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UCF’s Cyber Defense Team Gets Kudos in United States Senate

U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) took time this week to publically congratulate the University of Central Florida’s two-time national champion Cyber Defense Competition Team in a United States Senate floor statement.

Earlier this year, the team bested nine others to win the National Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition sponsored in-part by Raytheon. Team members and coaches were treated to a summer VIP tour of national security hotspots in and around Washington, D.C., including the White House and the National Security Agency.

Rubio’s statement entered into the record on Oct. 20 coincides with Cyber Security Awareness Month in October.

Transcript of the Oct. 20, 2015 U.S. Senate Floor Statement

FLOOR STATEMENT CONGRATULATING THE UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL FLORIDA COLLEGIATE CYBER DEFENSE CLUB ON WINNING THE 2015 NATIONAL COLLEGIATE CYBER DEFENSE COMPETITION

Mr. President–As October marks Cyber Security Awareness Month, I rise to recognize the University of Central Florida (UCF)’s Collegiate Cyber Defense Club on winning the 2015 National Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition’s Alamo Cup for a second year in a row in April 2015.  This achievement not only exemplifies the boundless educational opportunities provided by UCF, but also demonstrates how students in Florida are leading the next generation of growth and development in increasingly vital 21st century industries.

The UCF Collegiate Cyber Defense Club, also known as “Hack@UCF” was founded in 2012, and today has 200 members that represent the University in cyber competitions around the nation. Most notably, Hack@UCF annually competes in the National Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition (CCDC).  In partnership with the Center for Infrastructure Assurance and Security (CIAS) at the University of Texas at San Antonio, the CCDC started in 2005 to provide educational institutions with a controlled environment to further educate and assess the future generation’s skills in combatting cyber-attacks.  This year, the competition challenged 2400 undergraduate and graduate students representing 200 colleges and universities to operate and maintain a mock business, while continuously defending against cyber-attacks created by government and industry experts.

I am proud that the talented students of UCF were able to stand out as the best collegiate team during the competition for the past two years.  As our nation will continue to face the threat of cyber-attacks on our economy, businesses, and national security, it is critical to promote and invest in educational programs that empower students and provide them with the necessary tools to be successful in this industry.

It is an honor to congratulate all members of the UCF Collegiate Cyber Defense Club on this achievement.  I hope it will inspire other students in the state of Florida and across the nation to get involved in the cyber security industry.  I wish the group an abundance of success in the future, and the best of luck in next year’s competition.

For more about the team click [1]here or here [2].