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For Immediate Release
December 15, 2009
AFA, Microsoft Announce Software for CyberPatriot II
Arlington, VA – In conjunction with the Center for Infrastructure Assurance and Security (CIAS), the Air Force Association (AFA) announced Microsoft’s support for CyberPatriot II, a one-of-a-kind nationwide high school cyber defense competition.
CyberPatriot II is uniquely accessible to hundreds of high schools and likely the largest high school cyber defense competition ever yet conducted simultaneously. The scope of the competition is possible because the preparation and initial competitive phases are conducted entirely over the Internet. This year, teams from more than 200 high schools are competing.
Microsoft will support the completion of this multi-stage computer security competition by providing software, including Windows Server, at no cost for all of the teachers and students participating. Students will then use the Microsoft software for learning, preparing, and competing in the event.
AFA’s CyberPatriot program has been ambitiously expanded in just its second year to offer this hands-on learning experience to as many students as possible, currently more than 1,000 students in teams of up to five from each school, and has room to continue growing next year. Limited to Air Force Junior ROTC and Civil Air Patrol high school students this year, the program will be offered to non-JROTC high schools beginning this spring. This AFA initiative promotes student career interest in cyber security and other science, technology, engineering and mathematics career fields, in keeping with AFA’s chartered mission to promote aerospace education.
The competition began November 7, narrowing the field in three successive rounds to the “elite eight” teams, who will compete in the championship round Feb. 19 in sunny Orlando, Florida, in conjunction with AFA’s annual Air Warfare Symposium at the Rosen Shingle Creek Convention Center. The teams in the finals hail from CA, FL, NC, NH, MI, NY (2), and UT, and the winner in Orlando will attend the National Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition in April and serve on the control team.
“We are extremely grateful for Microsoft’s generous support of this exciting project,” said S. Sanford Schlitt, AFA’s Vice Chairman for Aerospace Education. “This software will greatly enrich the learning experience for all of our future CyberPatriot teams.”
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CIAS is a CyberPatriot Founding partner and creator of the National Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition. CIAS is the authoritative voice on the educational component of the effort, and will coordinate the release and use of the Microsoft software.
AFA is a 501(C)(3), nonprofit organization promoting public understanding of aerospace power and the pivotal role it plays in the security of the nation. AFA has over 200 chapters nationally and internationally representing 120,000 members. Visit AFA www.AFA.org.
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