The University of New Haven received funding from the National Security Agency to develop a workforce program for careers in cybersecurity and artificial intelligence.
Karina Brookfield October 31, 2024 10:45pm
Contributing reporter
new $2.5 million grant The paper, awarded to the University of New Haven, points to the impact of rapidly advancing AI technology on the job market and the growing intersection of artificial intelligence and cybersecurity.
The National Security Agency led a coalition of five universities across the country to donate funding to UNH to develop a workforce program for careers in cybersecurity and artificial intelligence. The grant will allow the university to develop programs to train the workforce of the future in four areas: energy, government facilities, finance, and telecommunications. UNH plans to create two pathways: a pathway for cyber threat intelligence in the financial sector and a pathway for artificial intelligence in cybersecurity.
“We have a very strong cyber program and we also have a lot of courses in AI and machine learning, so we’re looking at how we can create programs and pathways at the intersection of the two.” said Tirthankar Ghosh, director of the UNH Connecticut Institute. A university administrator who applied for the grant with the College of Engineering said: “You can’t avoid the use of machine learning now. It’s like we’re being asked to integrate AI into cybersecurity. We’re seeing that more and more, and it’s becoming more and more It’s becoming less of an option.”
New university courses use cybersecurity frameworks from the Department of Defense and other federal agencies, promising skills and pathways that will take students directly into cybersecurity careers.
The NSA grant comes after a series of career-oriented grants the university has received aimed at providing students with qualifications that will appeal to employers. For example, the game design program has been successful in preparing students for a tough job market, UNH professors told the News.
For the past several years, UNH has received funding from the Connecticut Institute for Higher Education. Tech Talent Accelerator To embed industry-recognized credentials into game design and development focus. These standards were created by leading game developer Unity Technologies. This initiative also allowed students to receive a game design and development certification directly from Unity.
Mehdi Mekhni, who heads the university’s game design and development concentration, said the program provided students with the opportunity to receive both formal education and work experience.
Mr Mekni said the combination of education and career-focused skill building creates great top-notch projects and gives students an edge when entering the job market. Mekni believes programs like this will prepare students for success as concerns grow over the technology job market.
“The market has evolved,” Mekni says. “The need for computer science talent still exists. A misleading question is: Should I go to college or get a certification? The real answer to that is both.”
Sean O’Brien, founder of the Yale Privacy Lab Initiative at Yale Law School, said concerns about the high-tech and computer science job market are due in part to significant advances in AI technology in recent years. As artificial intelligence becomes increasingly integrated into industry, it may pose unique threats to a variety of sectors. The NSA grant aims to reduce the friction of AI entering the cybersecurity field.
O’Brien said AI is already starting to increase vulnerabilities in the cybersecurity field. Generative AI models have been and will continue to be used in digital attacks through source code scanning and personalized phishing attacks. O’Brien echoed Ghosh’s comments, saying that learning how to use artificial intelligence is not optional for cybersecurity professionals, and that when attackers are using AI technology to find vulnerabilities, defenders similarly explained the need to learn how to utilize AI.
“From a career standpoint, the way people differentiate themselves is by learning technology, learning some kind of marginal skills, having some crossover in their skill sets,” O’Brien said. . “For example, they have a good understanding of policy, regulation and law, as well as issues specific to AI and cybersecurity. Sho.”
The University of New Haven’s central campus is located in West Haven.
