(JACKSON, Miss.) – Six Jackson State University computer science students and graduates have been selected to participate in cyber security summer internships at national agencies located around country.
The internships are part of a capacity-enhancing effort between the JSU Department of Computer Science and the National Nuclear Security Administration’s (NNSA) Massie Chair in Cyber Security Program. NNSA, an agency within the Department of Energy (DOE), enhances national security through the military application of nuclear science.
NNSA maintains the safety, security, reliability and performance of the U.S. nuclear weapons stockpile, reduces global danger from weapons of mass destruction, provides the U.S. Navy with safe and effective nuclear propulsion, and responds to nuclear and radiological emergencies in the U.S. and abroad.
The JSU Department of Computer Science has participated in this capacity-enhancing effort since 2010.
The Massie Chair program provides an opportunity to further develop minority students and faculty in the area of cyber security, which includes information assurance, computer security, computer/digital forensics and intelligence analysis.
This summer, the following JSU students and graduates will participate in these internships:
Bernard Aldrich, who received a B.S. degree in Computer Science from Jackson State University and is an incoming graduate student at JSU, will intern at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in Livermore, Calif. He will participate in the Cyber Defenders program that will provide him with practical experience in understanding computer systems, network operations, computer security, information protection and cyber policy.
Allison Gray, who is pursuing an M.S. degree in Computer Science at JSU, will intern at Y-12 in Oakridge, Tenn. She will assist with environmental cleanup activities and unneeded materials inventory.
Antranella Pendleton, who is pursuing an M.S. degree in Computer Science at JSU, will intern at Los Alamos National Laboratory in Los Alamos, New Mexico. Her duties will include providing general network and infrastructure engineering and computer support.
Tymia Jackson, a rising junior in the Computer Science Department at JSU, will intern at Universal Research Services (URS) in Aiken, South Carolina. Her tasks will include conducting property walk-throughs, computer validations, conducting inventory of accountable and non-accountable equipment, comparing electronic records to inventory and reporting any issues found. This opportunity will expose her to the technical tracking of inventory and the management of property in a government contract environment.
Lacey Wicks, a rising junior in the Computer Science Department at JSU, will intern at the Office of Environmental Management (EM) in Oakridge, Tenn. Her responsibilities will include providing assistance with evaluating the Oak Ridge NPL Site Administrative Record (AR) contractor procedure and tying the AR documents containing characterization data to the appropriate data within the Oak Ridge Environmental Information System (OREIS).
Devonte’ Robinson, a rising junior in the Computer Science Department at JSU, will intern at Los Alamos National Laboratory in Los Alamos, New Mexico. His duties will include assisting employees and scientists at NNSA with management and defense computer systems and other cyber security related projects.
The Massie Chair project encompasses three major components: faculty training, faculty and student research, and student practical training through hands-on exercises employing tools and techniques used in the cyber security industry. Each of these components are seamlessly integrated through student-faculty interactions in classrooms, in research laboratories on and off campus, through interactions with role models and peers, and through exposure to a diverse group of scientists. To better prepare students for industry, the program provides cyber security certificates to students who successfully complete specified course requirements.