At a Sept. 6 ceremony, the Virginia Cyber Range was presented with the 2017 Governor’s Technology Award for innovative use of technology in education.
The Governor’s Technology Awards are presented annually during the Commonwealth of Virginia Innovation in Technology Symposium, held in Richmond, Virginia. The awards recognize local, state, and educational entities whose information technology projects improve government service delivery and efficiency. Nominations are evaluated by public sector IT leaders representing Virginia state agencies, localities, and educational councils.
The Virginia Cyber Range is a Commonwealth of Virginia initiative to enhance cybersecurity education for high school, community college, and university students, and to boost Virginia’s cybersecurity industry through strategic educational investments. Launched in July 2016, the program offers a virtual environment where students can participate in immersive laboratory exercises that complement their cybersecurity courses. The Cyber Range also provides an extensive courseware repository on cybersecurity topics to Virginia high school and college educators and is building a community of practice among cybersecurity educators and researchers across the commonwealth.
“This Governor’s Technology Award recognizes both the outstanding accomplishments of the Cyber Range to date and its unique potential for long-term impact,” said Scott Midkiff, vice president for information technology and chief information officer. “The Cyber Range is allowing Virginia Tech IT to advance cybersecurity education not just at Virginia Tech, but across the Commonwealth of Virginia.”
“We are honored to accept this award,” said Virginia Cyber Range Director David Raymond. “This is a true team effort, supported by a strong technical team and an Executive Committee made up of educators from across the commonwealth. We look forward to continuing to expand the offerings and capabilities of the Virginia Cyber Range.”
This effort is guided by representatives from Virginia’s public colleges and universities that hold federal certifications of academic excellence in cybersecurity. Those schools include George Mason University, James Madison University, Longwood University, Lord Fairfax Community College, Danville Community College, Norfolk State University, Northern Virginia Community College, Radford University, Tidewater Community College, and Virginia Tech.