BAKER COLLEGE OF JACKSON STUDENTS WIN SECOND AT STATE CYBER DEFENSE TOURNAMENT

The Baker College of Jackson student team earned second place in the Michigan Collegiate Cyber Defense Network (MCCDN) state competition in Grand Rapids recently.

“We were impressed with the professionalism and teamwork of the Jackson students,” said James Lewis, state director of MCCDN, the organization that designs and operates this annual event. “Each year, we raise the bar higher to be able to create a competitive tournament. It’s amazing to observe a steady increase in skills by all the competitors. This year, the scores of the top three teams were extremely close.”

Members of the Baker College of Jackson team are:

· Benjamin Carroll, of Jackson, team captain

· Benjamin Clark, of Jackson, team co-captain

· Samuel Carroll, of Jackson

· Timothy Fee, of Albion

· Lucas Gorczyca, of Jackson

· Jacob Layher, of Jackson

· Kyle Savage, of Lakeland, Florida

· Tia Schutte, of Jackson

· Patrick Stowers-Schneider, of Brooklyn

· Benjamin Warner, of Marshall

One student is earning an associate degree in computer programming; the others are working toward bachelor’s degrees in information technology and security—cyber defense.

“We are extremely proud of what our Baker College students have accomplished,” said David Gomez, D.B.A., dean of business and technology programs at Baker College of Jackson. “These competitions are doing exactly what MCCDN intends: to ignite a passion within students that encourages academic success for entry into the highly competitive profession of computer networking and cyber defense.”

The competition is a test on how to handle real-world cyber attacks. Each team responded to 20 injections, or attacks on a computer system. The scoring is based on how well the team prioritizes the injections and the number of injections that are neutralized. Teams are scored on offensive attacks as well.

Faculty members coaching the team are William Sherwood, D.B.A., and James Suandi.

The Jackson campus was able to add a second competition team this year because of the surging membership in the extracurricular cyber defense student group.

“We have a unique learner-centered environment in which our advisors provide the resources we need, and then we master skills by sharing them with fellow students,” said team captain Benjamin Carroll. “This learning style is preparing us to hit the ground running when we enter the workforce.”

This is the second year that Carroll has participated in MCCDN tournaments.

“The competition has definitely ramped up, and all of us continue to learn during each event,” he said. “This year, we noticed an increased sophistication of the attacks, and the opposition definitely added tricks to their approaches. On our part, it’s about vigilant monitoring and being aware of our digital surroundings, which simulates real-world working conditions. I’m fortunate to be leading a group of 22 students who are extremely dedicated to excellence in cyber security.”

Patricia A. Kaufman, Ed.D., Baker College of Jackson president, said, “These students are excellent ambassadors of Baker College. This success reflects their discipline as scholars and the outstanding efforts of the instructors and coaches who prepared them for competition.”

Nine teams from around the state participated in the competition. Another Baker College team—from the Clinton Township campus—took third place, and the first-place team was Davenport University.

MCCDN is a group of network engineers, security experts and educators who volunteer their time to advance cyber defense education in Michigan. For more information, visit www.michiganccdn.com.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the 2012 median annual wage for information security analysts was $86,170. Employment in this field is projected to grow 37 percent from 2012 to 2022, much faster than the average for all occupations.

For more information about Baker College of Jackson’s computer information systems programs, contact Kevin Pnacek at kevin.pnacek@baker.edu or the admissions office at 517.788.7800.

The largest private college in Michigan, Baker College is a not-for-profit higher education institution accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. It serves more than 28,000 students on multiple campuses and online. Baker grants certificates and associate, bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees in more than 150 programs across diverse academic fields, including business, health sciences, engineering, information technology, education and human services. An impressive 97 percent of available graduates are employed. Every Baker graduate receives Lifetime Employment Assistance—free and forever. Baker is a pioneer in online education and offers students the option of completing a degree 100 percent online, without ever visiting a campus. For information, visit www.baker.edu or follow Baker College on Twitter, @bakercollege, or on Facebook, www.facebook.com/bakercollege.