The Department of Defense (DoD) Biometrics Management Office is working with West Virginia University (WVU) to educate government and IT industry personnel about biometrics and information assurance. This joint venture has resulted in the development of a 5-Day Short Course,Concept in Biometrics Systems and Information Assurance,and a graduate certificate program,Information Assurance and Biometrics.

We are very excited about this venture,said Dr. Linda Dean, director of the Armys C4 (Command, Control, Communications, and Computers) Enabling Technologies Directorate and the DoD Biometrics Management Office.Biometrics is quickly becoming a security requirement among many Defense Agencies and commercial organizations. As a result, there is and will continue to be a need for professionals in the biometrics field. We want to take an aggressive role in satisfying this need, especially for DoD.

The 5-Day Short Course introduces students to concepts in information assurance, biometrics, testing methodologies, standards and socio-legal implications. This course is offered on the campus of WVU and off campus for groups of 1020 participants. The BMO is offering 4 courses annually at no cost to interested DoD personnel. The next BMO sponsored 5-day short courseis scheduled for July 8-12 at the Defense Information Systems Agency office in Falls Church, Virginia. Agencies can contract directly with WVU to bring the course to their site.

The graduate certificate program, scheduled to begin this fall, is an accredited 15-credit hour course curriculum. The programs core courses include an introduction to biometric systems, information assurance and computer security, advanced biometrics and forensic statistics. This program is only offered on the campus of WVU .

Future plans for this education collaboration include the development of a masters degree program in information assurance and biometrics. The curriculum will include the courses that make up the graduate certificate program, as well as more advanced courses designed to prepare students for employment opportunities in the field of biometrics.

For DoD personnel interested in participating in the July 5-day short course, a request for consideration must be sent to Mr. Keith Weir by June 14 at keith.weir@us.army.mil . The request must include the prospective students name, unit or Agency, telephone number and email address.

For more information about upcoming 5-day short courses and the graduate certificate program, or to arrange for off-site courses, please visitwww.c3i.osd.mil/biometricsor contact Mr. Weir at keith.weir@us.army.mil .