FALLS CHURCH, Va., Jan. 24, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Northrop Grumman Foundation, presenting sponsor for CyberPatriot V, announced today that 28 teams have successfully battled through three rounds of virtual competition to advance to the national finals showdown in Washington, D.C., March 14-16. CyberPatriot, established by the Air Force Association, is the premier national high school cyber defense competition created to inspire high school students toward careers in cybersecurity or other science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) disciplines critical to the nation's future.
This year's finalists represent Alabama, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Missouri, New Mexico, Ohio, South Dakota, Texas and Virginia. Two teams from Manitoba, Canada, will also compete at the National Finals Competition as international exhibition teams.
"We heartily congratulate all of the more than 1,200 teams that participated in this competition, and especially the ones that made it to finals," said Sandra Evers-Manly, president of the Northrop Grumman Foundation. "Every year more high schools take up the CyberPatriot challenge, and each year the competition gets tougher. CyberPatriot is generating excitement among our youth to pursue the field of cybersecurity, and it's opening their eyes to the benefits of a career in STEM."
In its third year as the presenting sponsor, the Northrop Grumman Foundation and Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) have invested time, talent and resources to assist in coaching teams and mentoring students. In addition to the foundation's generous support, Northrop Grumman contributes employee volunteers, expertise and resources to CyberPatriot, as well as scholarship funds for the winning teams. The company also provides internships to a number of CyberPatriot competitors, as do other industry and government organizations. These internship opportunities serve both CyberPatriot participants and cybersecurity employers as the nation strives to fill the critical need for cyber professionals.
"CyberPatriot fosters a learn-by-doing philosophy, building not only the technical skills needed, but the life skills – such as teamwork and leadership – that are critical to professional success," said Diane Miller, Northrop Grumman program director for CyberPatriot. "Each round of the competition gets increasingly more challenging, so it's exciting to watch these teams work together to find vulnerabilities, shore up their system and keep their networks safe. The competition has opened up a career in cybersecurity to many students, giving them enormous possibilities for professional growth not only in cyber, but in all the STEM disciplines."
Students will take an all-expenses-paid trip to the Gaylord National Hotel and Convention Center at National Harbor, Md., along the Potomac River near Washington, D.C. There, teams will compete face to face in a one-day competition to defend virtual networks from a professional aggressor team.
The CyberPatriot V competition started in November 2012 with a record 1,225 student teams registered representing all 50 states and U.S. Department of Defense dependent schools in Europe and the Pacific, and Canada. For more information on the competition, go to www.uscyberpatriot.org.
Finalists from the All Service and Open divisions below:
All Service division finalists competed in an online competition on Jan. 11-12:
- Big Sioux Composite Squadron, Civil Air Patrol, Brookings, S.D.
- East Central High School, Army Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (JROTC), San Antonio
- John Jay High School, Air Force JROTC, San Antonio
- Medina Valley High School, Air Force JROTC, Castroville, Texas
- Colorado Springs Cadet Squadron, Civil Air Patrol, Colorado Springs, Colo.
- Covington High School, Navy JROTC, Covington, La.
- Flour Bluff High School, Navy JROTC, Corpus Christi, Texas
- Fort Fisher Division 113FOR, Naval Sea Cadet Corps, San Diego
- LaCueva High School, U.S. Marine Corps JROTC, Albuquerque, N.M.
- Leilehua High School, Army JROTC, Wahiawa, Hawaii
- Marine Military Academy, U.S. Marine Corps JROTC, Harlingen, Texas
- Montachusett Regional Vocational Technical School, U.S. Marine Corps JROTC, Fitchburg, Mass.
- Valor 063VAL, Naval Sea Cadet Corps, Gardendale, Ala.
- Youngstown ARS Composite Squadron, Civil Air Patrol, Vienna, Ohio
Open division finalists competed in an online competition on Jan. 11-12.
- Chantilly Academy – A Governor's Stem Academy, Chantilly, Va.
- Edward Roybal Learning Center, Los Angeles
- Franklin High School, Los Angeles
- North Hollywood High School 1, North Hollywood, Calif.
- North Hollywood High School 6, North Hollywood, Calif.
- Alamo Academies – Information Technology and Security Academy, New Braunfels, Texas
- Iolani School, Honolulu
- Marshall Academy, Falls Church, Va. (team 1)
- Marshall Academy, Falls Church, Va. (team 2)
- MIT Lincoln Laboratory, Lexington, Mass.
- Palos Verdes Peninsula High School, Rolling Hills Estates, Calif.
- Summit Technology Academy, Lees Summit, Mo.
As the leading provider of cybersecurity solutions to the Department of Defense, intelligence community and civilian agencies, Northrop Grumman is committed to grooming tomorrow's cyber workforce and is engaged in supporting cybersecurity education, training and technology. For more information on Northrop Grumman in cybersecurity, go to www.northropgrumman.com/cybersecurity.
The Northrop Grumman Foundation supports diverse and sustainable programs for students and teachers. These programs create innovative education experiences in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. For more information please visit www.northropgrumman.com/foundation.