The 2022 Immersive Cyber Education graduating class. The objective of the program is to develop the next generation of cybersecurity leaders through immersion in the cybersecurity discipline during their undergraduate studies. Applications for the 2023 ICE class will be accepted from 1 Dec 2022 through 28 Feb 2023. (U.S. Air Force photo by Mark McDonald)

AFIT’s Air Force Cyberspace Technical Center of Excellence (CyTCoE) and Center for Cyberspace Research’s (CCR) annual Immersive Cyber Education (ICE) program welcomed 31 cadets to campus 12 July to 5 August, 2022. After the COVID pandemic cancelled the 2020 offering, and required a virtual offering in 2021, ICE leaders were excited to resume the traditional in-person course in 2022.

Previously named the Advanced Cyber Education (ACE) program, ICE is a four-week summer course targeted to Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) cadets between their junior and senior years in college. The objective of the program is two-fold; to develop the next generation of cybersecurity leaders through an intense program that immerses undergraduate students in the cybersecurity discipline, and to grow new cyber officers into future military leaders.

“This program offers a unique experience that you can’t find anywhere else. It opened my eyes to how vast the world of cyber is. ICE is a technical playground that allows cadets to showcase their skills through a collaborative and immersive environment,” said Cadet Colonel Brenden Hale, Kent State University, Detachment 630.

This year’s cadets hailed from a multitude of STEM degree programs from ROTC detachments across the United States and included 18 Air Force ROTC cadets and 13 Army ROTC cadets.

“I walked into this program hoping to expand my cybersecurity knowledge and learn more about career opportunities. The professors not only shared their expertise, but also inspired us to continue to explore and challenge our critical thinking skills,” said Cadet Colonel Veronica Vergara, Rutgers University, Detachment 485.

The ICE program covers cybersecurity related topics such as network fundamentals, forensics, reverse engineering, industrial control system security, and avionics vulnerability identification and mitigation. Moreover, the course introduces the student’s cyberspace operations to include both defense and offense. The course culminated in a “Hackfest” showcasing the future cyber operators newly acquired knowledge to defend “their” network, (built, hardened, and protected by individual teams), while attacking five other teams’ networks who also actively defend their network in a winner-take-all capture the flag event. Upon completion, Col. James Fee, associate dean, Graduate School of Engineering and Management, presented the graduates with certificates and recognized them for their outstanding achievements.

Applications for the 2023 ICE class will be accepted from 1 Dec 2022 through 28 Feb 2023. To learn more about the Immersive Cyber Education (ICE) program, visit www.AFIT.edu/ICE. 
 

ICE cadets participate in Battlespace Next (BSN) serious game play (U.S. Air Force photo by Mark McDonald)

Cadets tour the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force on Wright-Patterson AFB (U.S. Air Force photo by Mark McDonald)