Experiential Learning Funded Projects 2025

Abstract

There are approximately 51,000 cybersecurity job openings in Virginia and the existing pipeline of cybersecurity-related degree-seeking candidates is not enough to fill the demand. New sources of talent, including those with degrees outside of the typical cybersecurity pathway, but with hands-on skills developed in the field, present a viable source to meet this demand. This Cybersecurity Field Training Experience (C-FTE) seeks to tackle this problem on two distinct fronts. The C-FTE will pair graduate student subject matter experts and project supervisors with a pair of undergraduate students and place each team with an industry or government partner. Under this arrangement, graduate students will serve as the primary source of technical expertise, sharing their knowledge with undergraduates and guiding them through project tasks. This program will also enable the exposure of less cybersecurity oriented undergraduate majors (e.g. IT, math, business) to cybersecurity skills and knowledge, even acquiring technical cybersecurity skills. During the C-FTE, undergraduate students will develop the technical capacity needed to set them up for entry-level cybersecurity jobs and graduate students will develop the technical leadership skills required of early midlevel managers in the cybersecurity workforce.

Principal Investigator

• Liza Wilson Durant, director, CCI Northern Virgina Node associate provost, strategic initiatives professor and associate dean, College of Engineering and Computing, George Mason University

Abstract

The growing adoption of Industry 4.0 technologies in manufacturing has created critical vulnerabilities in interconnected systems including IoT sensors, SCADA networks, and automated production lines. Industry 4.0 refers to the use of advanced digital technologies like IoT, automation, and data analytics to create smart, interconnected manufacturing systems. With manufacturing representing 26% of all cyber incidents, there is a distinct need for specialized workforce development. The proposed project addresses this need through an innovative week-long experiential learning program designed to train 30 students from Virginia Tech, Virginia State University, New River Community College, and Central Virginia Community College in manufacturing-specific cybersecurity skills. The program will employ Extended Reality Capture the Flag (XR CTF) exercises that simulate real cyberattacks on smart factory environments, providing participants with practical, hands-on experience responding to Industry 4.0 security threats. Through a structured curriculum featuring workshops, hands-on projects, and industry networking opportunities, students will develop workforce-ready skills while establishing connections with local industry members. The multi-institutional collaboration leverages expertise from academic institutions and industry partners including GENEDGE, Boeing, and HUB Corporation. This initiative not only addresses immediate workforce needs but also establishes a scalable model for cybersecurity education that can be adopted across Virginia, ultimately strengthening the protection of critical infrastructure and positioning the Commonwealth as a leader in cyber workforce development.

Team

• Christiana Chamon Garcia, assistant professor, Virginia Tech
• Nicole Akers, assistant director of research, Virginia Tech
• Benjamin Standfield, computer research engineer II, Commonwealth Center for Advanced Manufacturing, Adjunct Faculty, Virginia State University
• Frank Otabor, business services director, GENEDGE

Abstract

Virginia's higher education institutions equip students with academic knowledge, yet employer surveys consistently reveal a gap in graduates' readiness for the workforce, particularly in critical thinking, soft skills1, and the practical application of theoretical learning2. While experiential learning can address these gaps, many programs lack the structure needed for consistent, real-world impact.

The Commonwealth Cyber Initiative (CCI) aligned Technology Enabled Engagements with Mentoring (TEEM) program provides structure to improve outcomes. In collaboration with hundreds of industry professionals, TEEM engaged hundreds of students across more than 20 Virginia higher education institutions and numerous K-12 school divisions. The proven TEEM approach delivers structured, student-led, experiential learning through high-impact mentoring emphasizing applied knowledge and entrepreneurial ideation.

The AI-Enhanced Student Peer Mentoring project will further advance TEEM via the integration of a "Mentoring Insights AI-Assistant."" For each mentoring session, transcripts will be captured and analyzed using a mentor AI Persona and a Cybersecurity-focused GPT (Generative Pre-trained Transformer). The proposed system will contextualize conversations using TEEM learning resources, curated web content, session agendas, feedback surveys, desired outcomes, and more.

The AI-enhanced approach will provide enriched feedback for both mentees and mentors, including identification of learning gaps or misconceptions, suggested follow-up actions, engagement summaries, and extraction of novel insights ("additional takeaways"). The innovative use of AI enhances reflection, improves learning outcomes, and scales the impact of TEEM structured mentoring in cybersecurity education.

Team

• Jeff Pittges, School of Computing, Radford University
• Deri Draper-Amason, Academic Affairs, Old Dominion University
• Bobby Keener, CEO, CTEWorkforce

Abstract

This project seeks to scale and enhance George Mason University's Professional Readiness Experiential Program (PREP) to prepare students for the cybersecurity workforce. Through partnerships with industry participants such as FWI, Maximus, and Mobius, PREP will provide 30 northern Virginia-based college students with hands-on, agile, and industry-led cybersecurity projects.

