CyberWatch Overview (slideshow)

CyberWatch: Information Assurance Intro Video

TV Interview with Paul Joyal, Past President of Maryland InfraGard, Managing Director of the Public Safety Practive for National Strategies, Inc., and member of the CyberWatch Advisory Board. This interview was a webcast from FOSE/GovSec 2010.

CyberWatch YouTube Channel

CyberWatch is an Advanced Technological Education (ATE) Center, headquartered at Prince George’s Community College and funded by a grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF). The CyberWatch mission is to increase the quantity and quality of the information assurance (that is, cybersecurity) workforce. The CyberWatch goals are focused on information assurance (IA) education at all levels, from elementary through graduate school, but especially the community college level, and include curriculum development, faculty professional development, student development, career pathways, and public awareness. Since its founding in 2005 as a consortium of 10 institutions in the Washington, DC metropolitan area, CyberWatch has achieved the following:

• Grown to 50 member institutions (35 community colleges and 15 universities) across 19 states. CyberWatch remains concentrated in Maryland, with Prince George’s Community College as the lead, and with 10 Maryland community colleges and 7 Maryland universities among the CyberWatch membership.
• Acquired 30+ partner institutions – businesses, government agencies, and professional associations.
• Developed model IA curricula, including complete courses for A.A.S. and A.S. degrees and for two IA certificates.
• Assisted these institutions in mapping their IA courses to the Committee on National Security Systems (CNSS) 4011 and/or 4013 standards: Prince George’s CC, Anne Arundel CC, Hagerstown CC, College of Southern Maryland, Whatcom CC (WA), Erie CC (NY), Wilmington University (DE), Asheville-Buncombe Technical CC (NC), and Catawba Valley CC (NC).
• Assumed the leadership role in the recent creation of the “Centers of Academic Excellence in Information Assurance Education for Community Colleges (CAE2Y)” Program through NSF, NSA, and DHS. Mentored all eligible CCs to apply for that designation in 2010. All six CAE2Y applications were approved: Prince George's CC, Anne Arundel CC, Hagerstown CC, Moraine Valley CC, Oklahoma City CC, and Rose State College.
• Trained 450+ faculty through CyberWatch workshops and through sponsored courses at member institutions.
• Built the Montgomery College Virtual Lab (MCVL), the University of Maryland Digital Forensics Lab (DFL), and the Bowie State University CyberWatch Underground Tunnel System (CUTS).
• Initiated and still conduct these student competitions: Mid-Atlantic Regional Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition (CCDC), Digital Forensics Cup, and (in collaboration with Educause) Security Awareness Poster and Video Contest.
• Created a robust IA program for K-12 students, including summer camps, after-school programs, security awareness days, student contests, and workshops for counselors
• Initiated planning for a new national competition for community college students, and another for high school students.