Studer Community Institute

CyberThon 2015 keeps giving to the community

February 9, 2015
/ Shannon Nickinson
/ community-dashboard

CyberThon 2015 was a success that keeps on giving. The event, hosted at the National Flight Academy on Jan. 23-25, aimed to show 20 high school students the employment potential that could await them in the cybersecurity, technology and science-related fields. It was sponsored by several groups and individuals, including the AFCEA, the Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association, is a nonprofit organization that works as a professional association for individuals committed to excellence in the disciplines of communications, electronics, intelligence, and information systems. Tony Ferguson, vice president of education and awareness for the AFCEA Pensacola board, said the event raised $37,000 in contributions was raised and $10,000 worth of in-kind contributions (services, staff, equipment). “Although the final totals are not yet available, there will be significant funds remaining, all of which will be distributed via AFCEA scholarship donations to continue to advance cybersecurity awareness and education in our community,” said Ferguson, whose “day job” is marketing manager and technical producer at Global Business Solutions Inc. The two main items these funds will support will be high school cybersecurity competitions and training, and local school STEM scholarships, Ferguson said. “STEM education is at the heart of the AFCEA mission, which brings together people in military, industry, and government technology fields to share information and raise money for scholarships,” he said. Last September, the group gave a $1,000 STEM teaching grant to support a new STEM classroom at Brentwood Elementary.

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CyberThon 2015 keeps giving to the community

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