Benjamin Harvey, Distinguished Visiting Research Professor, talking with with students at Bowie ... [+]
Given cyber threats to U.S. security — including recent Russian-sponsored threats to our critical infrastructure— it is essential that more individuals are trained in the field of cybersecurity. It is especially important that these individuals be representative of the nation as a whole and reflect the country’s diversity. According to a 2021 report by the Aspen Tech Policy Hub, African Americans make up only 9% of the cybersecurity industry, which is less than their representation in the overall population. As the report states, “Following the national reckoning on racial justice in mid-2020 prompted by the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and other Black Americans, it became clear that current diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts, however well-meaning, have not addressed the overwhelming whiteness and maleness of the cybersecurity field. The field remains remarkably homogeneous, both among technical practitioners and policy thinkers, and there are few model programs or initiatives that have demonstrated real progress in building diverse and inclusive teams.”
Recently, the National Security Agency (NSA) teamed up with Bowie State University, a Historically Black University in Bowie, Maryland, for an 8-week intensive program focused on diversifying the cybersecurity profession and engaging African American students at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). The program culminated with the students presenting their research to NSA leaders and representatives from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence during a virtual challenge showcase.
Those in the Bowie cybersecurity 8-week intensive program were a combination of graduate and undergraduate students looking for an opportunity to build their skills, and their resumes. The experience provided valuable training in artificial intelligence as well as opportunities for collaborative teamwork.
Benjamin Harvey, professor at Bowie State University in Bowie, Maryland.
One of the professors who worked with the program at Bowie State is Benjamin Harvey, a Distinguished Visiting Research Professor. Harvey is a three-time HBCU graduate focused on computer science. He graduated from Mississippi Valley State University (MVSU) in 2008 with a bachelor’s degree in computer science. He also earned a master’s and doctoral degree in computer science from Bowie State University (BSU) in 2011 and 2015, respectively.
According to Harvey, “The students were extremely dedicated. They built models and technologies that could help support the safety of our nation.” Each student was given a challenge problem, crafted by the NSA’s cybersecurity directorate in collaboration with Maxar Technologies and Bowie State University faculty. According to Harvey, “Each of the students’ analyses will support infusing NSA with innovative techniques for future analysis. NSA will now be able to further incubate the initial prototypes and leverage them to support future highly visible mission-critical activities.”
In his role as a mentor, he volunteered 10 hours a week, meeting individually with each student. For students who did not have any programming experience, Harvey taught them the fundamentals of data science and machine learning. Many of the students started off with little confidence that they would be able to achieve and complete the challenge in the 8 week timeframe. As Harvey explained, “I believe one thing that this program taught the students was that if you put in the time, energy, effort and have the will and desire to be successful, the sky is the limit.” By the end of the 8 weeks all 4 student groups had created a cutting edge prototype that was delivered to the NSA experts in the form of papers and presentations.
Although the program was aimed at creating a talent pipeline in cybersecurity, according to Harvey, it is also about mentoring and identifying the students’ passions and skills. He shared, “I sat down with the students to learn more about what they were passionate about and their skillset to match up the challenge problems in accordance with what each student had an interest in and the skills to be successful.”
Harvey was focused on demonstrating to NSA the strong talent and contributions that HBCUs students overall can make to cybersecurity. As he explained, “students from Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs) — and HBCUs in particular — are often overlooked and counted out despite bringing a lot of talent to the table.”
As a Bowie State alumnus, and having worked for NSA for more than a decade, Harvey shared, “I know that there is an amazing group of talent at this HBCU. My goal is to build a talent pipeline from Bowie State University into NSA so that other Black students that do not normally get opportunities afforded to them — due to going to smaller MSIs — will get that chance through this program.”
