Central Tech is proud to announce the NSA CyberPatriot Team earned a spot as a national finalist in the CyberPatriot National Youth Cyber Defense Competition. The competition will be held April 2-6, 2017 in Baltimore, MD.

“CyberPatriot is an excellent opportunity for students to learn how to solve real world problems using real world solutions. CyberPatriot teams must learn to work together to overcome challenges that could not be completed by individuals,” said Nick Gaunt, NSA instructor, Central Tech.

Central Tech was the only Oklahoma school to finish in the top twelve in their division and will move on to the national competition.

With over 4,400 teams representing all 50 States, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, the Northern Mariana Islands, U.S. Department of Defense schools in Europe and the Pacific, Canada, Australia, Singapore, and Hungary, this year’s competition was record-breaking. All teams competed in a series of online rounds hoping to secure a top twenty-eight finalist spot and a chance for an all-expenses paid trip to the competition.

“We are thrilled to see both returning teams, who continue pushing for excellence in defending their titles, as well as so many new teams qualify for National Finals,” said Diane Miller, Director, Global Cyber Education and Workforce Development Programs, Northrop Grumman. “Year-over-year, CyberPatriot demonstrates that it is truly accessible to all, creating a much-needed diverse and highly skilled cyber workforce to protect and defend our nation’s systems. We are so proud to be part of this national imperative and wish the competitors all the best!”

CyberPatriot, an education initiative established by the Air Force Association and presented by the Northrop Grumman Foundation, is a one-of-a-kind cyber defense competition designed to inspire students toward futures in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields. Other program sponsors include Cyber Diamond sponsors AT&T Federal and the AT&T Foundation, Cisco, Microsoft, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, and the Office of the Secretary of Defense; Cyber Gold sponsors Facebook, Riverside Research, Splunk, and Symantec; and Cyber Silver sponsors Air Force Reserve, American Military University, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Leidos, and University of Maryland University College. For more information about the CyberPatriot competition; visit their website www.uscyberpatriot.org.

Central Tech would like to congratulate our CyberPatriot team and wish them well at national finals. For more information about Central Tech or the NSA program, visit CentralTech.Edu