Jackson Schmandt, who will graduate in May with a bachelor’s degree in computer engineering, has been awarded a CyberCorps: Scholarship for Service from the National Science Foundation. This scholarship supports students who are interested in the field of cybersecurity, and Schmandt will use it to finance graduate school at the University of Maryland Baltimore County. In return for the scholarship, Schmandt has agreed to work for the federal, state or local government in a security-related position after he completes his education.

According to the program’s website, “In December 2011 the National Science and Technology Council with the cooperation of the NSF advanced a broad, coordinated federal strategic plan for cybersecurity research and education to ‘change the game,’ check the misuses of cyber technology, bolster education and training in cybersecurity, establish a science of cybersecurity, and transition promising cybersecurity research into practice. To achieve this strategic plan, the nation needs advanced research within and across disciplines, requiring expertise in human, statistical, mathematical, computational, and computer sciences to develop and transition new concepts and technologies to practice.”

Schmandt explained that he has been interested in cybersecurity for as long as he can remember, and he has taken many classes in that area. He also been getting experience in research, working with U of A associate professor Pat Parkerson and Nilanjan Banerjee, who is now a faculty member at UMBC, to design wearable sensing devices that use low power and renewable energy to help people who are impaired by injury or illness. This summer, he will be working with assistant professor Qinghua Li, conducting research on classifying malicious smartphone software.

“I am very proud of Jackson's accomplishments,” said Susan Gauch, department head and holder of the Rodger S. Kline Endowed Chair in Computer Science and Computer Engineering. “His research demonstrates the interaction between software, hardware, and security that is a major focus for our department.  I know that he will be very successful in his future graduate research.”