Maryland Sen. Ben Cardin addresses students at the 3rd Annual Cyber Security Awareness Day at the NexGen Cyber Innovation & Technology Center in Gaithersburg, Md.

For the third year, Lockheed Martin and the Tech Council of Maryland welcomed more than 100 top performing Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) high school students, seven universities and colleges, and three government agencies to raise cyber security awareness, and to promote cyber security education and career at Cyber Security Awareness Day.

Since 2004, National Cyber Security Awareness Month, sponsored by the National Cyber Security Alliance and the Department of Homeland Security, has encouraged computer users to be mindful of threats while offering tips to stay safe online.  Students are especially vulnerable as their usage is high and awareness is low.

Motivation for the Future

The morning event opened with remarks from Lockheed Martin IS&GS Executive Vice President Linda Gooden, who welcomed students,  “We hope to motivate students here today to consider cyber security as a field of study and possibly a career.”  She then introduced Maryland Senator Ben Cardin.

Sen. Cardin encouraged students to choose a career in cyber security and explore the opportunities in State with a Maryland university or college. He said, “I believe we have the best universities in the world right here in Maryland, the epicenter of cyber security.”

Critical Issues, Challenging Careers

Hosted at the Lockheed Martin NexGen Cyber Innovation & Technology Center, students rotated through six activities, including, Lockheed Martin Cyber Jeopardy and “In Your Face(book)”, a National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST) high school internship presentation.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects 65,700 new cyber security jobs between 2010 and 2020. In a field with no unemployment, students were encouraged to explore their career choices wisely.  “It only takes one incident to bring down a system and there’s a great demand for cyber security jobs,” said Rick Johnson, Vice President & Chief Technology Officer, Lockheed Martin IS&GS.  He continued , “give the subject some serious thought – the field is extremely challenging yet very rewarding.”

Posted on October 19, 2012