Cyber students aim to represent U.S.

August 31, 2021

Five University of North Georgia (UNG) students and a recent alumnus are among the final 60 people competing for a spot on the first United States Cyber Team, which will take part in the International Cybersecurity Challenge (ICC) from Dec. 7-12, in Athens, Greece.

Students Jake Elder, Houstoun Hall, Taylor Hitt, Benjamin Huckaba and Smit Patel and alumnus Kyung Michael Park will wrap up the eight-week U.S. Cyber Combine Sept. 3. The combine has provided a team atmosphere for growth, overseen by coaches who along with an advisory board will announce the 20-person U.S. Cyber Team in an Oct. 5 draft.

Hall, a junior from Athens, Georgia, pursuing degrees in cybersecurity and computer science, is grateful for another opportunity to show UNG's cyber prowess while seeking a spot representing the U.S. in international competition.

"We've proven that we can compete at the highest levels," Hall said. "This is another level of experience we can show our future employers."

The six earned spots in the combine by participating in the two-week U.S. Cyber Open that finished in mid-June. Competitors are between 18 and 26 years old.

Finalists will be selected based on their application, aptitude, interview, effort, attitude, and skill, according to the U.S. Cyber Games website.

In addition to the students and alumnus vying for a spot, UNG already has one of the coaches for the U.S. Cyber Team. Dr. Bryson Payne, professor of computer science and coordinator of student cybersecurity programs, is a technical mentor for the U.S. team.

"It's a tremendous honor for these students to make it this far, and it's going to help them in their studies, in their competitions and in their profession as cyber defenders in the future," Payne said.

These cybersecurity students are accustomed to success.

Elder and Hitt each received $1,000 scholarships and another scholarship that covered $3,000 worth of cyber training this summer thanks to their performance in the spring Cyber FastTrack competition.

Hall, Huckaba and Patel joined Zachary Barge and Lukas Gottesman on UNG's team that placed first at the Senior Military College CyberFusion event Aug. 2-3 at Virginia Military Institute. 

Hitt, a senior from Sugar Hill, Georgia, pursuing a degree in cybersecurity, said UNG's CyberHawks student club is one of the cornerstones of why UNG students continue to excel in competitions.

"It almost feels like we have a mini hacker convention every Wednesday," Hitt said. "Someone presents something they've learned, and you walk away with something new."

UNG has also earned consecutive decisive first-place finishes in the National Security Agency (NSA) Codebreaker Challenge and took sixth place at the NSA Cyber Exercise in April.

As the UNG students continue to impress Payne, he hopes some of them will join him and his fellow coaches in Greece. But more than any competitive accomplishments, Payne appreciates what the U.S. Cyber Team process demonstrates.

"These competitors are building skills that will protect our country, our economy and our soldiers. It makes you really proud to be part of this training effort," Payne said. "The cyber threats out there are so scary. It's good to know we've got people like this on our side."