As an avid proponent of STEM in education, I like to keep an eye out for innovation happening around the world. For instance, I get really excited when I learn of all the amazing apps being created on the iPad based around STEM. Check out this recent post by OnlineUniversities.com – 50 Best iPad Apps for STEM Education to see what I’m talking about. This type of thing is good for schools and students…we need MUCH MORE!
Another great project I recently learned about is CyberPatriot. Established in 2008, CyberPatriot is the Air Force Association‘s flagship STEM program. It’s a team-based competition, where students learn to defend a computer network from real-life computer threat scenarios. Thus far, CyberPatriot has had five subcategories in their All Service Division, comprised of Junior ROTC units of the Air Force, Army, Navy and Marine Corps, and Civil Air Patrol units. Now, the Naval Sea Cadet Corps joins the division.
The Naval Sea Cadet Corps is a youth development organization supported by both the U.S. Navy and U.S. Coast Guard that serves to teach individuals 13 to 17 years old about the sea-going military services, U.S. Naval operations and training, community service, citizenship, and an understanding of discipline and teamwork. For more than 50 years, the mission of the Naval Sea Cadet Corps has been to provide American youth with leadership abilities through hands-on training.
“In the decades since our establishment, a prime mission of ours has been to expand the horizons of our sea cadets to help them become mature young adults and prepare them for success,” said CAPT (Ret) Jim Monahan, U.S. Naval Sea Cadet Corps Executive Director. “This partnership with AFA and CyberPatriot is another opportunity to foster essential skills to enrich their development — from cyber awareness and basic technological skills to teamwork and critical thinking. We look forward to participating in CyberPatriot V and the many years to follow.”
“We at AFA emphasize education in all we do,” said Mike Dunn, President and CEO of AFA. “This new partnership with the Naval Sea Cadet Corps helps expand the educational outreach of the CyberPatriot program and provides knowledge and training for hundreds of more students on cyber security. We are utterly thrilled to have them involved and look forward to a long partnership.”
CyberPatriot IV saw more than 1,000 teams register, representing all 50 states and Department of Defense Dependent Schools in Europe and the Pacific. Top winners from each division received more than $50,000 in college scholarships from the Northrop Grumman Foundation, CyberPatriot’s presenting sponsor.
Other CyberPatriot sponsors include founding partners SAIC and CIAS at the University of Texas-San Antonio, as well as AT&T, Boeing, General Dynamics, Microsoft, Raytheon, the Air Force Research Laboratory, MIT-Lincoln Laboratory, Cisco, URS and K2Share.
Registration for CyberPatriot V closes on September 30, 2012. Any high school can field a team for the Open Division, while Junior ROTC units from any Service; Civil Air Patrol units; and now Sea Cadets are eligible to field teams in the All Service Division. Coaches can learn more about CyberPatriot and sign up at www.uscyberpatriot.org. Information is also available from the CyberPatriot staff atinfo@uscyberpatriot.org.
The Air Force Association is a non-profit, independent, professional military and aerospace education association and has 200 chapters nationally and internationally representing more than 108,000 members. You can learn more at www.afa.org.
Image Credit: Columbia News Service
Source: Air Force Association
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Parents seem to think that children rot their brains on the Internet, but Timeline Eons actually has a few functions that could be useful for history projects. Coverage of topics like the Cuban Missile Crisis and the Battle of Britain should provide ample material for anyone cramming for a test. The only real drawback here is that some teachers might be a bit reluctant to accept citations from a mobile phone app, but most students can cite software these days anyhow.
