Building S-STEM scholars' knowledge and skills through technical and career-development seminars.

This paper first presents an overview of the objectives and the accomplishments of the S-STEM ACCESS project and then focuses on a specific ACCESS program activity - the technical and career-development seminars and panels - which support ACCESS scholars' knowledge and skills development and contribute toward achieving several project objectives. The technical seminars exposed students to state-of-the-art topics and industry practices related to the rapidly evolving field of cybersecurity. The career-development seminars included topics on obtaining security clearances, understanding different cybersecurity workforce career paths, as well as on pursuing graduate degrees and research-centered careers. Since seminars and panels were open to all West Virginia University (WVU) students, they helped publicize the ACCESS program and the B.S. and Area of Emphasis (AoE) in Cybersecurity and therefore served as a recruitment mechanism. The results of the external evaluation showed that the seminars and panels were of exceptional value to students who unanimously gave them high positive scores. Qualitative responses to the survey and focus group input revealed that students appreciated the seminars for providing opportunities to connect with professionals and peers, to learn about potential career paths, to gain the knowledge and confidence needed to successfully secure an internship position, and other benefits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]