In mid-March, Texas A&M Bush School students traveled to Washington DC to compete in this year’s Cyber 9/12, an international cyber competition in which student teams confront a serious cybersecurity breach of national and international importance. Teams composed policy recommendations and justified their decision-making process, considering the role and implications for relevant civilian, military, law enforcement, and private sector entities and updating the recommendations as the scenario evolves.
The Texas A&M team performed well in the competition, placing 7th out of 36 teams after the first day of competition. This is the second year in a row that Aggies have qualified for the semifinals. Finalists included seasoned professionals including teams from NDU and Air University.
Cyber 9/12 is a one-of-a-kind competition designed to provide students across academic disciplines with a deeper understanding of the policy challenges associated with cyber crisis and conflict. Part interactive learning experience and part competitive scenario exercise, it challenges teams to respond to a realistic, evolving cyberattack and analyze the threat it poses to national, international, and private sector interests.
Students have a unique opportunity to interact with expert mentors and high-level cyber professionals while developing valuable skills in policy analysis and presentation. The competition has already engaged over 700 students from universities in the United States, United Kingdom, France, United Arab Emirates, Poland, Switzerland, Austria, Hungary, Sweden, Finland, and Estonia.
