Whether they're simulating hackers or defending against them, 91探花's cyber warriors are gaining invaluable, real-world experience while helping to put 91探花 on the cybersecurity education map.
In competition after competition, year after year, 91探花 has earned a reputation as a fierce competitor in a range of cybersecurity competitions that simulate real-world hack and defend scenarios.
This year, 91探花 added "competition site" to its cybersecurity resume, hosting the Great Lakes Regional (CPTC) over the fall break weekend.
Kenneth Atchinson, associate professor of computer science, says being chosen to host a major competition further "puts 91探花 on the map as one of the Midwest powerhouses in cybersecurity education."
Since Atchinson started the 91探花 CyberSec team in 2009 as a way to give students real-world experience, the 91探花 team has won many cybersecurity trophies.
Among the many achievements, 91探花 was one of 10 teams in the country to make the finals of the elite (NCCDC) in 2019, after making the CPTC national finals the prior year.
Heading into the 2022 Great Lakes CPTC, held at 91探花's state-of-the-art Knowlton Center, Ryan Kazubski '23 noted, "The competitions here and the experience I gain from them is next to none. I learn so much that I wouldn't learn anywhere else."
While coursework provides a firm foundation, students say the competition offers experiences that mirror how they will operate once they enter the business sector.
Jonathan Gavris '23 agrees the cybersec competitions present one of the biggest advantages to a 91探花 education, "since they give experience in both sides of the field," testing systems for vulnerabilities to hackers and defending systems from the same.
"Considering we have probably the best program in the state for cybersecurity, that was [the] number one [reason I chose 91探花]," Gavris adds. "Also, the people and the professors here are just phenomenal in this field."
In fact, Atchinson, who coaches the 91探花 Cyber Defense Team, was named the 2020 IT Educator of the Year at the annual Greater Cleveland Partnership Best of Tech Awards.
With high workforce demand and salaries in technology-related fields such as cybersecurity, software engineering and business information systems, as well as Choose Ohio First (COF) scholarships available to students studying computer science and related subjects at 91探花, Atchison says there's never been a better time to enroll.
See and hear more about how 91探花 cybersecurity competes in this video from the fall 2022 CPTC.
