Cyber Security Invitational Competition Brings State CareerTech’s
Best IT Students to OSU-Okmulgee

By Sharon Smith
© OSU Okmulgee

(Okmulgee) – The Third Annual Oklahoma State University - Okmulgee Cyber Security Invitational Competition was held recently to recognize outstanding secondary students, postsecondary students and Career Technology Center faculty who are addressing the national need for highly trained cyber security experts.  Scott Newman, OSU-Okmulgee’s Information Technologies Division Chair, says the competition allowed students to test skills they are learning in their CareerTech programs and will use in the work environment.  “This competition included events relating to information assurance and digital forensics topics – running the gamut of the IT security field.”

The competition involved students using their skills in a range of IT security-related events.  Newman says the CareerTech students were challenged by the breadth of events they experienced in this contest.  OSU-Okmulgee’s IT faculty facilitated the contest in the university’s AT&T/SBC Excelerator computer labs. 

The categories of winners were divided into Secondary students and Postsecondary students. The winners were:

Secondary Winners:
1st Place -- Tim Sheppard from Tulsa Technology Center
2nd Place -- David Porter from Tulsa Technology Center
3rd Place -- Nathan Schexnayder from Tulsa Technology Center

Postsecondary Winners:
1st Place -- Mikey Harvey from Tulsa Technology Center
2nd Place – Kevin Turnage from Tulsa Technology Center
3rd place – Dustin Ford from Central Technology Center

Outstanding Cyber Security Program:
Central Technology Center -- in Drumright

Students work really hard preparing for the competition, says Tim Faulk, instructor at Tulsa Technology Center.  “This competition gives students a chance to measure their proficiency other than on a written examination.  It’s a great example of a real life situation for students to show their practical knowledge and what they would actually do on the job.  I think my students feel they get a big payoff when they get to compete in this event.”

OSU-Okmulgee and area CareerTechs are working together to train students in cyber security and forensics -- one of the most in-demand career fields today.  OSU-Okmulgee and the Oklahoma Department of Career and Technology Education are partners in the only pilot program in the nation that synchronizes a career path from high school through graduate school; the two educational institutions are developing ways to educate students, and this annual competition is one of those ways.

Clint Webb, Instructor at Central Technology Center, says “Every year, five or six students from Central Technology Center attend OSU-Okmulgee to earn their degree in the cyber security program.  Today, a couple of my students came to the competition who didn’t compete but wanted to see OSU-Okmulgee’s program firsthand.  I have no doubt many of the students in our program will finish their education here.”

Newman says the competition provides opportunities for OSU-Okmulgee’s Information Technologies faculty to interact with the state’s most talented cyber security CareerTech cyber security students. “The contest helps our faculty get to know the state’s best and brightest cyber security students -- those with the chance to learn more about cyber security -- while comparing their skills against the state’s top students. Through this competition, we hope to encourage many of these talented students to pursue rewarding careers in this exciting field.”

Jim Morris, instructor at Tulsa Technology Center - Riverside Campus, says he is very proud of his students, many of whom placed in the competition. “After my students have the opportunity to measure their own knowledge against that of other individuals, they begin to appreciate what they’ve learned and mastered, so it’s a really big deal for them to come to this event to compete and perform well. Our students deserve this payoff as a result of the effort they have put in.” 

The students who participated in the competition are:

Central Technology Center: David Armstrong, Curtis Combellick, Dustin Ford, Josh Pinson, Ryan Storm, Amber Sullivan, and instructor Clint Webb.

Meridian Technology Center:  Erick Epperson, Greg Feagan, Cody Gibbs, Adam Wheeler and instructor Matt Jones.

Tulsa Technology Center:  Jonathan Beck, Justin Gillespie, Joseph Guthrie, Mikey Harvey, Jonathan Holden, David Porter, Jason Riseling, Nathan Schexnayder, Tim Sheppard, Chris Tull, Kevin Turnage, Joshua Young and instructors Tim Faulk and Jim Morris.

Prizes for contestants included scholarships to attend OSU-Okmulgee, Security+ certification vouchers as well as security-related software and hardware.

OSU-Okmulgee, Technology Centers and other educational institutions are members of the Cyber Security Education Consortium. The National Science Foundation awarded the consortium a $3 million education grant to create new jobs for Oklahomans by offering training and academic programs in cyber security. The educational programs address technical, operational and managerial aspects of information systems security, as well as related legal and ethical issues.

Oklahoma State University - Okmulgee is known for its hands-on technical education, world-class equipment and active partnerships with industry.  Degree programs are developed according to emerging educational and labor market needs.  Seventeen programs of study lead to Associate in Applied Science degrees, three programs of study lead to Associate in Science transfer degrees, and three programs lead to Bachelor of Technology degrees - Information Assurance and Forensics, Instrumentation Engineering Technology and Civil Engineering Technology.  Through frequent advisory board meetings, corporate partners make significant contributions to curriculum, faculty improvement, equipment acquisition, internship experiences for students and employment opportunities for graduates.  OSU-Okmulgee also promotes economic development among small Oklahoma firms by providing training and assistance with technology deployment, financing, bidding and purchasing procedures.

For more information call 918.293.4678 or 1.800.722.4471. Information also is available online at
http://www.osu-okmulgee.edu/news_and_events/view_news.php?news_id=364