National High School Cyber Defense Challenge Passes 400 Team Registrants

ARLINGTON, Va., June 6, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- With more than 415 teams in 47 states already being organized, educators across the country are securing their spot in the nation's largest and fastest growing high school cyber defense competition, CyberPatriot V!  Among those now registered are also teams from U.S. Department of Defense Dependent Schools in Korea and Italy, and teams from the Manitoba Province of Canada. Iowa, Montana, and South Dakota are the only U.S. states yet to be represented.

"CyberPatriot works to inspire high school students to consider careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) disciplines, and it doesn't end there," said Bernie Skoch, CyberPatriot Commissioner. "The competition – and its fun environment – also provides hands-on learning about technology and cyber defense, emphasizes teamwork and leadership, and exercises skills in problem-solving and critical thinking. Already, the momentum for CyberPatriot V has grown rapidly, and it's exciting to see so many educators and students excited about cyber security."

Established by the Air Force Association, CyberPatriot is a team-based activity, where students learn to defend a computer network from real-life computer threat scenarios. Participants compete online in the preliminary rounds as their assignment is to seek out and correct flaws in simulated computer systems while keeping specified computer functions working. The top teams then compete again in a series of online rounds to determine finalists for an all-expenses-paid trip to the nation's capital and the CyberPatriot National Finals Competition in March 2013.

CyberPatriot IV saw more than 1,000 teams register. Top winners from each division received more than $50,000 in college scholarships from the Northrop Grumman Foundation, CyberPatriot's presenting sponsor. Other CyberPatriot sponsors include founding partners SAIC and CIAS at the University of Texas-San Antonio, as well as AT&T, Boeing, General Dynamics, Microsoft, Raytheon, the Air Force Research Laboratory, MIT-Lincoln Laboratory, Cisco, URS and K2Share.

Registration for CyberPatriot V closes on September 30, 2012. Any high school can field a team for the Open Division, while Junior ROTC units from any Service and Civil Air Patrol are eligible to field teams in the All Service Division. The educational experience and materials are identical for students in either division.

Coaches can learn more about CyberPatriot and sign up at www.uscyberpatriot.org. Information is also available from the CyberPatriot staff at [email protected].

The Air Force Association is a non-profit, independent, professional military and aerospace education association. Our mission is to promote a dominant United States Air Force and a strong national defense, and to honor Airmen and our Air Force Heritage.  To accomplish this, we:

• EDUCATE the public on the critical need for unmatched aerospace power and a technically superior workforce to ensure U.S. national security.
• ADVOCATE for aerospace power and STEM education.
• SUPPORT the Total Air Force family and promote aerospace education.

AFA has 200 chapters nationally and internationally representing more than 108,000 members.  Visit AFA on the internet at www.afa.org.

SOURCE Air Force Association

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