Class of 1987 Project

Cyber facility and ’87 Endowment Fund for Cyberworx Distinguished Lecture Program

We are excited to support our Academy’s newest initiative and thrilled we are the first class to support cyber at USAFA! In honor of our 30th reunion, the Class of 1987 is raising funds in support of the construction, maintenance, and use of the new cyber facility and to create a permanent endowment in support of the AF CyberWorx Distinguished Lecture Program.

Capital Investment

The class of 1987 proposes to fund the Cybersecurity Laboratory in the new cyber facility, which will allow the CyberWorx design center to expand its capacity from three to 10 simultaneous projects. Our efforts will help immerse cadets into partnerships and collaboration with industry, government and academic experts to reimagine how cyber technology can best be employed to facilitate operations in air, space and cyberspace. This lab will provide cadets hands-on education in designing, configuring, defending and attacking modern networks. The lab provides a fully configurable cybersecurity testing environment with interconnected networks allowing for small scale physical and larger scale virtual network simulation. Cadets will test and analyze malware hidden in network traffic and conduct and evaluate tests on appropriate ranges of the frequency spectrum. Specific uses of this lab include evaluation of cellphone signals, Wi-Fi frequencies, or unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) control frequencies, amongst others. Funding will be used to purchase hardware, software, audiovisual equipment and furniture. In acknowledgement of our capital investment, the class of '87 will be recognized prominently for our generous support.

Lecture Series

Our class also seeks to raise an endowment to fund the AF CyberWorx Distinguished Lecture Program. This program will address relevant topics in the realm of cyber policy, strategy, law and ethics. Through invitation to thought leaders in arenas such as cyber, design thinking and innovation, AF CyberWorx Distinguished Lecture Program seeks to broaden the educational experience and provide exposure to innovative leaders in both industry and academia to cadets, faculty and USAFA mission elements. These speaking events will foster important conversations that address the challenges of innovation and leadership in a hierarchical organization, such as the Department of Defense, and address cutting-edge topics in the cyber and cybersecurity realm. Our ’87 CyberWorx Lecture endowment will be used to pay the honorarium and travel expenses for the guest lecturer and will ensure 1,000 (or more) cadets benefit from exposure to world-class thought leaders, scholars and dynamic innovators three times throughout the year. In acknowledgement of our CyberWorx endowment, our Class of ’87 will be appropriately recognized as the premier supporter of the CyberWorx Lecture Series. 

Our support of the cyber facility and lecture series will be a lasting legacy for our class and will help further the mission of our Academy and our nation’s future leaders. This is an exciting opportunity and we look forward to your support!

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