These students will gain technical experience, develop client-facing communication skills, and engage in networking, mentorship, and specialized training. PREP's established methodology supports iterative improvement, interdisciplinary collaboration, and flexible project execution across academic semesters. The initiative aligns with the Commonwealth Cyber Initiative's (CCI) objectives in education, innovation, and workforce development, and will continue PREP's proven track record of student publications, cross-institution participation, and successful transitions into the cybersecurity field. Specifically, our industry participants' committed cost-share contributions totaling $24,000 further underscore their point of view of the program's importance and impact.

Team

• Brian K. Ngac, assistant professor, George Mason University
• Nirup Menon, George Mason University

Abstract

The Virginia Space Grant Consortium (VSGC), a CCI Coastal Virginia Node team member, proposes continued use of its well-established Commonwealth STEM Industry Internship Program (CSIIP) to provide undergraduate students with experiential learning opportunities through paid internships with business and industry across Virginia. This project will serve the entire Commonwealth and support CCI Goal 2 of closing the workforce gap in cybersecurity. The project will leverage the State's investment in CSIIP and place students in internships working in Virginia's cybersecurity sector. VSGC will provide subsidies (up to 50% and $5,000) directly to students to help offset the cost of internships to small and medium-sized business and industry. VSGC will also develop an updated video series to help participants prepare for the Network+ certification exam. This free video series will be marketed to high schools, higher education institutions, and employers.

Principal Investigator

• Chris Carter, director, Virginia Space Grant Consortium

Abstract

This project aims to develop and organize a hands-on workshop and post-workshop challenge with the High Tech Crimes Division at Virginia State Police to investigate cyberattacks on industrial control systems (ICS) at a wastewater treatment plant. The participants will be introduced to network forensics in ICS environments, receive deep-dive training on ICS communication protocols, learn reverse engineering techniques for undocumented/proprietary protocols, and understand real-world ICS attacks through demonstrations and develop skills to detect them using network trace analysis. Water and wastewater treatment facilities in the United States have been subject to cyberattacks. This project will contribute to training a workforce that can investigate these attacks and solve cybercrime in a non-traditional ICS network environment.

Team

• Irfan Ahmed, computer science, Virginia Commonwealth University
• Adeen Ayub, computer science, James Madison University

Abstract

Building on the successes of the previous five years of iterations of the CCI Experiential Learning Programs, this proposal aims to enhance the existing program and strengthen our collaborations with the University of Mary Washington and James Madison University, which was added last year to the program.

Experiential learning plays a vital role in equipping students for careers in the cybersecurity field. The technical and interpersonal skills that technology employers seek are increasingly difficult to acquire through conventional college programs and standard internships. The challenge is further exacerbated by the limited number of internship opportunities available, particularly since many positions require security clearances, which narrows the pool of qualified candidates. This poses a significant obstacle for undergraduate students who are aiming for valuable internships. Moreover, startups and small businesses struggle to attract skilled students, as they often compete with larger corporations and government organizations for the same talent in their regions.

Recognizing the vital role that startups and small businesses play in the evolving Virginia cybersecurity landscape, the proposed project sets out to accomplish three key objectives:

• To equip students enrolled in cybersecurity degree programs with valuable, hands-on, experiential paid internships, while offering them mentorship and training.
• To supply cybersecurity startups and small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) with the skilled talent necessary for business growth.
• To expose students from diverse backgrounds to technology entrepreneurship, fostering an environment where some may consider launching their startups in the coming years.

Principal Investigator

• Gisele Stolz, senior director, entrepreneurship programs Office of Research, Innovation, and Economic Impact, George Mason University

Abstract

We propose a new round of experiential learning that builds on a solid record from three prior CCI-funded initiatives, which have engaged 99 undergraduate students across the Commonwealth in applied AI security research spanning satellite imagery, data poisoning, transportation systems, and maritime security. In collaboration with VIMS, NOAA, and the NSF, this new proposal will focus on securing AI systems designed to be leveraged by the fishing industry, focused on benthic biomass estimation. We propose hosting 25 students from multiple Virginia institutions, working closely with them in an experiential learning context to investigate how adversaries might leverage data poisoning to disrupt species detection and spatial ecological inference in image-graph fused AI systems. Students will design, test, and defend deep learning pipelines that combine HabCam imagery with graph neural networks to model marine species distribution, which is critical to fisheries monitoring and management in ecologically sensitive areas like the Chesapeake Bay. The program will continue to expand Virginia's cybersecurity talent pipeline while advancing foundational research in adversarial machine learning, contributing to national security, and supporting the commonwealth's long-term economic resilience.

Team

• Principal Investigator Yi He, data science, William & Mary
• Daniel Runfola, data science, William & Mary
• Roger Mann, Virginia Institute of Marine Sciences, William & Mary