Page 39 - Cyber Warnings

“The opportunity to be involved with a project such as this from the beginning stages with the AF
provided insight into how the AF makes decisions and what they are looking for in certain key-
industry areas,” stated one team member.

Support for CyberWorx

A key component in the CyberWorx program’s success is its support from such organizations as
the Center for Technology, Research, and Commercialization (C-TRAC), a non-profit
organization housed on the Catalyst Campus of Colorado Springs, Colorado. C-TRAC serves
the CyberWorx program under a partnership intermediary agreement.

C-TRAC’s purpose is to find and vet industry partners to participate in the CyberWorx program
and to facilitate the further development of project results for transition back to the warfighter.

C-TRAC has successfully enlisted participation from such companies as Cisco, Boeing,
BoeCore, and LinQuest.

CyberWorx leadership defines the industry sector participation needs for each project and C-
TRAC recruits accordingly.

“We are always looking for industry members to participate in CyberWorx projects. Involvement
ranges from regular participation in semester-long cadet courses to attending a one-week
design sprint.

It’s a great opportunity to gain past performance, reward an employee, learn design thinking or
make Air Force connections, all with the goal of solving wicked hard cyber problems,” explains
C-TRAC’s Managing Director, Erin Miller.

Industry Involvement

Industry partners who have been involved in the semester-long programs have worked closely
with cadets finding the experience very rewarding.

“The project itself was dynamic and challenging which taught the cadets good lessons on how
things will be outside the academic world,” commented one participant.

Industry partners who have been involved in week-long sprints have worked with members of
academia and Air Force leaders.

End-of-project evaluations were very positive with remarks such as “I got to work on an
important and meaningful project to help the Air Force. I also felt respected and equal in all the
team discussions and briefs.”

39 Cyber Warnings E-Magazine February 2017 Edition
Copyright © Cyber Defense Magazine, All rights reserved worldwide