[Infowarrior] - NSA Sponsors $84K in student scholarships for MDC3

[Richard Forno]

Disclosure:  I am co-chair of the event and also overseeing the Challenge. 

Full information about the Maryland Cyber Challenge & Conference can be found at www.mdc3.org.   The conference agenda (in its almost-final form) can be found at http://mdc3.org/files/MDC3Schedule_9.21.11.pdf.

 --- rick

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National Security Agency to Award $84,000 in Scholarships to Student Winners of the 2011 Maryland Cyber Challenge

College and high school teams will compete for top honors on October 22 at the Baltimore Convention Center

Baltimore, Md. – September 28, 2011 – The National Security Agency (NSA) will fund college scholarships for the high school and college student winners of the Maryland Cyber Challenge & Conference (MDC3) – a move to encourage young Marylanders to pursue degrees in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).

“We have an obligation to get the country’s youth more interested in math and science and to understand the importance of cyber security to ensure a larger and more diverse hiring pool in this field for the good of the country,” said John “Chris” Inglis, Deputy Director, NSA. “We are pleased to be able to support the education of the talented young Americans competing in the Maryland Cyber Challenge.”

Each first-place winner of the high school and college team competitions will receive a $5,000 scholarship, and each member of the second-place high school and college teams will receive a $2,000 scholarship to support their higher education.

“Of necessity, cybersecurity professionals are discreet about their work. This event enables us to promote the industry and to excite young Marylanders about defending our nation’s cyber systems,” said Freeman A. Hrabowski, III, president of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. “We’re delighted NSA has joined us in this effort and that the agency is committed to cultivating new talent and supporting the robust cyber industry in Maryland.”

MDC3 was created by the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) and Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC) [NYSE: SAI], in partnership with the Department of Business & Economic Development (DBED), the Tech Council of Maryland (TCM) and the National Cyber Security Alliance (NCSA). MDC3 is leveraging federal, state and private sector resources to effectively address a critical area of national need.

“Cybersecurity is a challenge that affects every single industry in our nation’s economy, and we have a strong need to increase the young talent within this field,” said Larry Cox, SAIC senior vice president and business unit general manager. “We applaud NSA for this significant investment in the future of our national security by creating more educational opportunity for Maryland’s brightest and most-talented future cybersecurity professionals.”

About the Maryland Cyber Challenge & Conference (MDC3)

The inaugural Maryland Cyber Challenge & Conference (MDC3) will be held October 21-22 at the Baltimore Convention Center. The event will give teams of high school students, college and university students, and professionals the opportunity to learn more about cybersecurity and develop practical skills for defending computers while competing for scholarships in a fun environment. The conference will feature keynote speakers, breakout sessions and cyber innovation exhibits for an audience of students, parents and professionals from academia, industry and government. Sponsorship and exhibitor opportunities are both available. MDC3 was founded by Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC) [NYSE: SAI] and the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) in partnership with the Department of Business & Economic Development (DBED), the Tech Council of Maryland (TCM) and the National Cyber Security Alliance (NCSA) with the goal of encouraging Maryland students and young professionals to pursue education and careers in cybersecurity. MDC3 supports the State of Maryland’s initiative to become the nation’s epicenter for innovation in cybersecurity. For more information, please visit www.MDC3.org.

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