Tennessee Tech CEROC teams take top spots at cybersecurity competition
Students from Tennessee Tech’s Cybersecurity Education, Research and Outreach Center
(CEROC) pictured with their first-place prize at the 2024 InfoSec Nashville capture
the flag competition. From left: Lance Young, Addison Goforth, Landon Crabtree, Nate
Dunlap, and Landon Byrge.
Teams from Tennessee Tech University’s Cybersecurity Education, Research and Outreach
Center (CEROC) took home first and fourth place in the annual capture the flag (CTF)
cybersecurity competition at the 2024 InfoSec Nashville conference, marking the second
consecutive year that CEROC competitors claimed a first place finish.
The event featured ten teams, with a total of 50 participants, representing a blend
of industry professionals and college students.
“CTF competitions allow students to exercise a wealth of skillsets as the tasks cover
several different areas of cybersecurity. Our students continue to demonstrate their
diversity of skill in competitions of this type,” said Eric Brown, associate director
for workforce development at CEROC.
Organized by the Information Systems Security Association (ISSA) Middle Tennessee
Chapter, InfoSec Nashville is an annual cybersecurity conference focusing on current
trends and technology in cybersecurity impacting industry and government sectors.
This is the eighth year that Tech has been part of the InfoSec Nashville community.
Computer science students and staff have served in ambassador and presenter roles
over the years. This year, Tech was able to bring two teams. The CTF competition was
hosted by Hack the Box, a popular cybersecurity upskilling platform used worldwide.
“I am proud of both of our teams' performances. To hold their own and even outperform
industry professionals shows how hard they work learning everything they can and improving
their skills within this field,” said Jeremy Potts, a cyber range engineer with CEROC. 
Students from Tennessee Tech’s Cybersecurity Education, Research and Outreach Center’s
(CEROC) fourth place team pictured with their lanyards for the 2024 InfoSec Nashville.
From left: Landon Foister, Joey Milton, Laurae Thaete, John Brentlinger, Carter Haney.
Lance Young, a senior computer science major at Tech and one of CEROC's student competitors,
added, “InfoSec was a great time to join together as a group and test our capabilities.
I am thankful to have worked alongside so many other industry professionals and look
forward to going again next year.”
A longtime leader in cybersecurity issues, Tech was selected by the National Security
Agency (NSA) and National Science Foundation (NSF) to deliver the Tennessee GenCyber
on Wheels program, building upon its long-standing GenCyber summer camps. Tech also
hosts the first and largest CyberCorps SFS program in the state as well as the Department
of Defense Cyber Service Academy. The university is recognized as a center of academic
excellence in cyber defense education by the NSA and is home of the Golden Eagle Cyber
Certificate program, a dual enrollment program allowing high school students to take
college-level cybersecurity courses contributing to their post-secondary work.
CEROC focuses on K-20 cybersecurity education programs; research in emerging cybersecurity
topics; and outreach programs to stakeholders in academia, government and industry.
Learn more at www.tntech.edu/ceroc or by emailing ceroc@tntech.edu.
