News Release

US Cyber Challenge Teams Honored by Governor John Carney and U.S. Senator Tom Carper

Renown Cyber Camp Concludes in Delaware with Intense Capture-the-Flag Competition

After an intense week of information security learning and application, participants of the U.S. Cyber Challenge (USCC) camp in Delaware came together in teams at the University of Delaware on Friday, July 21, to compete in a Capture-the-Flag (CTF) competition. The teams were vying for scholarships and recognition as some of the nation’s top new security talent. 

The 2017 Wilmington University USCC Cyber Wildcat team members were: Adam Barton, Nicholas Gaunt, Todd Hansen, Tymere Henry, Garrett Jansen, Jaimes Lugo, Susan Outten, Eleaszar Perez-Ruiz and Steve Silvestri. All of this year's victors were Delaware Technical Community College students. However, the highest individual score was earned by Alex Reuben, a current WilmU Computer Network Security major in the College of Technology.

Following the competition, an award ceremony featured remarks from Delaware Governor John Carney, Senator Tom Carper, State of Delaware Chief Security Officer (CSO) Elayne Starkey, U.S. Cyber Challenge National Director Karen S. Evans, Dr. Chase Cotton of the University of Delaware, and remarks from Senator Chris Coons and Representative Lisa Blunt Rochester via video.

“Every generation faces major challenges for economic welfare, safety and protection of privacy,” stated Senator Carper at the Award Ceremony. “The new generation represented by the students in this program have an adversary unlike any we have ever seen. Who is going to be there to protect us? This new generation of young warriors in civilian clothes. We need you on the front lines in all kinds of roles to help protect this country.” 

The 2017 Cyber Summer Camp Series featured three week-long camps in Delaware, Illinois and Utah. This was Delaware’s 8th summer camp, the only state in the nation to run camps every year since the inception of the USCC camps. 

The cyber camps are an integral part of the USCC mission to identify and develop cybersecurity talent to reduce the nation’s cybersecurity workforce gap. Participants continue developing their skills and network with like-minded individuals by becoming active members in CyberCompEx.org, an online community specifically geared toward cybersecurity enthusiasts. 

Attendees to the invitation-only camps were selected based in part on their scores from Cyber Quests, an online competition offered through USCC in April that drew hundreds of competitors nationally.  This week’s USCC program was conducted in collaboration with Wilmington University, the University of Delaware, Delaware State University, Delaware Technical Community College and the Delaware Department of Technology and Information (DTI).

The Delaware Coordinating Council for this year's U.S. Cyber Challenge was comprised of Dr. Mark Hufe, Wilmington University; Jerrod Bates, Delaware Technical Community College; Dr. Chase Cotton, University of Delaware; Dr. Marwan Rasamny, Delaware State University and Elayne Starkey, Delaware Department of Technology and Information.

Local sponsors for the camp include Wilmington University, Delaware State University, the University of Delaware, and Delaware Technical Community College. The camp is supported in part through partnerships with the Department of Homeland Security, Amazon Web Services, the Center for Cyber Safety & Education, Cyber Ninjas, Cyber Vista, Defense Point Security LLC, and the Federal CIO Council, (ISC)2. For more information about the Cyber Camp program and each of the specific camps, visit U.S. Cyber Challenge online at ww.uscyberchallenge.org.

About U.S. Cyber Challenge

U.S. Cyber Challenge (USCC) is a program supported by the Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology Directorate through a contract with the Center for Internet Security, a 501(c)3 organization, and has the mission to significantly reduce the shortage in the cyber workforce by serving as the premier program to identify, attract, recruit and place the next generation of cybersecurity professionals. USCC's goal is to find 10,000 of America's best and brightest to fill the ranks of cybersecurity professionals where their skills can be of the greatest value to the nation. Visit www.uscyberchallenge.org.

About Wilmington University

Wilmington University is a private, nonprofit institution committed to providing flexible, career-oriented, traditional and online associate, undergraduate, graduate and doctoral degree programs. Ranked as the second fastest growing nonprofit doctoral institution in America by The Almanac of The Chronicle of Higher Education (2004-2014), Wilmington University enables greater student success through affordable tuition, academic excellence and individualized attention. For more information, contact Wilmington University at 302-356-INFO (4636), via email at infocenter@wilmu.edu, or visit www.wilmu.edu.

Published: Thursday, July 20, 2017 - New Castle, DE