Expanded Scalable Pilot Program for Experiential Learning in CCI Through the Commonwealth STEM Industry Internship Program

Principal Investigator:

Mary Sandy, director, Virginia Space Grant Consortium, Old Dominion University

Expanded Scalable Pilot Program for Experiential Learning in CCI Through the Commonwealth STEM Industry Internship Program

The Virginia Space Grant Consortium (VSGC) proposes building on its Commonwealth STEM Industry Internship Program (CSIIP), which facilitates experiential learning opportunities for undergraduate cyber-physical systems majors. 

The program supports CCI’s mission to create a commonwealth-wide ecosystem of excellence in cyber-physical systems at the intersection of cybersecurity, autonomous systems, and data. 

This project will leverage the state’s investment in CSIIP and CCI’s efforts to increase cyber internship placements, with the goal of  closing Virginia’s cybersecurity workforce gap.  

VSGC will continue to collaborate with regional nodes to support the project’s internship component and will inform node directors about placements in their regions. The goal is to distribute 15 student subsidies (up to $5,000 each) across the four nodes. 

CSIIP will use the award period to work with established and new partners, as well as academic and industry contacts, to ensure continued placements beyond this grant’s award period. 

Employers have stressed the goal of assisting students in obtaining needed certifications. VSGC proposes the development and implementation of an online mini course to prepare cyber students for the Security Plus Exam. A qualified instructor will develop an asynchronous online video course that can be taken at the students’ convenience. The instructor will also maintain student office hours.

This project, among nine experiential learning projects funded for fiscal year 2022-23, is a part of CCI's strategy to provide students with industry experience and enhance their skill sets to better prepare them to enter the cybersecurity workforce.