Anivesh Sinha, a student in Penn State Great Valley’s master of Science in Information Science program, is working with a team of faculty and students to conduct a Presidential Public Impact Research Project to help bolster Pennsylvania nonprofit organizations’ cybersecurity efforts. This project aims to benefit the community while also providing valuable research experience and learning opportunities for student researchers.

“As I explored the purpose of the project, I understood the real impact it would have on the community at large,” said Sinha. “Nonprofits typically operate with a fraction of the resources available to for-profit organizations. This budgetary gap often leads to inadequate information security controls and a shortage of expertise needed to implement advanced protective measures. As a result, nonprofits are particularly vulnerable to cyberattacks, which can lead to data loss, integrity issues, and the erosion of trust among supporters who rely on these organizations to protect sensitive information.”

Through his previous work experience as an IT auditor responsible for assessing the cybersecurity readiness of private businesses and nonprofits, Sinha has firsthand knowledge of the risks these organizations face.

“Through this project, I can use my practical experience to actually make a difference,” he said.  

At a conference held earlier this month by the Pennsylvania Association of Nonprofit Organizations, Sinha invited nonprofit employees to participate in a survey to assess their cybersecurity needs, IT and security budgeting, readiness levels, and gaps. Sinha will prepare and perform the analysis of cybersecurity readiness in collaboration with three other student researchers — Mahima Jain and Praneeth Sunkavalli in Penn State Great Valley’s master’s program in data analytics and Premkumar Krishnamurthy in the master of artificial intelligence program. These students will use CRISP-DM methodology, or cross-industry standard process for data mining, along with generative AI and natural language processing to profile the nonprofits that participate in the project and to analyze their cybersecurity readiness. 

The graduate student researchers will then work with the project’s entire research team — faculty advisers and undergraduate students from Penn State’s Abington, Greater Allegheny, Schuylkill, and Berks campuses — to develop cybersecurity strategies and procedures tailored to nonprofit organizations’ needs and resource constraints. The team will create a guide for nonprofits with recommendations from national cybersecurity organizations to help educate employees, enhance cyber hygiene, and prepare responses in the event of a cyberattack. 

“I would like to express my gratitude to my advisers, fellow research assistants, and the University for providing me with the opportunity to gain valuable work experience and make a meaningful social impact,” said Sinha. 

Learn more at Penn State Great Valley and how it offers master’s degrees, graduate certificates, professional development programs, corporate training, and conference services conveniently located less than 30 miles from Philadelphia.