2:04 p.m., March 25, 2015–Interested University of Delaware students are invited to register as the U.S. Cyber Challenge (USCC) opens registration today for its annual Cyber Quests competition, the qualifying competition for its highly reputable summer camps.

The online competition and camps are designed to improve cybersecurity skills, provide training and mentorship from world-class instructors and highlight skills for potential employers.

Registration opens today, Wednesday, March 25, at this website and closes on April 22.

The online competition opens to registrants on April 8 and closes on April 23.

“Any cybersecurity enthusiast who is interested in deepening their knowledge and networking with experts in the field should register and compete in Cyber Quests,” said Karen S. Evans, national director of U.S. Cyber Challenge. “Our country is continually trying to keep up with the demand for highly skilled cybersecurity professionals and this competition, along with our summer Cyber Camps, are instrumental in building the cybersecurity workforce. We look forward to discovering new and intelligent individuals who can elevate the proficiency of the field, as well as working with a range of private and public sector institutions in need of such talent.”

Participants will have 24-hours to complete the competition, beginning from the time they begin answering questions. Winners are determined based on who achieves the highest score in the shortest amount of time. The top performers 18 or older will then be eligible to receive an invitation to one of the weeklong summer Cyber Camps offered across the country.

UD’s Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering collaborates with Delaware State University, Wilmington University, Delaware Technical Community College and the Delaware Department of Technology and Information to offer the Delaware camp each year.

This year’s Delaware Cyber Security Camp will take place at Delaware Tech’s Dover campus July 20-24.

The camp will feature a full week of specialized sessions by college faculty, SANS Institute senior instructors and cybersecurity experts, with a live competition and awards ceremony on the final day.

In addition to providing expert training for participants to improve their skills and marketability, the Cyber Camps will also provide students the opportunity to engage with major technology companies and government agencies at onsite career fairs.

About U.S. Cyber Challenge

U.S. Cyber Challenge is a program of the Center for Internet Security and has as its mission to significantly reduce the shortage in the cyber workforce by serving as the premier program to identify, attract, recruit and place the next generation of cybersecurity professionals.

The goal of U.S. Cyber Challenge is to find 10,000 of America’s best and brightest to fill the ranks of cybersecurity professionals where their skills can be of the greatest value to the nation. Click here for more information.

U.S. Cyber Challenge is supported in part through sponsorships by iSight Partners, Lockheed Martin, Microsoft, Federal CIO Council, Avue Technologies, Department of Homeland Security, SANS Institute, Workday, CenturyLink, Cyber Ninjas, VMD Systems, NIC Inc., the International Information Systems Security Certification Consortium (ISC2), Hewlett Packard, Amazon Web Services and Monster Government Solutions.

Photo by Evan Krape