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Adelphi, Md. (Oct. 11, 2022)–The ������Ƶ (UMGC) cyber competition team placed second in a recent capture the flag (CTF) competition sponsored by Parsons Corp., a global provider of cybersecurity services.

The Sept. 21 event was the first in the 2022-23 competition season and attracted cybersecurity professionals of all skill levels. UMGC scored 5,892 points, strong enough for second place out of 12 teams. The UMGC team included Noe Corral-Galvan and Jason Griffis, both majoring in computer networks and cybersecurity, as well as recent graduates Morgan Morgan, who has a Bachelor of Science in Computer Networks and Cybersecurity, and Ben Simcox, who has a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science.

“Our strong finish at Parsons was a great way for our team to start the school year,” said Jesse Varsalone, associate professor of computer networks and cybersecurity at UMGC and coach of the competition team. “Some teammates were unable to participate in the event due the timing, but other members stepped up, a testament to the highly developed skills of all the students and alumni on the team.”

The Parsons event, based in Colorado Springs, Colorado, was a Jeopardy-style CTF competition that tested participants’ skills across a range of topics, including network forensics, coding, web hacking, cryptography, analytics, penetration testing, malware analysis, algorithms and reverse engineering. Teams score points by being the first to answer a question successfully, with some questions weighted. Typically a face-to-face event, this year all students participated remotely.

“As an online university, UMGC is well positioned to compete in remote events as students and team members reside throughout the United States, as well as abroad,” said Varsalone. “Fortunately, even during the COVID-19 pandemic, we have continued to grow our team and compete in remote events at the highest level.”

About ������Ƶ

Currently celebrating its 75th anniversary, ������Ƶ (UMGC) was established in 1947 to serve adults in the workforce and the military. Today, UMGC enrolls some 90,000 students annually, offering bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degree programs, as well as certificates in more than 135 fully online, hybrid and face-to-face programs and specializations.

UMGC has a long history of innovation in reaching students where they are, including as a pioneer of internet instruction, piloting its first online classes in 1994. The university has received numerous awards for its groundbreaking work in developing fully online degree programs, including in high-demand fields such as cybersecurity, business, data analytics, health care, and education.

The university now offers classes to military service personnel and their families at some 175+ locations in 20 countries. More than half of UMGC’s students are active-duty military personnel, their families, members of the National Guard, and veterans.