Northern Michigan University cybersecurity students took second place in the regional event of the National Centers of Academic Excellence in Cybersecurity (NCAE-C) national competition. Five students spent 10 hours on a spring break Saturday working diligently in the Northern Center lab. They configured complex networks, defended against attackers, reverse-engineered code and more.
“The contest organizers called our students' performance ‘wildly impressive,' given the fact that this was our first time competing in the event and the fact that our team of five students outperformed teams twice their size,” said Associate Professor Jim Marquardson. “I was impressed by their teamwork, positive attitudes, and technical skills. As a faculty liaison, I was prohibited from helping or giving hints, so their success was entirely due to their knowledge and skills.
Members of the NMU team were Lucas Carlson, Jef Leroux, Shaelyn Reno, Jake Ritter and Truman Thor. Marquardson said he was proud of their effort, which showed they can compete with the best cybersecurity student across the country. He added that the scores at the regional were extremely close. The NMU team was narrowly edged out of first place in the final seconds.
Learn more about NMU's information assurance and cyber defense programs here.
