Under a high-stakes, simulated cyberattack and mounting pressure, the 麻豆原创 Collegiate Cybersecurity Competition (C3) team proved it can defend, adapt and outperform 鈥� earning first place at the 2026 Southeast Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition (CCDC).

The team rose above nine competitors, including Tennessee Tech University, Clemson University, the University of South Florida and the University of Florida. With the win, 麻豆原创 advances to the National Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition, which will be held virtually next month.

Twelve students make up this year鈥檚 C3 team: sophomore information technology (IT) majors Gabriel Edwards and Maksim Shostak; junior IT majors Logan Autry, Anthony Donnelly, Joseph Durand, Adam Raczynski and Jonathan Styles; senior IT major Ardian Peach; sophomore computer science major Tyler Waddell; junior computer science major Benjamin Williams; cyber security and privacy master鈥檚 student Andy Pompura 鈥�23; and senior prelaw major Noah Magill, who serves as team captain.

麻豆原创’s Legacy of Cybersecurity Success

Their stellar performance marks 麻豆原创鈥檚 ninth first-place finish at the Southeast CCDC regional since 2013. 麻豆原创 earned runner-up finishes in 2017 and 2025, along with first-place titles in special at-large CCDC regionals during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021.

“麻豆原创 has historically maintained high service availability levels while under attack by the red team.” 鈥� Tom Nedorost 鈥�02MS, senior instructor and C3 team coach

The team not only clinched the top spot but also swept all three categories, winning Best in Uptime Service, Best in Business and Best in Defense.

鈥溌槎乖� has historically maintained high service availability levels while under attack by the red team,鈥� says Tom Nedorost 鈥�02MS, C3 team coach and senior instructor of computer science and IT. 鈥淲e lived up to that expectation again this year, which resulted in winning the Best in Uptime Service award.鈥�

Nedorost adds that the team strengthened its ability to complete technical service requests while hardening systems against vulnerabilities to protect their network, key improvements that led to the two additional category wins.

Putting Cyber Defense Skills into Practice

At each competition, teams are tasked with defending a fictional company鈥檚 network against cyberattacks launched by red team members attempting to infiltrate it. All the while, competitors must maintain business operations and respond to customer service requests.

Each obstacle mimics real-world scenarios cybersecurity professionals face, allowing competitors to demonstrate their technical skills, business acumen and ability to collaborate.

It’s fun to go up against people [who, collectively,] would be a force to reckon with in the cyber world .鈥� 鈥� Noah Magill, prelaw major and C3 team captain

Magill says the Southeast CCDC is among the most competitive, with red team members from leading companies such as Amazon Web Services and Cisco.

鈥淎ll of them put together make up one of the scariest real-world life adversaries,鈥� Magill says. 鈥淚t’s fun to go up against people [who, collectively,] would be a force to reckon with in the cyber world 鈥� and a lot of [them] are [麻豆原创] alumni.鈥�

Next Up: Nationals

As the team sets its sights on the national competition, the work is far from over. Magill says a few more 100-hour weeks are likely ahead.

鈥淓veryone on the team is incredibly adept at what they do and world-class [in] their specialty,鈥� Magill says. 鈥淟eading this team [and relying] on such amazing teammates with such a diverse amount of skills has been really awesome.鈥�

The Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) has named Solihin to its 2025 class of fellows 鈥� a distinction awarded to just 71 professionals worldwide for their remarkable achievements, technical innovations and lasting contributions to the field.

Selected from ACM鈥檚 100,000 members, the new fellows will be formally inducted at the ACM Awards Banquet in June.

For Solihin, the recognition represents something deeper than a title.

鈥淏eing one out of 71 selected for this designation worldwide in 2025, I feel deeply honored,鈥� he says. 鈥淭his recognition is the culmination of decades of research in computer architecture, with contributions from my former and current Ph.D. students and collaborators.鈥�

A Pioneer in Computer Architecture

Long before today鈥檚 cloud-powered, security-conscious computing era, Solihin was asking questions others weren鈥檛.

In the early 2000s, as research focused on single-core processors, he turned his attention to multicore systems and uncovered a hidden flaw. His research group identified a critical performance challenge in shared cache architecture: uneven slowdowns caused by cache sharing. When multiple programs run simultaneously and share a common cache, some slow down more than others due to resource limitations.

鈥淚 feel deeply humbled because, at the time I chose to work on these problems, it was not clear how important they would turn out to be.”

Groundbreaking when it emerged in 2003, this phenomenon is now widely known and studied by computer scientists. Solihin and his group coined the term 鈥渇air cache sharing鈥� and introduced a technique to partition the cache so programs slow down equally, ultimately improving overall performance. They also coined the term 鈥渃ache quality of service,鈥� advocating for cache policies that enable differentiated performance levels. Solihin also pioneered research on secure processors, which allow applications to run in an environment protected from vulnerabilities in system software.

Today, those once-theoretical ideas are foundational. Cache partitioning and secure processors are now standard features in graphics processing units and central processing units, particularly those powering cloud computing systems worldwide.

鈥淚 feel deeply humbled because, at the time I chose to work on these problems, it was not clear how important they would turn out to be,鈥� Solihin says. 鈥淚 started working on 鈥� cache partitioning when the hot research topics of the day were single-core processors. I started working in secure execution environment design when it was still unclear if hardware architecture should play a major role in computer security.鈥�

Making an Impact in Industry and Education

After earning his doctorate in computer science from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Solihin worked as a professor at North Carolina State University. He then joined the U.S. National Science Foundation, where he served as a program director for secure and trustworthy research on cyberspace and computer systems.

