The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) will host the 25th annual conference of the Federal Information Systems Security Educator’s Association (FISSEA) March 27-29, 2012, at its Gaithersburg, Md., headquarters.

FISSEA is an organization responsible for promoting cybersecurity awareness, training and education. The annual meeting is geared toward both new and seasoned security officers, IT managers, information security educators and researchers, cybersecurity trainers and teachers and those involved in instructional design and curriculum development. It is open to individuals in government, industry and academia.

This year’s meeting will explore “A New Era in Cybersecurity Awareness, Training and Education.” Attendees will have an opportunity to learn about current cybersecurity projects, emerging trends and new initiatives. The program includes an update on the National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education(NICE), a national campaign coordinated by NIST that is designed to improve the cyber behavior, skills and knowledge of every segment of the population, to enable a safer cyberspace.

Scheduled keynotes are Vice Admiral A. Patricia Tracey, USN (retired) former Chief of Naval Education and Training/Director of Training, who will provide the awareness, training and an educational perspective; and Admiral Betsy Hight, USN (retired) who will provide information from a technical standpoint.

FISSEA runs a contest in conjunction with the annual meeting. The FISSEA Security Awareness, Training & Education Contest asks for entries in the categories of awareness posters, motivational items, awareness website, awareness newsletter and role-based training and education. The deadline for participation in the contest is Feb. 17.

FISSEA also honors an “Educator of the Year” who has made significant contributions in education and training plans for federal information systems security. Nominees need not be FISSEA members, but do need to be nominated by a member. The deadline for nominations is March 5.

For more information on NICE, see  http://csrc.nist.gov/nice/. For more information on the meeting, the Security Awareness, Training and Education Contest, and the Educator of the Year Award, seehttp://www.nist.gov/itl/csd/fissea-2012-conference.cfm.