MISSOULA — The University of Montana recently secured a National Science Foundation grant to lead a coalition of five western states to deliver cybersecurity education to students and teachers.
Through the GenCyber program, the nearly $600,000 grant will allow UM to lead efforts with other colleges to deliver a regional program that will bolster cybersecurity education.
“Our goal is to develop a talent pipeline by training more teachers,” said Dianne Burke, CyberMontana director and Missoula College associate professor. “As the hub for cybersecurity education in Montana, we are thrilled to lead this multi-state effort.”
The program will specifically provide teacher training with a focus on expanding the number of qualified cybersecurity secondary teachers at middle and high schools throughout the region. The program also will allow teachers to help develop cybersecurity skills to share with their students in the classroom.
The GenCyber program was created to respond to the nation’s need to increase cybersecurity awareness, teach sound cybersecurity fundamentals and increase student interest in the cybersecurity field. Ultimately, the goal of the program is to decrease the gap for skilled cybersecurity professionals.
Missoula College will lead a partnership with five other universities across the U.S., including City University of Seattle, Eastern New Mexico University, Houston Community College, National University of San Diego and North Dakota State University.
The coalition will work together to share resources and knowledge for hosting a variety of GenCyber camps. In addition to training teachers, student camps will be developed to train the next generation of cybersecurity professionals. The need for a bolstered cybersecurity workforce is especially in high demand in large, rural states like Montana where there are currently over 1,300 open cybersecurity jobs.
At UM, Missoula College will host a middle school GenCyber camp and a GenCyber teacher’s camp in 2025. This year will mark the college’s third year in hosting a student camp and its first year hosting a teacher’s camp.
