Dr. Melissa Dark, Founder of DARK Enterprises

Jenny Daugherty, Research and Curriculum Lead, DARK Enterprises

This session will present three synergistic approaches for thinking about the cybersecurity workforce supply and demand. The first approach, the pipeline view, is a macro view of the education system that produces and retains the cybersecurity workforce supply in light of the demand that is needed. The second approach, the pathways view, is a micro view of the multiple points of entry and advancement in cybersecurity and the pathways that are needed in light of the demand. The third approach, the ecosystem view, is a meso view of the environments, their climate and culture, and the distribution of resources and competitors that create cybersecurity ecosystems to include workforce supply and demand. The presentation outlines each approach, why it matters for building cybersecurity opportunities for students, and metrics for each approach that could be used to indicate progress.

Dr. Jeremy Qualls, Williamson County Schools, Executive Director, Entrepreneurship and Innovation Center, College, Career, and Technical Education

Brent Greene, Franklin High School, Cybersecurity/Coding/Autonomous Vehicle teacher

At the Entrepreneurship and Innovation Center (EIC) of Williamson County, Cyber students are blurring the lines of traditional programming and real-world applications. The Cyber students have become the "Tech Support" for an innovative Entrepreneurial program that has resulted in job offers, mentorships, and creating new products. This collaboration has opened the door for Cyber students to work with more than just scenarios within their classes that has expanded into all 10 high schools that feed into the EIC. This powerful exercise has opened the Cyber students up to a world that they wouldn't otherwise be privy to as well as work on soft skills, teamwork, and creativity.

Session Presentation

Session Recording

Kyla Guru, freshman at Stanford University, founder of Bits N’ Bytes Cybersecurity Education

Move fast and break things. But what about moving fast and securing things? Does security always have to fight convenience and innovation? This session is for students, educators, and school administrators to learn how to blend innovation and cybersecurity to support students in thinking forward and lean into our collective future. Join for frameworks to help jumpstart thinking like an entrepreneur, and resources to support you on your journey of getting a grassroots effort off the ground running.

Session Recording

David Raymond, Director of the Virginia Cyber Range and Deputy Director of Virginia Tech's IT Security Lab

Virtual environments are a must-have for student hands-on activities in cybersecurity education. As the number of high school and college cybersecurity courses continue to increase across the country, more educators need to identify resources that they can use to provide these virtual lab environments. In this talk we will discuss various options for virtualization of student environments in support of cybersecurity lab activities. We will also introduce the U.S. Cyber Range of Virginia Tech, a cloud-based solution for student lab environments and capture-the-flag activities.

Session Presentation

Session Recording

Kris Martini, CTE Director, Arlington Public Schools

Phyllis Gandy, CTE Supervisor, Arlington Public Schools

Participants will engage in dialogue about how Arlington Public Schools (VA) created a cybersecurity sandbox environment that provides students authentic hands-on experience using cybersecurity technologies and tools. The sandbox provides students the opportunity to practice real-world industry-based cybersecurity practices and protocols.

Session Presentation

Session Recording

Nancy Limauro, Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency

This session will include a demonstration of the National Initiative for Cybersecurity Careers and Studies website and the tools and resources available to students to explore a career in cybersecurity.

National Initiative for Cybersecurity Careers and Studies (NICCS)

Session Recording

Keith Koehne, Executive Director of Curriculum and Instruction, Lakota Local Schools

Lakota Local Schools launched the Lakota Cyber Academy in 2019 with over 150 students. This unique program was built in strong collaboration with industry partners who help fund the program, serve on its advisory board, and volunteer as mentors for students in the program. The goal is to graduate students with industry certifications and paid internships in the field of cyber security. Please attend to find out more and to hear where this program is headed in the future.

Session Presentation

Stephanie Holt, Program Manager, Business and Information Technology, Fairfax County Public Schools

Join teachers and administrators to discuss strategies for developing course scope and sequence for programs to include early college and dual enrollment opportunities.

Laura Strawn, PhD, Associate Professor & Extension Specialist, Food Science and Technology, Virginia Tech

Steve Rideout, PhD, Associate Professor & Extension Specialist, Food Science and Technology, Virginia Tech

Publicly available, remotely-sensed data can be a powerful tool for prediction in agriculture systems. Here we will showcase how researchers are using weather data to forecast early and late blight in potato. Potato production is a vital agricultural commodity for feeding the growing population. It is imperative growers use technology and algorithms to assist in optimizing economic resources for long-term sustainability. For example, by optimizing pesticide application timings, environment impacts can be minimized through reduced and targeted applications.