From April 10 through April 13, a group of Capitol College students will be competing at the 2013 National CyberWatch Center Mid-Atlantic Regional Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition (CCDC) at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Lab. This year’s competition is titled “Securing the Vote: Electronic Voting Systems and Cybersecurity.”
According to CCDC’s website “The Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition’s primary focus is to give students an experience in defending computer networks and systems against targeted attacks. Each year, the competition involves a compelling scenario meant to represent the non-cyber impacts resulting from cyber attacks (e.g. electric power, health care, electronic voting). A scenario-based competition provides participants context and focus for their actions and allows prioritization of their efforts within the structure of a controlled environment and scoring rubric.”
On Wednesday April 10, the CCDC will be hosting its Speaker Symposium, and students will have the opportunity to hear four lectures from industry experts. Students will also have the opportunity to attend a job fair/networking reception on Thursday, April 11. Two additional guest speakers will discuss cybersecurity issues on Friday, April 12.
“Once again, a team from Capitol College has made the ‘cut’ into the final round of a major cybersecurity competition,” said Vic Maconachy, vice president for academic affairs. “Win or lose, students who engage in these high-end competitions are given experiences far beyond the classroom. These students get the opportunity to test their skills against experts, and to get near instantaneous feedback. There could be no finer preparation for entry into the cybersecurity workforce.”
Capitol’s team qualified for the Mid-Atlantic CCDC after finishing as one of the top eight teams in the competition’s virtual qualification round. Capitol students hone their cybersecurity skills in the college’s Cyber Lab, where students simulate, detect, analyze and defeat various hacker attacks and cybersecurity threats. Designed as an experiential learning center, the Cyber Lab provides students with the hands-on learning they need to thrive in industry.
Capitol College offers a bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral program in information assurance.