Lewis students place in cyber defense competition

ROMEOVILLE - The Computer and Mathematical Science students from Lewis University recently placed third in the 2020 Cyber 9/12 Strategy Challenge at the University of Texas-Austin.

The team competed against 19 other university teams. The Lewis University team placed ahead of Harvard University, but lost the final round to West Point.

The Cyber 9/12 Strategy Challenge is a one-of-a-kind cyber competition designed to provide students from across academic disciplines with a deeper understanding of the policy and strategy challenges associated with the management of trade-offs during a cyber crisis.

The Lewis students who competed were David Mendez of Lockport, Andrew Milligan of Somonauk, Jocelyn Murray of Wakefield, Mass. and Puneet Singh of Bareilly, India. The team also took first place in a side competition focused on social engineering.

Political Science professors Dr. Laurette Liesen and Dr. Steve Nawara advised them on the relevant policy issues, helping them refine their submissions to qualify for the competition. Professor Matt Kwiatkowski, deputy chief information security officer at Argonne and adjunct instructor at Lewis mentored the team and accompanied them to Austin. Lewis alumni Scott Likens and Brian Osborne funded the team's travel to the competition. Lewis' Cyber Defense Group is headed by graduate assistant Ryan Meeker and Assistant Professor Jason Perry.