Cybersecurity Student Lands Internship Experience in New Mexico
Second-year student and cybersecurity major, Dwight Groves, recently ventured off to Albuquerque, New Mexico for the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) Scholars Program. An internship program that offers stipend-paid internships for undergraduate students pursuing STEM degrees, Groves was one of 117 students out of 1,100 applicants selected to work with full-time professionals on cutting-edge research.
Upon completing a thorough background check for a security clearance at the secret level, Groves went through the site’s military base and was assigned to the SWORD (Space Warfighting Operations Research and Development) Lab.
The internship required a research component where participants compiled their work and presented it to contractors at the Space Force Internship Poster Session. The team’s research identified cyberattacks on terrestrial systems and analyzed how those attacks could be transferred over to satellites and space vehicles. The focus was also on command-and-control vulnerabilities and exploring cyberattacks on Earth based systems, such as GPS spoofing, that could be exploited by threat actors to compromise space assets like satellites and space vehicles. This research was to ensure “space cyber resilience” of space systems in the event of a cyberattack and to identify solutions that could support that.
The hands-on experience offered, coupled by the opportunity to share one’s theoretical knowledge with industry professionals, exposed Groves to a day in the life of a national security professional, an experience that he will never forget.
“People don’t really work with space and having an introduction to that so early in my career opens up a lot of doors, especially since I want to go into the aerospace industry in the future.” said Groves.
A unique experience provided at the community college level, Groves stumbled upon the opportunity in one of his classes with Professor of Cybersecurity, Anna Carlin.
“The Space Force internship provided students with experience in addressing real-world cybersecurity challenges. With expert guidance from Sherry Neher, students conducted in-depth literature reviews that led to one article being published and another accepted for publication. This experience not only strengthened their technical and research skills but also prepared them to excel in high-impact cybersecurity careers.” said Carlin.
The AFRL Scholars Program opportunity was made possible by Sherry Neher, a Fullerton College alumnus from the cybersecurity program. A nontraditional student, Neher returned to Fullerton College after earning her master’s degree in cybersecurity from Dakota State University. Ready to give back to the community, she conducted a presentation on internships for cybersecurity students with Carlin and President Cynthia Olivo.
This internship experience transformed Groves’ college career, leading him to co-author two publications alongside Neher. One of their publications was recently presented at the IEEE Aerospace Conference.
Learn more about Fullerton College’s cybersecurity program on the Hornet Security Education Center’s website.