When he joined 麻豆原创 in 2018, that bold ambition and pioneering spirit came with him.

As director of the at 麻豆原创, Solihin helped expand the university鈥檚 research footprint and developed the Cyber Security and Privacy master鈥檚 program within the Department of Computer Science. Under his leadership, the program has grown to 200 students, the research cluster has added 13 faculty members and his findings have been incorporated into the computer processing industry鈥檚 design and development of computer architecture.

Yet Solihin doesn鈥檛 claim any of these achievements as his greatest.

鈥淭he achievement I am the proudest of is the positive impact I have made on students that I have advised,鈥� he says. 鈥淪ome of my past students have established good careers of their own, including becoming professors at Oxford University, Northeastern University, UC Santa Cruz and Binghamton University.鈥�

From Cyber Competition to Real-World Defense

Both brothers turned their meaningful time at 麻豆原创 into high-impact careers protecting critical systems. Martin leads the security engineering program at workforce management company Fountain, while Michael oversees cybersecurity efforts at Abbott Diabetes Care.

鈥淚 stayed interested in cybersecurity because it was also about safeguarding people, privacy and trust,鈥� Michael says. 鈥淭hat sense of purpose in protecting people is what has kept me motivated. I am now responsible for protecting medical devices, some of the technology people most rely on in their everyday lives.鈥�

Where Purpose Took Shape

That purpose was developed at 麻豆原创, where the Roberts brothers solidified their career paths through the renowned Collegiate Cyber Defense Club 鈥� better known as Hack@麻豆原创. The student-led organization became a launchpad, sharpening their technical skills through high-stakes competitions and invaluable collaboration. As Hack@麻豆原创 stacked up championship after championship, university and industry partners doubled down on their support. In 2019, Lockheed Martin helped establish the Innovation Cyber Lab 鈥� a 970-square-foot dedicated practice space located in the Engineering I building 鈥� providing the team with a home base.

“These competitions helped me advance my skillset, gain real-world experience and make connections across the industry.”聽鈥� Martin Roberts 鈥�20 鈥�22MS

鈥溌槎乖� gave us the space to experiment, to fail and to grow. The university鈥檚 investment in cybersecurity infrastructure and student-led initiatives made it possible for us to compete 鈥� and win 鈥� on a national level,鈥� Michael says. 鈥淣ot every university is willing to dedicate space and resources for a team to compete, so I am grateful to 麻豆原创 for doing so.鈥�

The brothers also lauded computer science instructor Tom Nedorost 鈥�02MS, Hack@麻豆原创鈥檚 faculty advisor and a longtime collegiate cybersecurity competition (C3) coach, for his contributions to the programs. Nedorost was there from the beginning, when students officially formed the club in Spring 2013.

鈥溌槎乖� participating in these competitions is only possible because of the dedication from our team鈥檚 faculty advisor, Dr. Nedorost,鈥� Martin says. 鈥淭hese competitions helped me advance my skillset, gain real-world experience and make connections across the industry.鈥�

Building Team-Ready Talent

Today, Michael鈥檚 role at Abbott includes recruiting, and he鈥檚 actively bringing fellow Knights with him. He has hired several Hack@麻豆原创 alumni and says they possess a rare combination of technical depth and operational maturity, and that they share a strong bond from defending networks together in competitions.

鈥淭hey鈥檝e been battle-tested in competitions, but they also know how to work in teams, communicate risk and adapt quickly,鈥� Michael says. 鈥淭hey know how to follow a playbook and how to innovate when a playbook doesn鈥檛 work. It鈥檚 difficult to teach that initiative and resourcefulness, so we look to hire those who already have it.鈥�

Giving Back to What Gave Them a Start

Both brothers remain actively involved at 麻豆原创 and are passionate about giving back as alumni.

鈥淚t鈥檚 important to stay involved in this way, and I recommend this to more alumni,鈥� Martin says. 鈥淚鈥檓 only where I鈥檓 at today because of technical mentors who took the time to help train me up at the high school and the collegiate level.鈥�

Martin emphasizes that success in cybersecurity goes far beyond the classroom. Experiences like competing on cybersecurity teams are essential for any student pursuing the field. He encourages students to cultivate interests outside of the classroom and to pursue multiple internships to gain more hands-on experience.

鈥淭he students that excel are the ones that dedicate the most time to bettering themselves and the people around them,鈥� Martin says. 鈥淭hose are the kinds of students who make it on the C3 team and excel in their careers after they graduate. So if you鈥檙e a student reading this with cybersecurity as an interest, find a niche and become really good at it.鈥�

“I will continue to give back to the program and help it improve, and I hope more alumni do the same.” 鈥� Michael Roberts 鈥�19 鈥�21MS

While Hack@麻豆原创鈥檚 trophy case already tells an impressive story, Michael says the best is yet to come 鈥� and he and his brother plan to be there every step of the way.

鈥淥ur best days of C3 aren鈥檛 behind us; they are in front of us,鈥� Michael says. 鈥淎nd I talk about myself as part of C3 in the present tense because it is still a part of who I am, and I intend for it always to be. I will continue to give back to the program and help it improve, and I hope more alumni do the same. I am excited about the future of the program, and proud to be a part of it.鈥�

Organizers hosted its second Horse Plinko Cyber Competition this month, attracting more than 160 competitors.

