfall of skilled cybersecurity professionals," said Victor Piotrowski, a program director at NSF

Cyber security is infiltrating education, whether by necessity in cases of data breaches or by practice in teaching kids how to be upstanding digital citizens. Fed Scoop recently interviewed about a dozen experts, professors, school administrators and federal officials for a series on why digital safety is becoming increasingly important in K-12 schools.To help administrators and IT directors better understand how to establish best cyber security practices in their own schools, we have compiled tips and takeaways that came out of our reporting:

• Invest in a robust firewall
• .Have students and teachers create complex, long passwords.

The outcome of these prospects can make an improvement in today's world by allowing student to learn about cyber security while in middle or high school. 

Microsoft has called on governments around the world to create a "digital Geneva Convention" as a way to normalize international cyber security rules and protect civilian use of the Internet.Cyber attacks historically have focused on military and economic espionage, Smith noted. However, the 2014 attack on Sony was considered revenge against the company for the unflattering depiction of North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un in a film.The Electronic Privacy Information Center earlier this week announced a new Democracy and Cyber security project, designed to address growing alarm about the impact of cyber attacks on democratic institutions.

The National Integrated Cyber Education Research Center (NICERC), as the academic outreach and workforce development arm of the Cyber Innovation Center, provides hands-on professional development, curricula, programs, and competitions to engage students in STEM disciplines. NICERC has developed programs to enable K-12 teachers to motivate creativity and innovation in students through problem-solving, critical thinking, and communication.

NICE Conference 2016 Call for Proposals Due May 31, 2016

The Call for Proposals is now available for NICE 2016, the 7th Annual National Initiative for Cyber security Education Conference & Expo, taking place in Kansas City, Missouri, November 1-2, 2016. This year’s theme, “Innovations to Shape the Future Cyber security Workforce,” aims to showcase effective collaborations, bold experiments and innovations, and other potentially game-changing methods in support of the NICE strategic goals to Accelerate Learning and Skills Development, Nurture a Diverse Learning Community, and Guide Career Development and Workforce Planning.
The NICE 2016 Program Committee seeks your participation as a presenter or panelist for one of the 45- minute sessions in this powerful three-track conference. NICE 2016 offers unparalleled opportunities to demonstrate how your programs, ideas, technologies and processes support the continuing development of tomorrow’s cyber security leaders. Today’s efforts will drive business and job growth, provide opportunity, as well as provide enhanced security for our nation. Share your knowledge and experience by submitting a proposal.
Proposals will be accepted through May 31, 2016, and should be submitted by selecting “Submit Abstract” on the Call for Proposals page of NICE 2016.

Gen Cyber
The National Security Agency's Gen Cyber program, co-sponsored by the National Science Foundation, sponsors cyber security summer camps for students and teachers at the K-12 level. The goals of the Gen Cyber program are to help increase in cyber security and diversity in the cyber security career field; help students understand correct and safe on-line behavior and to improve the teaching methods for delivering cyber security content in the K-12 curricula. This year the program sponsored 130 Gen Cyber camps and reached nearly 5,000 students and 1,000 teachers across the nation.
 www.gen-cyber.com
National Cyber security Workforce Framework

The National Cyber security Workforce Framework is the foundation for increasing the size and capability of the U.S. cyber security workforce. The Department of Homeland Security partnered with organizations across the U.S. from private industry, federal and state government, and colleges and universities to develop a comprehensive list of cyber security tasks and the knowledge, skills, and abilities required to do those tasks.

www.niccs.us-cert.gov/training/tc/framework

THE EVOLUTION OF THE CYBER TALENT FAIR




“There aren’t enough qualified cyber security candidates for my company’s open positions.” Or the corollary, “I have my degree and certifications but can’t find an entry level position!” The disconnect in market supply and demand for the mission critical roles in cyber security is well documented, with an estimated 238,158 job postings in the US in 2014.And from the perspective of the hiring organization, sifting through thousands of submitted resumes doesn’t work either. It’s easy to overlook the right person or to rely upon referrals from existing employees to find new talent. Neither method helps drive diversity in hiring nor are they best practices to build a robust and professional staff. The inefficiencies in the cyber security workforce market also contribute to lengthier hiring processes for these roles which take 8% longer to fill than IT jobs overall.by Scott Cassity, Managing Director of GIAC at SANS Institute; Maxwell Shuftan, CyberTalent Business Development Manager at SANS Institute; Kathleen Smith, CMO, ClearedJobs.Net/CyberSecJobs.Com