Four Central Technology Center Cyber Security students won top honors in a statewide cyber security contest at Oklahoma State University at Okmulgee . Steven Kent won 1st Place in Email Forensics; Gary Wayland won 1 st Place in File Security; Kyle Schulz won 2 nd Place Overall in Cyber Security; and Matthew Runt, Wayland and Kent won Outstanding Career Technology Center Team award at the Okmulgee meet.

Top IT students from Career Tech campuses across the state competed in the c yber security contests. Scott Newman, Chair of OSU-Okmulgee's Information Technologies Division, says that the knowledge and skills demonstrated by these students will be helpful to them and their employers regardless of the career paths they eventually take.

The Career Technology Centers involved in the competition included Tulsa Technology Center's Riverside Campus, Central Technology Center in Drumright, Francis Tuttle Technology Center in Oklahoma City and Meridian Technology Center in Stillwater. All are members of the Oklahoma Center for Information Assurance and Forensics Education Consortium (OCIAFE).

Clinton Webb, Cyber Security Instructor for Central Technology Center in Drumright, thought the contest provided his students a taste of the IT work world. “The skills the students used in this competition were directly related to what they'll do in the field in a crime scene investigation as a forensics investigator. This competition reinforced what they had learned about biometric devices, corporate security, fingerprint scanners, iris scanners. Biometric data is used now because it's harder for people to sabotage.”

Newman notes businesses and government organizations are hiring experts to maintain cyber security of their computers and networks, but computer systems in people's homes are equally vulnerable—especially wireless networks. “The majority of homeowners have very little concept about how vulnerable home systems can be,” observes Newman. “Many keep financial records and other sensitive data on these systems without giving much consideration to how to protect this information. Consequently, these systems are often easy targets.”

The competition involved students using their skills in a range of security-related events in the field of information technology (IT). Newman says the Career Tech students were challenged by the breadth of activities they experienced in this contest. “This competition included events relating to: email forensics, biometrics, operating system security, file security, and Trojan security – it truly ran the gamut of the IT security field.”

The competition was also intended to make technically talented young people aware of the opportunities and rewards possible to those pursuing a career in IT security. Cyber security is an area that is growing and will continue to expand for some time. Today, individuals interested in this rapidly growing field may enter the workforce through academic programs focusing specifically on cyber security—such as OSU-Okmulgee associate's and bachelor's degrees in IT security and digital forensics.

The competition was a valuable learning experience for Career Tech students. Robert Hamilton, Information Security Specialist in charge of Adult and Career Development for Oklahoma's Career Technology Centers, said, “This competition allowed students to see how things are done in the work environment. It tested their skills in a pressure situation before they have to perform at an actual job. Also, the competition will look impressive on their resumes. It also helped the teachers to attend this competition, because they were able to talk and get fresh ideas of how to teach a subject.”

Career Tech instructors prepared their students for this competition by providing them with a variety of scenarios in which they applied the security-related skills and knowledge they had acquired.