The contest with the silly name offers serious experience for anyone interested in cyber defense. Participants role-play as cybersecurity interns who defend a fictional company, the International Horse Plinko League, from various cyberattacks. During the six-hour competition, 鈥減linkterns鈥� are tasked with three priorities: identifying threats, bolstering defenses to keep the threats from returning, and keeping the company鈥檚 critical services up and running in real time.

鈥淲e simulate a business network for teams to defend and pit them against live attackers attempting, and succeeding, to hack into their network,鈥� says competition director Harrison Keating 鈥�24, a cybersecurity and privacy master鈥檚 degree student and captain of 麻豆原创鈥檚 Collegiate Cybersecurity Competition (C3) team. 鈥淭hat’s an experience many of them will not get again until they are working in the field.鈥�

One of the big draws to Horse Plinko is the levity its organizers have weaved into the event. The contest underscores the valuable hands-on experience it offers with a healthy dose of fun.

鈥淲e have a LinkedIn profile and website for the fictional company, there’s recurring characters that appear in-person during the competition, and there are a lot of running jokes,鈥� Keating says. 鈥淜eeping it light-hearted helps make the competition more approachable to new students.鈥�

He adds that Horse Plinko is structured to mimic a real-world environment not just in terms of the technical skills required of future cyber professionals, but for the interpersonal skills needed as well.

鈥淐ybersecurity is a highly collaborative field, and this is a good chance for them to develop their teamwork and communication skills in a high-pressure environment,鈥� Keating says. 鈥淚t also helps students network with their peers and learn from each other.鈥�

With several dozen competitions under their belts 鈥� including a recent National College Cyber Defense Competition (NCCDC) championship 鈥� organizers have a wealth of experience to draw upon to develop and run the event. They intend to bring cyber skills to the masses with a contest designed to be accessible to anyone with an interest in cyber, no matter the major or skill level.

鈥淥ur club has over 350 members, and only eight of them get to compete in the National CCDC,鈥� says Keating. 鈥淥ur mission is to provide that kind of quality learning experience to as many students as possible.鈥�

Keating says live contests like these aren鈥檛 widely available to students because of the infrastructure and manpower required to run them. Horse Plinko, however, is supported by hundreds of members from the C3 team and Hack@麻豆原创. Previous Horse Plinko competitors returned to help run the next event, bringing their ideas and experience to a new batch of plinkterns.

鈥淚t enables us to design from the perspective of a beginner and tailor the experience to where they’re at in their learning journey,鈥� Keating says.

First-time competitor Muhammad Ali, a freshman computer science major, was completely new to cyber competitions. He shunned 鈥渂lue team鈥� or cyber defense activities, preferring to work on 鈥渞ed team鈥� or cyberattack skills. Despite an obvious interest and acumen in cybersecurity 鈥� he says he hacked into his dad鈥檚 computer at the age of 9 鈥� he says he didn鈥檛 think he had the skills to participate.

That all changed after his first experience with Horse Plinko.

鈥淚t鈥檚 a different story when you鈥檙e tasked against a whole squad of live red team hackers trying everything to take your services down,鈥� Ali says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a lot of fun.鈥�

He and his team placed second at the competition. In addition, he鈥檚 now scheduled to compete at two out-of-state cyber competitions next month.

鈥淚 suffer from imposter syndrome where I feel as if I鈥檓 not actually good enough for cybersecurity,鈥� says Ali. 鈥淪urprisingly a lot of people do. 麻豆原创 has a great community that has instilled not just self-confidence but acceptance for myself.鈥�

Ali adds that he has every intention of participating in Horse Plinko again as an attacker on the red team.

鈥淚 never thought I鈥檇 enjoy Horse Plinko this much,鈥� he says. 鈥淚 am 100% doing this again next year. If you鈥檙e afraid of 鈥榖lue teaming鈥�, or [are] new to cybersecurity, Horse Plinko is the best place to get first-hand experience.鈥�

Fang, who is an assistant professor in within the College of Sciences, is using the CAREER award to study the precise movement of electrons induced by light and to help educate others in her field.

Yao is an assistant professor in within the College of Engineering and Computer Science and a member of the Cyber Security and Privacy faculty cluster. He鈥檒l use his CAREER award to identify lapses in computer processing security at the micro level and find ways to defend against them.

The annual award supports an estimated 500 early-career STEM faculty from either institutes of higher education or academic nonprofit organizations who have the potential to serve as academic role models in research and education and to lead advances in the mission of their department or organization.

Through their NSF CAREER awards, both Fang and Yao are continuing to build upon their research and contribute to key components of their respective fields.

Capturing Energy in a Fraction of a Second

Li Fang
Department of Physics
Title: Photo-induced Ultrafast Electron-nuclear Dynamics in Molecules
Award: $813,981 over five years

Li Fang is examining some of the smallest components of matter in some of the shortest amounts of time.

She studies how electrons move after their initial absorption of photo-energy as they attempt to interact, break or form a bond with other molecular components. The purpose of examining these molecular dynamics is crucial in better understanding physics and energy, Fang says.

鈥淭he dynamics of these charged particles will provide fundamental knowledge about energy absorption, dissipation and rearrangement in building blocks of materials and therefore is relevant to energy storage and harvest,鈥� Fang says. 鈥淲e implement spectroscopic tools to track the extremely fast motion of these charges. An electron鈥檚 motion is the first step in all chemical and photo reactions and ions are the subjects of chemical bonds that exist basically in all materials.鈥�

Fang measures these movements in attoseconds and femtoseconds, which are one billion billionths of a second and one million billionths of a second, respectively.

