MAXWELL AIR FORCE BASE, Ala. -- For the first time since opening its doors in 2015, the Air Force Cyber College at Air University welcomed civilian attendees to the first of a series of weekly lectures as part of its new outreach effort
Starting Oct. 20 and running until Dec. 15, with the exception of Thanksgiving week, the college is hosting Cyber Opportunities Forum, a series of two-hour lecture-discussions held Thursdays on topics ranging from “Hacker and Threat Awareness” to “Personal Cybersecurity” to “Application of Functional Mission Analysis to Small Business.”
The lectures are geared toward civilian IT and cyber practitioners, academia, business owners and interested members of the River Region.
“This is a great chance for Cyber College to discuss topics of mutual interest with the civilian cyber community,” said Dr. Pano Yannakogeorgos, dean of the Air Force Cyber College. “The first lecture was a broad overview of what we will go in depth with through the next month. We want to give the Montgomery community information about defenses for the cyber world, and we want to connect with our local community, building lasting relationships for the Cyber College.”
The series examines the current cybersecurity landscape and threats, introduces a cybersecurity planning framework for leaders and operators and facilitates a professional discussion with experienced thought leaders. Technical expertise in cyber is not required; however, discussions will lean toward new ideas and new approaches to understanding national security as it pertains to cyber.
“I think this series is going to be very productive and informative to the general public in that it will expand our knowledge and direction,” said Rick Plaskett, the director of defense technologies for the Montgomery Chamber of Commerce. “Cyber problems are cyber problems, whether they are military or civic. I think it is important we support each other because we achieve synergy when we include military and civilians. This platform opens each other’s eyes to the other side of the fence, and I think it is really good for national defense and overall growth of the community.”
To learn more about the lecture series, visit www.au.af.mil/cybercollege/cyberforum.