The CU Cyber Club has had some great accomplishments this spring! Hear from Emmeline Nettles, an IAFS student, about her experiences with the team.
So what exactly is the CU Cyber Club and what is Emmeline's role?
The CU Cyber Club is a composition of all things cybersecurity, including cybersecurity policy. I head up the policy sector of our club. Some of my duties and opportunities have included hosting speakers in government and private sector policy domains, leading discussions and exercises on critical cybersecurity issues from a policy perspective, and, of course, supporting the CU Cyber 9/12 teams.
The Atlantic Council's Cyber 9/12 Strategy Challenge organized by the Cyber Statecraft Initiative under the Atlantic Council's Digital Forensic Research Lab is a simulated cybersecurity incident scenario where competitors are tasked with creating policy responses to short and longer-term concerns. Teams also present these recommendations to a simulated government agency; for US competitions, it is the National Security Council. The event is a lot of fun and is a great way for anyone and everyone to get involved in cybersecurity policy.
Tell us about the Cyber Club's success!
Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays the US mail...or the CU Cyber 9/12 Team! Despite our initial flight being canceled due to the March storm, we were able to compete in the Qualifying Round virtually and attend the Semifinal Round and Day 2 festivities! I am proud to say that both the virtual and in-person (hybrid) teams advanced to the Semifinal round - one of the few schools to have both teams make it to Day 2. I am doubly proud to say that, through no small part of our club's successes in the competition, a CU team has been fully funded to attend the Cyber 9/12 Competition in New York in May!
My first time competing in Cyber 9/12 was in 2022, after IAFS alumni Laura Bate (IAFS '10) reached out to IAFS students interested in cybersecurity policy. I am proud to say that at our first time competing, we placed 3rd in the Cyber 9/12 DC competition, beating out many highly-ranked school teams of undergraduates and graduates alike. Following this initial competition, CU has continued to send teams to Cyber 9/12 competitions under the CU Cyber Club. Having competed in the most number of competitions, I have been fortunate enough to lead multiple teams into the semi-final rounds. I have greatly enjoyed the opportunity to work on multidisciplinary teams, where my foreign policy and domestic government regulatory knowledge have helped shape our recommendations for scenario responses
Following the competition, we had the opportunity to engage with our coach, mentor, and IAFS alumni, Laura Bate, as she gave us a tour of the Treasury Department! I am personally excited to begin my career in the DC area, and I am hopeful that I will be able to further my passion for international cyber policy. I want to thank the IAFS Program for the amazing opportunities I have engaged with during the course of my degree.
I look forward to giving back to the IAFS program and community and hopefully encourage, as Laura, has other students to pursue cyber policy!
Thanks for sharing, Emmeline! Read more about Emmeline's experience in a previously published article. If you're interested in learning more about the CU Cyber Club, visit their website.