Attoseconds are the natural time scale for electrons moving inside an atom while femtoseconds are the natural time scale for measuring nuclei moving within a molecule.

Fang鈥檚 NSF CAREER project will help her further uncover and measure how light can instigate changes at the molecular level and then share her research with the greater scientific community.

鈥淭he goal is to understand the ultrafast electron motion induced by intense laser beams and its correlation with the motion of the nuclei in a molecule,鈥� she says. 鈥淎n equally important part of my NSF CAREER award is the educational subproject, the goal of which is to introduce my research field 鈥榰ltrafast science鈥� to a broader audience through media and local events.鈥�

Fang came to 麻豆原创 in 2020 from the Ohio State University.

Since arriving, she has garnered significant funding and support for her projects. In 2020, Fang was one of 76 recipients 鈥� and the only recipient from Florida 鈥� to be awarded an early career research program grant from the U.S. Department of Energy.

She also was instrumental in securing NSF funding of nearly $2 million for a powerful laser in 2021, aiming to build a user facility at 麻豆原创 to continue studying electrons and molecular bonds using precise measurements in attoseconds.

Fang says it was extremely gratifying to earn her NSF CAREER award, and it represents a culmination of her previous scientific endeavors.

鈥淚t definitely fit into my career and will help me fulfill my goals as a researcher and an educator,鈥� she says.

Fang is thankful for the assistance of her peers and collaborators in cultivating her studies and developing her NSF CAREER proposal.

鈥淭he NSF CAREER program at 麻豆原创 organized by Saiful Khondaker is very helpful with improving the writing of the educational subproject, which is crucial to the NSF CAREER project,鈥� she says.

麻豆原创 has provided Fang with the opportunity to excel in her research, and she anticipates many more impactful discoveries to come.

鈥淚 am looking forward to carrying out real scientific experiments and discovering new findings with the state-of-the-art lasers and the spectroscopy systems we have,鈥� Fang says. 鈥淕etting a prestigious CAREER award is just the start.鈥�

Fan Yao
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Title: Understanding and Ensuring Secure-by-design Microarchitecture in Modern Era of Computing
Award: $556,875

Effective computer system security requires searching high and low within its infrastructure to address vulnerabilities that could be overlooked and exploited.

Fan Yao has dedicated his research to thoroughly poring through potential weaknesses within the architectural and microarchitectural designs of computing and memory units to see how they can be safeguarded against malicious hacks and data breaches.

鈥淚n today’s interconnected digital landscape, we depend on computing devices to store and process our sensitive and personal data,鈥� he says. 鈥淕iven that hardware forms the foundational bedrock of all computing systems, its security is paramount. A computer with compromised hardware security is akin to a skyscraper built on shaky ground.鈥�

Specifically, Yao is using his NSF CAREER project to examine computer processors and analyze side channel leakage, which is compromised access to information or infrastructure through indirect means.

鈥淭hrough the automation of microarchitectural security analysis, we aim to uncover hidden hardware-level states prone to leakage, as well as to develop software-level patterns that can exploit these vulnerabilities to quantify their leakage potential,鈥� he says. 鈥淪ubsequently, the project will focus on designing robust defense strategies to prevent microarchitectural information leakage, thereby ensuring stronger protection for future generations of processors.鈥�

The awarded funds will continue to catalyze Yao鈥檚 research and allow him to further challenge the limits of computer security. He is hopeful that the results will serve as an educational cornerstone to both aspiring students and his peers, he says.

鈥淭his grant allows us to explore innovative security solutions more deeply and to train the next generation of researchers in this critical field,鈥� Yao says. 聽鈥淭his award fits perfectly into my career goals, as it enables me to establish a sustainable research program that can make meaningful contributions to both academia and industry.鈥�

Yao arrived at 麻豆原创 in the fall of 2018 after receiving his doctoral degree in computer engineering from the George Washington University.

The support and mentorship from 麻豆原创鈥檚 academic community and administration at 麻豆原创 has been crucial to helping him achieve his research aspirations, he says.

鈥溌槎乖� has been extremely supportive in junior faculty career development,鈥� Yao says. 鈥淢any of the preliminary results for this project were achieved through experiments facilitated by this support. I am also profoundly grateful for the comprehensive assistance received during the development of this proposal. This includes invaluable guidance from the 麻豆原创 CAREER mentoring program and the insightful feedback on my proposal provided by senior faculty members in our department.鈥�

Yao is proud to have been awarded an NSF CAREER grant, and says he is excited to further his research.

鈥淩eceiving the NSF CAREER grant is an incredible honor and a pivotal moment in my career,鈥� he says. 鈥淚t not only validates the importance and potential impact of our work on microarchitecture security, but also provides a substantial platform to expand our research efforts.鈥�

More than 2,100 competitors from 198 schools participated in events across the country during NCCDC regional events, with the top 10 teams advancing to the national championship.

As one of the nation’s largest collegiate competitions of its kind, this year鈥檚 NCCDC tasked competitors with the scenario of managing, operating and defending the network infrastructure of a human resource outsourcing firm while responding to business tasks, customers, and fending off a group of live Red Team hackers.

鈥淲ith our successful track record in the National CCDC and other cyber competitions over the years, it鈥檚 an undeniable fact that 麻豆原创 has the best cyber program, best students, and best coaches in the nation,鈥� said Professor Tom Nedorost, head coach of the team.

