News
Cyber SyncED: Expanding Cybersecurity Education for Every Student
In a world where digital systems power everything from healthcare to the arts, cybersecurity literacy has become a universal skill. Cyber SyncED is an innovative STEM education initiative that makes cybersecurity accessible to all learners—not just those pursuing technical fields.
Whether a student plans to be a lawyer, journalist, designer, or entrepreneur, understanding the fundamentals of cybersecurity gives them a vital edge in today’s interconnected world.
About the Cyber SyncED Program
Cyber SyncED is a collaboration between the University of Maryland Global Campus (UMGC),the Army Research Laboratory (ARL) and the Energetics Technology Center to create Cyber SyncED, which advances cybersecurity and AI education for both students and educators. The program consists of two key components:
- CyberTEACH – Professional development for educators, equipping teachers on how to integrate cybersecurity and AI concepts into non-STEM curricula.
- CyberLEARN – Hands-on cybersecurity training for middle and high school students, building a talent pipeline for national security and defense innovation.
Through immersive, real-world experiences, Cyber SyncED bridges the gap between education and the cybersecurity workforce—preparing both teachers and students to thrive in a digital future.
Making Cybersecurity Accessible and Engaging
Cyber SyncED is designed to ensure every learner, regardless of background, can grasp and apply cybersecurity fundamentals. Its four guiding pillars include:
- Inclusive Curriculum for Non-STEM Students: Concepts are presented through creative, relatable projects that make cybersecurity approachable for all learners.
- Project-Based, Hands-On Learning: Students participate in virtual escape rooms, simulated cyberattacks, and interactive exercises that spark critical thinking.
- Expert-Led Instruction: Lessons are guided by cybersecurity professionals who bring real-world insights and relevance to every session.
- Career Pathway Exploration: Students connect cyber skills to diverse career fields—from healthcare and law to finance and the arts—building confidence and curiosity.
Advancing Cyber Education, Building a Secure Future
Cyber SyncED expands cybersecurity education beyond traditional boundaries—connecting educators, students, and communities to the skills needed for a safe and resilient digital future.
By bridging education, innovation, and national security, Cyber SyncED is not only addressing the cybersecurity talent gap but also inspiring the next generation of leaders to think critically, ethically, and creatively about the digital world.
Other News
- Energetics Technology Center (ETC) Welcomes New Team Members to Strengthen STEM Innovation and Education Initiatives — November 2025
- Energetics Technology Center Welcomes New Talent Across STEM, Robotics, and Engineering — September 2025
- Congress Establishes Joint Energetics Transition Office — NATIONAL DEFENSE MAGAZINE on January 22, 2024
- The Pentagon is hurrying to find new explosives — THE ECONOMIST on January 17th
- ACMI Federal Secures $75 Million DoD Contract for Munitions Campus to Strengthen Munitions Supply Chain—PR NEWSWIRE/ACMI Federal on September 26, 2023
- Congress Adds Energetics, Critical Chemical Provisions to Defense Bill — NATIONAL DEFENSE MAGAZINE on August 18, 2023
- CL-20,Most powerful non nuclear explosive, 10 times more powerful than TNT—FP DEFENSE NEWS on August 15, 2023
- US Eyes More Powerful Explosives for Deadlier Weapons—The Defense Post on August 7, 2023
- Eyeing China in the Pacific, US studies explosives to make missiles fly farther—REUTERS on August 3rd, 2024
- CL-20: China reports to significantly improve world’s most powerful explosive—ONEINDIA NEWS, Some time in July of 2023
- Incorporation of CL-20 on Three Munitions Proposed by HASC Panel—DEFENSE DAILY on June 13, 2023
- Pioneered By US, Mastered By China! Chinese Scientists Claim Overtaking The US In Mastering World’s Most Powerful Explosive—EURASIAN TIMES on June 5, 2023
- China has made CL-20 5 times more shock resistant—INTERESTING ENGINEERING on June 3rd, 2023
- China has significantly enhanced safety of the world’s most powerful explosive: Report—WION on June 2, 2023
- China has tamed the world’s most powerful explosive, military scientists say—SOUTH CHINA OPENING POST on June 2, 2023
- Seeking a Bigger Bang, U.S. Invests in Advanced Explosives—WALL STREET JOURNAL on May 29, 2023
- CL-20 Used in Switchblade 300, May See Wider Use in JASSM-ER, LRASM, Other Munitions—DEFENSE DAILY on March 28, 2022
- In War with China, US Risks Being Beaten Over the Head With Its Own Explosive Technology—FORBES MAGAZINE on March 9, 2023
- Energetics Workforce Is Graying Out—NATIONAL DEFENSE MAGAZINE on June 28, 2022
- Energetics: Community Warns of Chinas’ Edge Developing Explosive Materials—NATIONAL DEFENSE MAGAZINE on June 27, 2022
- Energetics Supply Chain Called Fragile, Vulnerable—NATIONAL DEFENSE MAGAZINE on May 6, 2022
- U.S. Needs to Refocus on Energetic—NATIONAL DEFENSE MAGAZINE on March 30, 2022
- National Security Leaders to Discuss U.S. Innovation in Energetics—PURDUE NEWS on May 2, 2022
- A Critical Chemical Cautionary Tale …and The Moral of The Story—ETC NEWSLETTER on Dec 2022
- The Dragon’s Jaw Bridge: An Example Of Weapon Effectiveness—ETC NEWSLETTER on April 2021
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Insights
After DOT&E: Reforming Test and Evaluation for the Age of Lethality
by Dr. Marcus Jones
Executive Summary
This think-piece examines the implications and potential of the May 2025 directive reorganizing the Office of the Director of Operational Test and Evaluation (DOT&E), a reform aimed at increasing agility, reducing bureaucratic friction, and focusing the Department of Defense’s test and evaluation (T&E) enterprise on its core statutory mission. The reorganization marks a turning point in the evolution of oversight and performance assessment for defense systems, one that invites fresh thinking about how best to align speed, innovation, and warfighter confidence. The urgency of this reform has now been explicitly acknowledged in Congress: the Senate’s FY26 NDAA includes a legislative proposal to establish an Alternative Test and Evaluation Pathway, initially scoped to software-intensive systems, that embodies many of the very principles advocated here: mission-focused evaluation, continuous feedback, early failure discovery, and decoupling from rigid documentation requirements.
Drawing on four decades of institutional experience, this paper explores the rationale for reimagining T&E as an integrated, continuous function grounded in mission context, powered by digital tools, and focused on fielding capabilities that are both effective and adaptable. It highlights how legacy structures, while built on good intentions, have often struggled to keep pace with the demands of software-defined systems, autonomous platforms, and modern joint operations.
The paper identifies key enablers that can help ensure the success of the current transformation: investment in digital test infrastructure, reinforcement of evaluation as a lifecycle function, preservation of transparent performance reporting, and the development of a modern T&E workforce. These steps are not about preserving legacy forms but about building a leaner, faster, and smarter T&E system aligned with emerging technologies and operational demands.