GAANN grant provides fellowships for graduate students in artificial intelligence, cybersecurity

A three-year, $300,486 grant from the U.S. Department of Education will provide full fellowships for Rowan University graduate students from underrepresented populations to pursue studies focusing on artificial intelligence or cybersecurity.

The Graduate Assistance in Areas of National Need (GAANN) grant to the Department of Computer Science in the College of Science & Mathematics will provide full tuition and fees to graduate students in traditionally underrepresented populations, including female, African-American and Hispanic/Latino students.

Altogether, three, two-year fellowships leading to a master’s degree in computer science will be offered beginning in spring of 2020.

“The program will increase the number of well-prepared U.S. citizens who pursue research and teaching careers in these two demanding areas of national need,” says Vasil Hnatyshin, head of the Department of Computer Science. Hnatyshin and Computer Science Professor Bo Sun are the project’s co-directors.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment in computer and information technology occupations is projected to grow 13 percent through 2026. Additionally, the bureau projects that about 557,100 new jobs will be in those areas as companies place a greater emphasis on cloud computing, big data and information security.

The bureau also projects that there’s a greater need for information security analysts, a field that is expected to grow exponentially. By 2021, the cost of cybercrimes for businesses will increase to $6 trillion, according to Cybersecurity Ventures.

“Each GAANN fellow will have a faculty member who helps to develop both teaching skills in a real classroom setting and research skills through graduate thesis,” says Sun. “Women and underrepresented minority students are highly encouraged to apply.”

The fellowships include an annual stipend of $34,000 based on financial need, plus funding for research, equipment, research-related travel expenses and books.

Nov. 30 is the deadline to apply for a GAANN grant for the upcoming spring semester. The application period to apply for the grant for the fall 2020 semester runs April 1-June 1, 2020.

For information on the program, contact Hnatyshin at hnatyshin@rowan.edu or Sun at sunb@rowan.edu.