The competition鈥檚 unique focus on operational aspects of managing and protecting a network infrastructure is designed to assess each student鈥檚 depth of understanding and operational competency. The NCCDC is more than just a competitive environment though, as hundreds of volunteers work closely with participating competitors throughout the year to help develop their professional networks and provide mentorship.

Through these competitions, students gain skills and real-world experiences that make them highly attractive to potential employers.

It was this specific competition that led Harrison Keating to 麻豆原创. As a high school student in St. Augustine, Florida, he enjoyed building websites and began looking at the competitions held at the college level. When he realized that 麻豆原创 had a track record of winning them, he made sure that his campus visit to 麻豆原创 included a stop at the Hack@麻豆原创 cybersecurity club. He enrolled, and landed a spot as an alternate on the team that he now leads as captain.

鈥淭he NCCDC is a two-day event,鈥� Keating said. 鈥淎t the beginning of day two, we were in third in one category and didn鈥檛 place in the other three. At that point, victory didn鈥檛 seem to be a possibility, Morale was low, but the team did an amazing job to find the silver lining, persevere and figuring out a way to improve in day two. Going from that position to national champions in a day was an incredible testament to the team鈥檚 determination.鈥�

Keating and several of the team members will graduate this week in commencement ceremonies at 麻豆原创.

鈥淭he scenario we developed for this elite group of students is very realistic,鈥� said Dwayne Williams, Director of the NCCDC and associate director at the CIAS. 鈥淭he primary challenge this year is securing large amounts of personally identifiable information across different industries and states, but also dealing with a company acquisition while being targeted by bad actors. These unique challenges and hands-on experiences help each of these teams prepare for the real-world scenarios they will face after graduation.鈥�

鈥淚 looked over all the big-name universities and saw that they didn鈥檛 have a good cybersecurity offering or any clubs for their undergraduates,鈥� says Magill, now a 20-year-old honors information technology student and Burnett Honors Scholar. 鈥淭hen I reached out to 麻豆原创 and learned about one of the biggest and best cybersecurity clubs and collegiate teams in all the United States. That was the selling point for me.鈥�

Thanks to Magill and 406 of his classmates who are current members, the Collegiate Cyber Defense Club at 麻豆原创 has been sending teams of students around the world to cash in on tournaments at the expense of some of the leading universities in the United States. The latest list of first-place honors for Hack@麻豆原创 鈥� as it is more informally known 鈥� includes the 2024 National Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition, 2024 Information Security Talent Search (ISTS) competition hosted by Rochester Institute of Technology; the National Centers for Academic Excellence (NCAE) Cyber Games Southeast Regional, in Tampa; the CAE Virtual Internship and Varied Innovative Demonstrations (VIVID) competition qualifier; and the Southeast Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition (SECCDC).

In all, 麻豆原创 cybersecurity teams have earned 87 first place awards 鈥� including five NCCDC titles 鈥� 29 second-place and 25 third-place awards. The competitions, which allow 麻豆原创 students to sharpen and display their skills before cybersecurity professionals, are hosted by companies from private industry, such as Cyberbit, Google, IBM, Lockheed Martin, Microsoft, Raymond James, and Raytheon and federal agencies, including the National Institute of Standards and Technology, Homeland Security, U.S. Department of Energy, National Security Agency and Air Force.

Although each competition is different, student teams are typically asked to solve real-world cybersecurity challenges, such as networking, system administration, reverse engineering, cryptography, hacking, programming and forensics, in real-time.

鈥淭hese companies or government agencies are banking on the fact that schools send their best teams of students to these competitions,鈥� says Thomas Nedorost, an associate instructor in the College of Engineering and Computer Science and the club鈥檚 faculty advisor since 2013 when it was formed by one student who wanted a chance to compete. 鈥淚t is a recruiting event for them. They get to see the best students from each of the schools that are invited to participate.鈥�

Expectations Exceeded

In 2013, Jonathan Singer 鈥�13 was a 麻豆原创 senior information technology student who was intent on making a name for himself when he approached Nedorost about obtaining grant funding. When the conversation quickly turned from trying to earn money to having some fun, the idea to start a cybersecurity club and team at 麻豆原创 was born. The first club meeting exceeded expectations, attracting 86 students who had a strong interest in cybersecurity.

鈥淪ome of the most talented 麻豆原创 students started to come out of the woodwork,鈥� says

Singer, a cybersecurity consultant for Virginia-based GuidePoint Security. 鈥淚 thought I was cool because I already had some industry experience, but the students that came to our first meetings were some of the most incredible and brilliant people I鈥檝e ever met in my life.鈥�

From those early meetings, word spread. Students from all disciplines began to take an interest in the club. Competitions expanded the club鈥檚 presence internationally. Today, Hack@麻豆原创 is a juggernaut, featuring four students who have been drafted to the prestigious U.S. Cyber Team.

Recruiting Vehicle

Not only does Hack@麻豆原创 participate in competitions worldwide 鈥� exposing members to internships, job opportunities, the chance to travel and scholarship money 鈥� it invites experts from major companies to campus to discuss the latest trends in offensive and defensive cybersecurity strategies. The workshops the club conducts on campus, in the community and at high schools are a huge recruiting vehicle to attract top students with strong aptitudes and an interest in cybersecurity to 麻豆原创.

