CyAD 2026: Cybersecurity Across Disciplines Summit: Full Schedule

Welcome to the fourth annual Cybersecurity Across Disciplines (CyAD) Summit hosted by the National Cybersecurity Training & Education Center (NCyTE)!

The schedule is tentative and subject to change. Please check back regularly for the most current version.
Important Notice: Only fully registered attendees can log in and create a personal schedule. CyAD registrants check your email inbox or junk folder for a Sched invitation. To avoid issues, please add [email protected] to your safe sender list.
All sessions are first-come, first-served. While you can plan your schedule in Sched, it does not guarantee a seat in any session.

1:15pm CDT

Challenge Accepted: Real-World Problem Solving Through Experiential Learning at Scale

Wednesday June 24, 2026 1:15pm - 3:00pm CDT

BLDG T-403

The NCyTE Virtual Cybersecurity Career Challenge (VCCC) is a scalable, experiential learning initiative designed to introduce students to real-world cybersecurity roles through hands-on, team-based problem solving. Delivered in a fully virtual environment, the Challenge engages participants in realistic scenarios aligned with industry frameworks, emphasizing technical skills, critical thinking, and professional competencies. The NCyTE VCCC strengthens talent pipelines and demonstrates learners education has prepared them for entry into the cybersecurity workforce. This session will highlight the Challenge’s design, implementation, and impact on student engagement and career readiness.

Speakers

Michele Robinson

Executive Director/Principal Investigator, Whatcom Community College

Michele Robinson is currently the Senior Director/Principal Investigator (PI) of the National Cyber Training and Education (NCyTE) Center and the CAE Candidates National Center (CCNC) at Whatcom Community College. With 20+ years of leadership at senior/executive levels in information... Read More →

Dr Vincent Nestler

Associate Professor, CSUSB and Senior Personnel, NCyTE Center, California State University San Bernardino

Vincent Nestler, Ph.D. Vincent holds a doctoral degree in instructional design, a masters in both network security from Capitol College, and M.A.T. from Columbia University. He is the author of the Principles of Computer Security, Lab Manual, published by McGraw Hill. He is a network... Read More →

Dustin Bessette, Ed.D

Instructor & Advisor, Mt. Hood Community College

Dustin Bessette is a quality-oriented, cyber, business, and data instructor teaching at Mt. Hood Community College. Dustin has 15 years of creating quality process improvements to the organizational structure for NY State Parks and Recreation and Oregon Department of Parks and Recreation. These... Read More →

Mike Corona-Gonzalez

Cyberlabs System Administrator and NCyTE VCCC Technical Support, California State University San Bernardino, Center for Cyber and AI

Mike Corona-Gonzalez is a cybersecurity professional with a focus on , IT infrastructure, security architect, infrastructure, system administration, and AI research. He currently serves as a Cyberlabs System Administrator for Cyberlabs at the CSUSB Center for Cyber and AI, where he... Read More →

Wednesday June 24, 2026 1:15pm - 3:00pm CDT
BLDG T-403

Cybersecurity Risk and Real World Problem-Solving, Workshop

8:45am CDT

Drive to Secure: Integrating IoT Cybersecurity into Automotive Education with the Sentinel Workforce Model

Thursday June 25, 2026 8:45am - 10:25am CDT

BLDG T-403

As modern vehicles evolve into sophisticated IoT ecosystems, the intersection of automotive technology and cybersecurity has become a critical frontier for workforce development. This interactive workshop demonstrates how to bridge the gap between traditional automotive programs and cybersecurity curricula. Participants will explore the application of the National Science Foundation-funded SENTINEL (Security and Networking Training through Immersive, Novel, and Experiential Learning) model—a scalable, non-credit approach pioneered by Wake Technical Community College—specifically tailored for securing in-car communication systems.

