Cybersecurity Explained: An Analysis of the Influence of a Security-Focused Seminar Series

Abstract

The cybersecurity field has grown exponentially in recent history with little to no general understanding of the requirements for professionals in the field. Our research question is: how can the perception of the cybersecurity field be improved through a seminar designed to teach first-year engineering students the importance, opportunities within, and purpose of the field? We test and evaluate the benefits of an intervention through the implementation of a three- or four-part seminar series. The effectiveness of this intervention is determined by student reported perception of cybersecurity and interest in a cybersecurity minor as evaluated through surveys. The result of this seminar series is an increase in student confidence regarding their perception of the profession and increased self-reported interest in the cybersecurity minor. Our implementation was limited by participation but demonstrates the basic trends expected with exposure to the seminar series. The implementation of this series clarifies questions and uncertainties students have regarding cybersecurity. Future implementations of this series should be conducted on large, diverse, populations of first year students to demystify the profession of cybersecurity for all students due to its interdisciplinary nature. Additionally, the public release of the seminar materials benefits the cybersecurity community by providing insight into the effectiveness of current event-focused seminars to increase interest in the field.