CyberPatriot V’s All Service Division Completes First Round of Competition

CyberPatriot V – National High School Cyber Defense Competition has completed the first round of competition for its All Service Division, which consists of teams from Junior ROTC, Civil Air Patrol and the U.S. Naval Sea Cadet Corps. During Friday and Saturday, November 2 – 3, competitors were scored on how well they strengthened their assigned simulated computer systems by finding and fixing security issues. The round was also the inaugural run of the new CyberPatriot Competition System (CCS), a new cyber training model. For the first time teams could receive real-time feedback of their scores along with a report of the scored problems they correctly solved.

More than 350 CyberPatriot teams competed online from the United States and as far away as the Department of Defense Dependents Schools in Germany, Japan, and Korea. Civil Air Patrol’s (CAP) Iredell Composite Squadron, from Statesville, North Carolina, was the first team to compete at 9:00 am, Friday morning. Misawa Air Base, Japan’s Robert D. Edgren High School’s Junior ROTC unit was the final team to compete on the system. 

This new system allows for more detailed feedback to the competitors that will enhance the educational value of the competition. Each year we work to advance the experience of our competitors. We think these capabilities in the new system will be a true asset in the preliminary rounds and further help develop career- and college-ready young adults. 

(More about CyberPatriot is available at www.uscyberpatriot.org.)

National High School Cyber Security Competition Draws 1,200+ Teams, Reaches All 50 States

AFA's CyberPatriot–the National High School Cyber Defense Competition--has drawn 1,225 teams as registration official closed last week. The competition has teams representing all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam, U.S. Department of Defense Dependent Schools in both Europe and the Pacific, and Canada.

CyberPatriot is the nation’s largest and fastest growing high school cyber security challenge. Its unique structure provides students hands-on learning while competing virtually against their peers and introduces many to the idea of cyber security as a profession. CyberPatriot helps to prepare college- and career-ready students with not just technical skills, but also invaluable experience in teamwork, leadership, and critical-thinking.

CyberPatriot also offers support and technical expertise from industry leaders, including CyberPatriot’s presenting sponsor the Northrop Grumman Foundation.

"We simply must attract more bright young students to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, and we believe we have hit on a unique way of doing that through an exciting high school cyber competition,” said Bernie Skoch, CyberPatriot Commissioner. “CyberPatriot is a great opportunity, with its reach, to promote STEM education and careers to today's youth in America. It's an amazing competition that is accessible to all, especially the many disadvantaged youth, giving participants a new venue for academic and personal growth."

Students of LAUSD assemble at the computer center at Cal Poly for a briefing

Teams are now gearing up for the first preliminary online round of competition, which begins November 2 for the All Service Division and November 16 for the Open Division. The competition is powered by SAIC’s CyberNEXS, which allows hundreds of teams across the country to compete at one time. Once the preliminaries begin, teams compete online to identify and solve vulnerabilities in simulated computer networks. The top teams compete again in two additional online rounds to determine 26 finalist teams who win all-expenses-paid trips to Washington, D.C. and the National Finals Competition in Washington, D.C. in March 2013.

See if your local high school, CAP or Sea Cadet unit is represented CyberPatriot V Registration >>
 
Make sure you follow CyberPatriot throughout the year!

Fall 2012 Civil Air Patrol Educator Grants

With the fall season comes the announcement of our CAP Educator Grant recipients. The CAP Educator Grants are each up to $250, and provided to teachers who are members of either the Air Force Association or the Civil Air Patrol. From designing model airplanes and launching rockets, to visiting Air Traffic Control towers and bases, AFA and CAP are helping teachers promote public awareness of aerospace power and the pivotal role it plays in national security. 

The initiative funds classroom activities or materials that benefit the entire group of students and promote knowledge of aerospace power. Grants can be applied toward field trips to aerospace museums or Air Force bases, or for books, DVDs or videotapes on aerospace topics.proudly announces the 16 recipients of the Civil Air Patrol Educator Grant, an education initiative funded by AFA and managed by the Civil Air Patrol Headquarters. 

It's one of many ways AFA stays true to its dedication to education.AFA strongly advocates aerospace education and the development of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics as the foundational skills necessary to sustain U.S. airpower, national security and economic vitality. 

A list of this year’s grant recipients can be found here: http://www.afa.org/aef/aid/cap_ed_wnrs.asp

 

Congratulations to them all!

AF Breakfast Series Recap: Dr. Geiss and AF Energy

The Air Force has been operating under the theme "I am Air Force Energy" this month, in line with the this month also being National Energy Awareness Month -- a national effort to underscore how central energy is to our national prosperity, security, and environmental well-being.

Energy is something we all should take into consideration, said Dr. Kevin Geiss, Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Energy for the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Installations, Environment and Logistics, in Washington, D.C. Dr. Geiss was the guest speaker today at AFA's October session of the Air Force Breakfast Series. 

"It enables every element of the Air Force mission," he added, everything from intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, to transport of cargo. 

Dr. Geiss is responsible for providing oversight and direction for all matters pertaining to the formulation, review, and execution of plans, policies, programs, and budgets for the effective and efficient use of energy to support the global Air Force mission.As of FY12, under Dr. Geiss’ guidance, the U.S. Air Force has more than 180 renewable projects in operation or under construction. In addition, the Air Force has been able to finish certifying its fleet on a synthetic fuel blend and has won six Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP) awards.