鈥淚鈥檝e really enjoyed being with the club 鈥� it鈥檚 my favorite thing to do at 麻豆原创,鈥� says senior Harrison Keating, the team鈥檚 captain who first learned of 麻豆原创 due to the club鈥檚 participation in a collegiate cybersecurity competition. 鈥淏efore I decided on 麻豆原创, I got a chance to attend a few club meetings and I was pretty much hooked from there.鈥�

Keating says to sustain a top-rated cyber team requires as much as 20 hours of practice a week, which, for many club members, is compounded by classwork, internships, part-time employment and weekend competitions. It also demands financial support to cover competition registration fees, travel expenses, training materials, uniforms and out-of-state tuition waivers to recruit high-potential students to the team.

Labor Shortages

Companies, including Lockheed Martin, Harris, Northrup Grumman and Raytheon, that routinely hire 麻豆原创students as cybersecurity engineers and analysts, penetration testers, and developers have made donations in the past to offset those costs. Given the national shortage in cybersecurity talent, it is in the best interest of others to do so as well.

Support for Hack @ 麻豆原创 helps to groom tomorrow鈥檚 workforce and increase the ranks of trained cyber professionals. To get involved, please contact Thomas Bolick, 407-823-0125; Thomas.Bolick@ucf.edu.

In the United States, the cybersecurity workforce boasts more than 1,178,662 jobs 鈥� with around 572,392 of them yet to be filled, according to CyberSeek, a project supported by the National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education (NICE), a program of the National Institute of Standards and Technology in the U.S. Department of Commerce.

鈥淐yberattacks can have serious consequences on just about everything 鈥� from the power grid to defense systems to our personal information,鈥� Nedorost says. 鈥淚t is imperative that organizations 鈥� industry and government 鈥� and concerned citizens continue to invest in developing new talent and cybersecurity programs at the university level to ensure tomorrow鈥檚 professionals have the essential skills to navigate these constantly evolving threats.鈥�

麻豆原创 is No. 1 in Florida for computer and information sciences expenditures (and top 6% nationally) and No. 2 for engineering funding (top 20% nationally). The university also ranks in the top five in Florida for research backed by several national departments, including:

• No. 2 for NASA funding in Florida 鈥� and top 9% nationally
• No. 2 for Department of Defense funding in Florida 鈥� and top 15% nationally
• No. 3 for U.S. National Science Foundation funding in Florida 鈥� and top 15% nationally
• No. 3 for Department of Energy funding in Florida 鈥� and in the top 20% nationally
• No. 5 for Department of Health and Human Services funding in Florida 鈥� and top 25% nationally

麻豆原创 is also in the top 10% of expenditures in the nation for research in physics, computer and information sciences, non-science and engineering, and physical sciences. 鈥淚 am very pleased at 麻豆原创鈥檚 continued growth in research expenditures, surpassing $220M for FY22,鈥� says Winston Schoenfeld, 麻豆原创鈥檚 interim vice president for research and innovation. 鈥淭his is the direct result of tireless work by our dedicated faculty, staff, and students, as well as our many partners, leading to new levels of innovation in research and discovery. Through their collective excellence, 麻豆原创 continues to progress as one of the leading public research universities in the nation.鈥�

麻豆原创 also had an impact on higher education R&D expenditures this year. At higher education institutions in both survey populations, 麻豆原创 finished in the top 19%, fifth in Florida. At expenditures at public institutions, 麻豆原创 finished in the top 20%, fifth in Florida. Overall research and development spending by academic institutions nationwide totaled $97.8 billion in FY 2022, an increase of $8 billion from FY 2021.

Over the year, 麻豆原创鈥檚 projects were tied to a number of agencies and scientific disciplines:

Computer and Information Sciences

麻豆原创 ranks ahead of all universities in Florida

Paul Gazzillo, an assistant professor in 麻豆原创鈥檚 Department of Computer Science, is leading research on a three-year, nearly $1 million Defense Advance Research Projects Agency Young Faculty award that will make investigations into corporate relationships easier and quicker by creating automated tools that help investigators track complex corporate relationships.

Department of Defense

麻豆原创 ranks ahead of Florida International University (FIU), Florida State University (FSU) and the University of South Florida (USF)

麻豆原创 Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Associate Professor Kareem Ahmed, NanoScience Technology Center Assistant Professor Tania Roy, and 麻豆原创 Materials Science and Engineering Professor Kevin Coffey were selected by the U.S. Department of Defense as part of the department鈥檚 Multidisciplinary University Research Initiative, which supports projects that range from advancing hypersonic propulsion to improving semiconductor performance and will fund the work for the next five years.

Engineering

麻豆原创 ranks ahead of FSU, USF, FIU

Utilizing technology such as heart monitors with acoustic technology and biomechanical forces that can influence the early stages of heart disease, mechanical and aerospace engineers at 麻豆原创 focus their expertise on finding creative solutions to heart disease, the leading cause of death for men and women in the United States.

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

麻豆原创 ranks ahead of FSU and USF

Planetary scientists Kerri Donaldson Hanna and Adrienne Dove will lead a $35 million NASA science mission to land a spacecraft on the moon鈥檚 Gruithuisen Domes, a previously unexplored region. The robotic mission would launch in 2026 to study the domes鈥� chemical composition and how dust interacts with the spacecraft and a rover.

Physics

麻豆原创 ranks No. 2 in Florida, and ahead of Florida Atlantic University (FAU), University of West Florida (UWF), University of North Florida (UNF) nationally

Tania Roy, an assistant professor in 麻豆原创鈥檚 Department of Materials Science and Engineering and NanoScience Technology Center, and Molla Manjurul Islam 鈥�17MS, the study鈥檚 lead author and a doctoral student in 麻豆原创鈥檚 Department of Physics, have developed a device for artificial intelligence that mimics the retina of the eye. The development could lead to advanced AI that can instantly recognize what it sees, like automatic descriptions of pictures taken by a camera or phone. The technology also has applications in self-driving vehicles and robotics.

