NSI Cyber and Tech Center – Howard University Cybersecurity Clinic
The National Security Institute’s (NSI) Cyber and Tech Center (CTC) at George Mason University’s Antonin Scalia Law School and Howard University School of Business (HUSB) are partnering to grow and diversify the next generation of cyber, technology, and national security leaders, and to strengthen the digital defenses of under-resourced organizations in the Washington metropolitan area.
For more information about the NSI Cyber and Tech Center, click here.
For more information about Howard University School of Business, click here.
About the Clinic
The NSI CTC – Howard University Cybersecurity Clinic is a jointly developed and run multidisciplinary clinic that educates and trains students from both universities on cybersecurity in a classroom and clinical setting. Students gain hands-on practical experience from faculty, lecturers, and mentors, enabling them to provide direct cybersecurity assistance to public critical infrastructure organizations, including state and local governments, K-12 schools, utilities, public hospitals, and small businesses within the Washington metropolitan area – all of which are facing a barrage of cybersecurity threats without the resources to address these threats.
About the Curriculum
Students will take two, 3-credit courses in successive semesters, employing classroom and clinic instruction. In the first semester, students will focus on cybersecurity basics like:
- The threat actors targeting critical infrastructure and the capabilities utilized by such actors;
- The use and application of offensive/defensive cyber methodologies and tools;
- The complexities of defending under-resourced organizations; and
- The appropriate management of cyber risk and mitigation.
The course will also cover “power skills” – the interpersonal and professional skills that enable students to communicate and collaborate with clients in a professional setting.
The second semester will feature a clinic component where students will – with supervision –provide direct cybersecurity assistance to clients. In weekly sessions with clients, students will first learn about a client’s mission and operational environment to understand their unique needs, and then deploy their applied skills and training to provide hands-on support. Services offered will include: risk and vulnerability assessments, network and endpoint security, threat detection, incident response, mitigation and recovery, asset inventory, and penetration testing. Each semester will feature guest speakers to provide real-world insight into cybersecurity practices, as well as mentorship and guidance for students.
Contact Us
To learn more, please email: nsi@gmu.edu
If you are a student interested in participating in the client or if you would like to receive information on becoming a potential client of the Clinic, please email NSI’s Director of the NSI CTC – Howard University Cybersecurity Clinic Jessica Jones, jjones76@gmu.edu.