Fw: [ISN] Student 'soldiers' help feds fight cyberterrorism (fwd)

[Jim Choate]

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From: "InfoSec News" <isn at c4i.org>
To: <isn at attrition.org>
Sent: Monday, August 20, 2001 2:49 AM
Subject: [ISN] Student 'soldiers' help feds fight cyberterrorism


> http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/story.hts/tech/news/1012562
>
> Knight Ridder Tribune
> Aug. 18, 2001
>
> TULSA, Okla. -- The first group of cyberterrorism students reporting
> for "duty" this week at the University of Tulsa pulls together an
> eclectic mix of computer talent.
>
> The 14 students were hand-picked as part of the University of Tulsa's
> $5 million federally funded program to conduct cyberterrorism research
> and to help develop "soldiers" for a national "cybercorps."
>
> The university was designated as a Center for Information Security by
> the National Security Agency. The NSA has designated 14 such centers
> at public and private schools across the United States, including
> Carnegie Mellon University, Iowa State University, Purdue University,
> the University of Idaho and the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey,
> Calif.
>
> The University of Tulsa cadets have qualified for full scholarships
> for master's or bachelor's degrees in computer science, said John
> Hale, a TU computer science professor and a co-director of TU's Center
> for Information Security.
>
> The students are expected to graduate in two years, and then to work
> for the federal government for two years. TU's fall 2001 semester
> begins Monday.
>
> The group includes graduate student Julie Evans, 42. The working
> mother said she enrolled in her first computer programming course in
> 1975, when Apple was just a seed. Determined to graduate, she attended
> night classes for 21 years, finishing her computer science degree at
> the University of Central Oklahoma in 1998, she said.
>
> "This is a dream come true for me," said Evans, who became intrigued
> by computers as a sophomore in Colorado. "It's my turn. I finally get
> to go full time. It won't take 21 years to finish this degree."
>
> Student Howard Barnes, 63, retired from Boeing Corp. in 1995 as a
> software engineer. Barnes, a Kansan with a bachelor's degree in
> physics, said he thought it was "time for a change." He and his wife
> of 44 years, Joyce, are moving to Tulsa.
>
> Another "cadet," 30-year-old Rick Ayers, played lead guitar for the
> rock group Apache Rain.
>
> Ayers is a TU senior majoring in computer information systems. He
> toured the western United States with Apache Rain until 1993, covering
> songs from the '60s through the early '90s.
>
> TU has also recruited younger students such as Brett Edgar, 20, Ryan
> Larson, 20, and Kris Daley, 21. All are computer science
> undergraduates with sterling grades in math and computer science.
>
> Edgar, of Tulsa, said he learned to program in Logo and Apple Basics
> when he was in first grade in 1987. Larson said he programmed a
> calculator at age 13.
>
> "The common element among all of them is their commitment to national
> service," Hale said. "In addition to their qualifications, we were
> looking for students with a commitment to a national goal of
> controlling or eliminating cyberterrorism."
>
> The research will involve developing network firewalls and detection
> systems to protect telephone, banking and other critical
> communications systems connected to the Internet.
>
> Problems with hackers and attacks such as that carried out by the
> recent Code Red worm underscore the urgent need for better defenses,
> Hale said.
>
>
>
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