Following their win in April at the 2024 National Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition (NCCDC), the UCF Collegiate Cybersecurity Competition Team visited Washington, D.C., and met with federal and industry professionals who are charged with securing the nation against cyber adversaries.

Ten students and their coach, Professor of Computer Science Tom Nedorost ’02MS, visited the Pentagon, U.S. Secret Service, Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), Homeland Security Investigations Cyber Crimes Center, and the U.S. Capitol, at the invitation of Nightwing, an intelligence services company and sponsor of the 2024 NCCDC, the largest collegiate-level cyber contest. The UCF team are all members of larger Collegiate Cyber Defense Club (also known as Hack@UCF). The team won its record sixth national championship in San Antonio and the Alamo Cup trophy in April this year.

“We were able to interact with a wide range of cyber professionals in the public sector, from policymakers to security analysts to forensics specialists. It was especially rewarding talking to younger professionals who had just joined these agencies in the last few years, being able to interact as peers and ‘talk shop,’ ” says, Harrison Keating ’24, who earned his bachelor’s in computer science in May and is now in the cybersecurity and privacy master’s program. “Seeing their dedication and passion makes the mission of national security feel tangible and personally real. I’ve returned home with a greater appreciation for the work these agencies do, and an increased awareness of the impact I can have as a member of the next generation of cybersecurity professionals.”

Meeting the group at the Pentagon was Mieke Eoyang, deputy assistant secretary of defense for cyber policy. She welcomed the students and informed them of the kinds of career opportunities through the Department of Defense for cybersecurity professionals.

At the CIA, the students toured the Cyber Operations Center and spoke with recently hired CIA cyber professionals about their career experience.

Visiting the U.S. Secret Service, students learned that the original purpose of the agency was to investigate counterfeit currency. While that purpose is still part of the mission, the agency is involved in all types of counterfeit activities, including falsified documents and signatures.

“The NCCDC winner’s tour was a fantastic experience for our team members and me,” Nedorost says. “It was truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience to get to visit restricted federal sites involved in securing our nation’s cyber infrastructure. Thank you so much to NightWing for hosting our visit.”

The first meeting of the Collegiate Cyber Defense Club (Hack@UCF) is Friday, Aug. 30, at 5:30 p.m. in BA-119.

On the final day of the D.C. tour, students visited the Jefferson Memorial, Washington Monument, Florida House, the Supreme Court, the Capitol and the Library of Congress, where several team members took the opportunity to apply and receive their Library of Congress Reader Room library card.

The team left D.C. and headed back to campus, ready for the new semester of classes and excited for another year of competition.