91ÁÔÆæ

Cyber students aim to represent U.S.

August 31, 2021
From left, 91ÁÔÆæ's Taylor Hitt, Benjamin Huckaba, Houstoun Hall, Kyung Michael Park, Jake Elder, and Smit Patel are taking part in the U.S. Cyber Combine as they angle for a spot on the U.S. Cyber Team that will compete in Greece. Professor Bryson Payne, center, is a technical mentor for the U.S. team.

Article By: Clark Leonard

Five University of North Georgia (91ÁÔÆæ) students and a recent alumnus are among the final 60 people competing for a spot on the first United States Cyber Team, which will take part in the International Cybersecurity Challenge (ICC) from Dec. 7-12, in Athens, Greece.

Students Jake Elder, Houstoun Hall, Taylor Hitt, Benjamin Huckaba and Smit Patel and alumnus Kyung Michael Park will wrap up the eight-week U.S. Cyber Combine Sept. 3. The combine has provided a team atmosphere for growth, overseen by coaches who along with an advisory board will announce the 20-person U.S. Cyber Team in an Oct. 5 draft.

Hall, a junior from Athens, Georgia, pursuing degrees in cybersecurity and computer science, is grateful for another opportunity to show 91ÁÔÆæ's cyber prowess while seeking a spot representing the U.S. in international competition.

"We've proven that we can compete at the highest levels," Hall said. "This is another level of experience we can show our future employers."

The six earned spots in the combine by participating in the two-week U.S. Cyber Open that finished in mid-June. Competitors are between 18 and 26 years old.

Finalists will be selected based on their application, aptitude, interview, effort, attitude, and skill, according to the .

These competitors are building skills that will protect our country, our economy and our soldiers. It makes you really proud to be part of this training effort.

Dr. Bryson Payne

Professor of computer science and coordinator of student cybersecurity programs

In addition to the students and alumnus vying for a spot, 91ÁÔÆæ already has one of the coaches for the U.S. Cyber Team. Dr. Bryson Payne, professor of computer science and coordinator of student cybersecurity programs, is a technical mentor for the U.S. team.

"It's a tremendous honor for these students to make it this far, and it's going to help them in their studies, in their competitions and in their profession as cyber defenders in the future," Payne said.

These cybersecurity students are accustomed to success.

Elder and Hitt each received $1,000 scholarships and another scholarship that covered $3,000 worth of cyber training this summer thanks to their performance in the spring Cyber FastTrack competition.

Hall, Huckaba and Patel joined Zachary Barge and Lukas Gottesman on 91ÁÔÆæ's team that placed first at the Senior Military College CyberFusion event Aug. 2-3 at Virginia Military Institute. 

Hitt, a senior from Sugar Hill, Georgia, pursuing a degree in cybersecurity, said 91ÁÔÆæ's CyberHawks student club is one of the cornerstones of why 91ÁÔÆæ students continue to excel in competitions.

"It almost feels like we have a mini hacker convention every Wednesday," Hitt said. "Someone presents something they've learned, and you walk away with something new."

91ÁÔÆæ has also earned consecutive decisive first-place finishes in the National Security Agency (NSA) Codebreaker Challenge and took sixth place at the NSA Cyber Exercise in April.

As the 91ÁÔÆæ students continue to impress Payne, he hopes some of them will join him and his fellow coaches in Greece. But more than any competitive accomplishments, Payne appreciates what the U.S. Cyber Team process demonstrates.

"These competitors are building skills that will protect our country, our economy and our soldiers. It makes you really proud to be part of this training effort," Payne said. "The cyber threats out there are so scary. It's good to know we've got people like this on our side."


Grad student presents AI research at conference

Grad student presents AI research at conference

Andrew Clements and faculty member Dr. Bryson Payne presented their research at the Information Systems & Computing Academic Professionals conference in November.
Grads prepare for their next steps

Grads prepare for their next steps

91ÁÔÆæ will award almost 1,000 degrees and certificates this fall, and more than 600 graduates are scheduled to take part in the Dec. 7 commencement ceremonies.
24 are Distinguished Military Graduates

24 are Distinguished Military Graduates

Twenty-four cadets have been named Distinguished Military Graduates for the 2024-25 academic year, including five who are in the top 70 out of more than 5,000 in the national ROTC class.
Blue Ridge students earn scholarships

Blue Ridge students earn scholarships

91ÁÔÆæ honored 28 of its Blue Ridge Campus students with almost $15,000 of scholarships and celebrated the philanthropy that made those scholarships possible at the Tomato Sandwich Supper on Nov. 7.