Department of Energy

麻豆原创 ranks ahead of FIU, Florida A&M University (FAMU) and USF

Denisia Popolan-Vaida, an assistant professor in 麻豆原创鈥檚 Department of Chemistry, received a five-year, $800,000 grant from the Department of Energy to investigate elusive chemical compounds that could help mitigate the impact of combustion on the environment. The compounds, known as Criegee intermediates, form by reactions of ozone and hydrocarbons, and only within the last decade have scientists been able to directly measure them because of their low concentrations and short lifetime.

U.S. National Science Foundation

麻豆原创 ranks head of USF, FIU and FAMU

Eight 麻豆原创 professors who work with interdisciplinary teams to solve tech and health problems were named NSF CAREER award recipients. Some of the research includes Assistant Professor of Material Science and Engineering YeonWoong 鈥淓ric鈥� Jung鈥檚 materials and nanotech research into pliable laptops and smartphones, as well as Assistant Professor of Material Science and Engineering and Biionix Faculty Cluster Initiative member Mehdi Razavi鈥檚 work into improving corrosion resistance to produce better magnesium-based bone implants.

Physical Sciences

麻豆原创 ranks No. 3 in Florida, and ahead of FAU, UWF and UNF

Using data collected from Arecibo鈥檚 Planetary Radar, planetary scientist Luisa Fernanda Zambrano-Marin researched the 2019 asteroid OK that was headed toward Earth. The asteroid was between .04 and .08 miles in diameter and was moving fast, rotating for 3 to 5 minutes. The asteroid was part of only 4.2% of the known fast-rotating asteroids.

Also competing in the in-person competition in St. Charles, Illinois, another team of 麻豆原创 students took fourth place. Each team included six students, many of whom are studying computer science, cyber security and privacy, digital forensics and information technology.

CyberForce addresses the U.S. government鈥檚 goal to promote cybersecurity workforce development by helping to build a pipeline of cyber professional candidates to enter the operational technology cybersecurity workforce.

鈥淐yberForce helps our students strengthen the skills and confidence they need to be thoroughly prepared for successful careers after they graduate,鈥� says the team鈥檚 faculty advisor and head coach Tom Nedorost.

Proof that the 麻豆原创 students are prepared to become key players in the industry of cybersecurity, this year鈥檚 competitors have interned with such firms as Amazon, IBM, KPMG, Palo Alto Networks, Planate and Texas Instruments, and many are on pace to continue working for them after graduation.

麻豆原创 is a聽powerhouse for cyber defense programs聽and is designated as a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense Education and a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense Research. In 2021, the U.S. National Science Foundation awarded a $2.9 million grant to provide cybersecurity scholarships to undergraduate and graduate students. 麻豆原创 also houses a Cyber Security and Privacy Research Faculty Cluster Initiative, which examines a breadth of interdisciplinary areas.

The CyberForce Competition is sponsored by the DOE鈥檚 Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security, and Emergency Response (CESER) and managed by Argonne National Laboratory (ANL). It started in 2016 to provide students with hands-on cybersecurity experience through interactive, energy cyber-focused scenarios.

In an increasingly digitized world, a skilled cybersecurity workforce becomes even more valuable to industry and the U.S. energy sector.

The Collegiate Cyber Defense Club at 麻豆原创, known as Hack@麻豆原创, boasts 312 members.

The annual CyberForce Competition uses a hands-on security approach to engage students in emergency scenarios, and challenges students to safeguard the nation鈥檚 critical energy sector. This year, the scenario involved students working for a distributed energy resource (DER) management company.

This year鈥檚 winning teams consisted of the following students:

Team A 聽(first place)
Jeffrey DiVincent 鈥�23 (team captain)
Zachary Groome
Matthew McKeever
Caitlin Whitehead
Cameron Whitehead
Caleb Wisley

Team B 聽(fourth place)
Harrison Keating (team captain)
Milo Gilad
Colton Knight
Noah Magill
Caleb Sjostedt
Andrew Terry

鈥淚t鈥檚 like basketball and volleyball teams hanging championship banners in the same gym,鈥� says Glenn Martin 鈥�92 鈥�95MS 鈥�12PhD, who competed on 麻豆原创鈥檚 computer programming team as a student before joining the coaching staff in 1994. 鈥淲e want the cybersecurity team to do well because it elevates all of 麻豆原创, and I assume they feel the same way about us.鈥�

The founder of 麻豆原创鈥檚 C3 team, Associate Instructor of Computer Science Tom Nedorost, credits the computer programming team for the setting a winning tone 40 years ago.

鈥淭he success of both teams is the best indication of the quality of our undergraduate computer science and information technology programs. Their team set the precedent,鈥� Nederost says. Then he adds a neighborly jab. 鈥淏ut I hung the first banners. They copied us.鈥�

Both teams continued their long streaks of success in 2022. Earlier in the year, two computer programming teams took first and second places among 70 teams at the Southeast Regionals (this marks the 40^th straight year that at least one 麻豆原创 team has finished third or higher at regionals). In November, 麻豆原创 placed third in the nation and 26^th in the world among 137 teams at the International Collegiate Programming Competition (ICPC) in Bangladesh.