Last year, the Air Force spent $9.7B  on energy costs, and 2.5B gallons of aviation fuel. With energy costs continuing to rise and the demand still being very present, his office has set out to accomplish four priorities:

1. Improve resiliency (enable the Air Force to bounce back quickly if their access to energy is compromised, using the 2011 tsunami in Japan as an example.)
2. Reduce demand
3. Assure supply (working with industry to make resources more available)
4. Foster an energy-aware culture

Check back to our Air Force Breakfast Series site to get the full audio transcript of the breakfast. In addition, check out tips on how you can do your part (document courtesy of the USAF): USAF's "I Am Air Force Energy"

AFA Names 2012 National Teacher of the Year

Congratulations to Lori Bradner, an educator at the Central Florida Aerospace Academy of Kathleen High School in Lakeland, Florida, who was recently named the 27th recipient of the National Aerospace Teacher of the Year Award. 

  

Lori has been teaching since 2008, and currently teaches Advanced Science and Technology.

Top 5 Interesting Facts about Ms. Bradner:

• She was the 2011 Reach for the Stars Teacher of the Year.
• She was selected as a 2012 NASA Women in STEM Education High School Scholar Teacher.
• She was one of only 80 people nationally selected to participate on NASA’s Reduced Gravity Flight, a program where teachers propose, design, build, test and fly a microgravity experiment aboard the Zero G aircraft. 
• She completed a certificate at the American Musical and Dramatic Academy and attended Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Clown College.
• She established the first ever Space Camp in Polk County and coordinated a “sister” program with a Norwegian school.

As the National Teacher of the Year, Lori will receive a plaque and a $3,000 prize for her achievement, to be presented at the AFA Field Awards Dinner on September 15, 2012, at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center near Washington, DC. 

Read more about Lori being named AFA's National Teacher of the Year here: http://www.afa.org/media/press/2012_National_Aerospace_TOY.asp

AFA Congratulates Advancing Teams in CyberPatriot IV Competition

AFA's CyberPatriot recently announced the top scoring teams who will be advancing to the third and final preliminary round of the nation’s largest high school cyber defense competition.

CyberPatriot, an education initiative produced by AFA in 2008, is a one-of-a-kind cyber defense competition that provides students hands-on learning about cyber security. CyberPatriot IV brought in more than 1,000 team registrations from all 50 states, U.S. Department of Defense Dependent Schools in Europe and the Pacific, and Canada in the two-track competition. Teams have registered from public, private, parochial and home schools in the Open Division, and JROTC units of all Services and Civil Air Patrol squadrons filled the All-Service Division.

During the second round of competition, held the first and third weekends of December, teams set out once again to defend virtualized networks of computers. Teams were scored according to how quickly and effectively they established and maintained secure networks. The scores of the first and second preliminary rounds were aggregated to determine which teams moved forward.

To view the list of advancing All Service Division teams, click here. To view the advancing Open Division teams, click here.

“There was a tremendous amount of effort being displayed by all the teams who participated in CyberPatriot IV, and we congratulate them for their hard work,” said Bernie Skoch, CyberPatriot Commissioner. “As these students are competing against their peers and having fun, they are also building skills and key knowledge in an area that is critical to our nation’s success. We are proud to be able to provide such an energetic and exciting venue for learning, and look forward to the remainder of this year’s competition.”

After Round 3, the top 12 qualifying teams of each division receive all-expenses-paid trips to the CyberPatriot National Championship Competition held in the Washington, DC area, in March 2012.

The final preliminary round for the All Service Division teams will be on January 13, while the Open Division competes again on January 27.

More information on CyberPatriot can be found at www.usCyberPatriot.org.

Alabama Chapter aims high with STEM

Through the Civil Air Patrol's Aerospace Connections in Education Program, the AFA Montgomery Chapter helped sponsor an essay contest that aims to expand students' knowledge in Alabama history. Fourth-grade students participated in the annual Alabama Aerospace Heritage essay contest, competing to win flights in CAP's Cessna airplanes with CAP Alabama Wing pilot, Lt. Col. Sam Snead.

These flights were especially relevant as both schools' students had just returned from the May 20th AFA/CAP annual Aerospace Exploration Day at Maxwell Air Force Base where they experienced career exploration tours of the control tower and airplanes managed by the U.S. Air Force. Students also learned about the historic aspects of Maxwell (including how it was the first flight school in the country opened by the Wright brothers).

Read more about the excursion in the Montgomery Advertiser!

New CyberPatriot Video! Registration for CPIV Now Open!

CyberPatriot, is gearing up for its new season! Registration for CyberPatriot IV is now open, inviting students from ALL U.S. high schools or accredited home school programs to participate in this exciting competition while space is still available. (Registration ends October 8, 2011.)

 

CyberPatriot was created to inspire high school students toward careers in cyber security or other science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) disciplines. It offers valuable skills for students, providing hands-on learning about technology and cyber defense, emphasizing teamwork and leadership, and exercising skills in problem-solving and critical thinking. But most importantly, it’s fun!

Pass this on to your local schools, and start forming teams in your area today! LEARN MORE!

Governor of New Jersey Recognizes CyberPatriot Champions

CyberPatriot III officially ended April 1, where the top scorers of each division were annoucned and awarded. But the winners continue to get recognized throughout their home states.

Governor Chris Christie, of New Jersey, congratulated “Team Mantrap” of Red Bank Regional High School on Twitter yesterday for being crowned the CyberPatriot III Open Division National Champions.

Out of an original 186 Open Division registrants, “Team Mantrap” (Mantrap is an industrial term in cyber security parlance) was the top scorer in their division, which was comprised of students from public, private, parochial and home schools not associated with any military organization (i.e., Junior ROTC and Civil Air Patrol).

“Congrats to team Mantrap at Red Bank Regional High for becoming CyberPatriot III national champions,” the governor said via Twitter, April 14, 2011. “Keep up the good work.”

To read more about “Team Mantrap,” click here.

Registration for CyberPatriot IV is now open! For more information, check out www.uscyberpatriot.org.