While the computer programming team competed overseas at ICPC, two of 麻豆原创鈥檚 cybersecurity teams were taking the top spots at the Department of Energy鈥檚 CyberForce Competition in Illinois. Three days earlier, they鈥檇 secured first and third places at the Aviation ISAC Student Cyber Challenge. A week later they won another competition in Idaho. The wins are hard to keep track.

鈥淪chools from around the country know when our team walks into a building,鈥� says Nedorost, before adding a note that applies to the C3 and computer programming teams. 鈥淲e鈥檝e been so successful for so long that people locally tend to become numb to it. They don鈥檛 realize the work that goes into continuing this level of success.鈥�

Computer programming stalwart Seba Villalobos finishes a five-hour practice with the satisfied exhaustion of someone who just finished training for a triathlon.

聽鈥淲e want to win so we can hang another banner. That鈥檚 why we push each other.鈥� 鈥� Seba Villalobos, 麻豆原创 Computer Programming Team member

For starters, they put in five hours every Saturday, all year long 鈥� with one exception.

鈥淲e took Thanksgiving weekend off,鈥� says Martin, a research associate professor at the 麻豆原创-based .

Each practice simulates a national or world competition, where teams of three students solve as many real-life problems as they can within the time allotted. They route fire trucks through city streets confused with closed intersections, arrange gate arrivals at a backed-up airport, determine the shortest distances for a series of shipments from various distribution centers.

鈥淭he practices prepare them for the mental drain of competition,鈥� Martin says. 鈥淭hey enjoy it enough to put in extra work. If you come to the labs late at night during the week, you鈥檒l find people practicing.鈥�

Everyone from the six-person coaching staff and 27-member team talks about 鈥渃ulture鈥� as the biggest difference-maker. Villalobos is a National Hispanic Scholar who didn鈥檛 even like coding until coming to 麻豆原创. An Introduction to Computer Programming class sparked a bit of intrigue. Then, while working on an electric longboard in a lab, someone convinced Villalobos to try out for the computer programming team.

鈥淚 didn鈥檛 quite make the team,鈥� Villalobos says of the tryouts that thinned 100-plus students down to 18 varsity and nine junior varsity competitors. 鈥淚t drove me to train harder.鈥�

For the next few months, Villalobos practiced more than 40 hours a week. The work paid off when Villalobos was invited to join the JV team before eventually being promoted to varsity.

鈥淚 had no idea how talented the other teams were until my first competition,鈥� Villalobos says. 鈥淵ou see these students from MIT, Stanford, Russia and China. It鈥檚 a reminder that we can鈥檛 slack off. For every moment we aren鈥檛 training, other teams are getting better. There鈥檚 a saying we use: 鈥楬ard work beats talent when talent doesn鈥檛 work hard.鈥� 鈥�

鈥淸The Cybersecurity Team’s] success adds fuel for us to do even better.鈥� 鈥� Seba Villalobos, 麻豆原创 Computer Programming Team member

To be sure, 麻豆原创鈥檚 computer programming team has both: a deep pool of talented students who have to work to earn spots on a team that鈥檚 won bronze at worlds (in 2018) while traveling to Moscow, Portugal and Beijing. The most important props, though, come from their fellow Knights. During halftime of a football game last fall, 麻豆原创 President Alexander N. Cartwright introduced the team to the home crowd.

鈥淭hat was super cool,鈥� Villalobos says, before adding, 鈥渂ut that same week the cybersecurity team got a big congratulations on a road sign for finishing first at a national competition. Their success adds fuel for us to do even better.鈥�

Cybersecurity mastermind Cameron Whitehead first became aware of 麻豆原创鈥檚 national prestige when he saw a picture of the C3 team on a marquee in Times Square. He was 14 at the time. A year earlier he鈥檇 developed his own online video game. By the time he came to 麻豆原创 at the age of 19, he already had a bachelor鈥檚 and two master鈥檚 degrees. He鈥檚 about to complete a third, in digital forensics. His reasons for coming to 麻豆原创 had to do with those banners in L3Harris and some problems he encountered with his video game.

鈥淚 discovered vulnerabilities in my game that fit with the research I鈥檓 doing on securing power grids,鈥� he says.

To dive even deeper into the tactical minds of bad guys, Whitehead and his sister, Caitlin, joined the Collegiate Cyber Defense Club (commonly known as Hack@麻豆原创). Their skills stood out enough for Nedorost to pull them onto the national championship C3 team. Since March 2021, they鈥檝e stood on more than 12 podiums around the country.

鈥淭hey聽develop the programming, and we find flaws in it. We both make the world better.鈥� 鈥� Cameron Whitehead,聽麻豆原创 Cybersecurity Team member

鈥淲herever 麻豆原创 goes to compete, it seems like we鈥檙e the defending champions,鈥� Cameron says.

On Nov. 2, the Whiteheads and Jeffrey DiVincent won the Aviation ISAC Student Challenge in Orlando. The next morning, they drove to Orlando International Airport for an early morning flight to Illinois, where they鈥檇 compete in CyberForce.

鈥淲hen we went through security, I prayed no one would see my search history from the day before when the competition required us to understand and test airport security systems,鈥� Cameron says.

At the event he didn鈥檛 want the competitors from 108 schools to witness anything other than another win for 麻豆原创.

鈥淲e鈥檝e set a high standard, and we use it get better every year,鈥� he says.

When he鈥檚 asked about the computer programming team, he says, 鈥淭hey represent 麻豆原创, so I鈥檓 proud when they do well. They develop the programming, and we find flaws in it. We both make the world better.鈥