The session will focus on the technical and pedagogical strategies for teaching IoT cybersecurity measures to automotive students. Educators will engage in hands-on demonstrations of in-vehicle network vulnerabilities (such as CAN bus exploitation) and the corresponding defensive protocols required to secure them. Beyond the technical, we will share "lessons learned" from the Sentinel program’s holistic immersion model, which integrates industry mentoring and work-based learning into technical instruction.

Attendees will leave with a practical framework for implementing high-impact, immersive labs that prepare students for the unique security challenges of the transportation and manufacturing sectors. We will conclude with a collaborative session on scaling this cross-disciplinary model to other technical programs, highlighting how non-credit, cohort-based pathways can accelerate talent development and complement existing CAE-CD academic tracks.

Speakers

Sandellyo Aimhetep Kauba

Assistant Professor, Cybersecurity, Wake Technical Community College

Sandellyo A. Kauba is an Assistant Professor of Cybersecurity at Wake Technical Community College, where he specializes in Security Administration and the intersection of IoT and transportation security. As a key leader for the NSF-funded Sentinel program, Sandellyo champions an immersive... Read More →

Thursday June 25, 2026 8:45am - 10:25am CDT
BLDG T-403

Foundations of Interdisciplinary Cybersecurity, Workshop

1:45pm CDT

WARDEN: Visualizing the Cyber Kill Chain

Thursday June 25, 2026 1:45pm - 3:30pm CDT

BLDG T-403

Help us build the future of cyber defense training! Join our WARDEN group playtest and workshop to contribute to a hands-on tool that visualizes the Cyber Kill Chain and empowers our IT fleet.

The “Autonomous Cyber Defense Challenge” is a workforce development effort offered by the Naval Information Warfare Center (NIWC) Pacific’s Basic and Applied Research Department to increase our understanding of the Cyber Kill Chain and how the use of deception can mitigate attacks. This introductory course focuses on autonomous agents, network analysis, and cyber Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures (TTPs). NIWC Pacific Science and Technology (S&T) develops novel research to produce applications that better train organizations and personnel to defend themselves, and to augment our Naval warfighters' IT capabilities.

WARDEN is a game-like application designed to empower engineers and scientists with a comprehensive understanding of Cyber Kill Chain fundamentals. This program aims to enable participants to apply security measures, assess vulnerabilities, conduct data collection and analysis of various network locations, understand attack nomenclature, and comprehend how using deception can offset an attack. These objectives encompass a broad knowledge base, including familiarity with the taxonomy of cyber-attack behaviors, reduction in time-from-machine, and the ability to adapt to the continuously evolving landscapes of autonomous technology.

The objective of this workshop is to develop a cross-competency workforce of highly skilled network examiners and analysts who are expertly skilled at identifying attacks, understanding the benefit of creating defensive machine learning agents, and producing defensive mitigations which can be applied to mission-critical systems.

Speakers

Clinton Anderson

Scientist – Principal Investigator, Naval Information Warfare Center Pacific

Clinton Anderson joined the U.S. Navy in 2000 as an Electrician’s Mate, serving as a nuclear electrician aboard the aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis. After eight years of active duty and three deployments, he transitioned to the Navy Reserve, serving in leadership roles throughout... Read More →

Jonathan Buch

Scientist – Lead Programmer, Naval Information Warfare Center Pacific

Jonathan Buch is a software developer at NIWC Pacific where he serves as the Lead Programmer for the educational game, WARDEN. He also engineers environmental test beds for the command's Energy Innovation Lab. His work is built on a deep background in cybersecurity where he has improved... Read More →

Andreas Hirschmann

Scientist – Project Manager, Naval Information Warfare Center Pacific

Andreas Hirschmann is a Project Manager and software developer at NIWC Pacific for the educational game, WARDEN, where he develops code, creates training materials, and manages project communications. Concurrently, he serves as a training coordinator for NIWC’s cyber forensics workforce... Read More →

Thursday June 25, 2026 1:45pm - 3:30pm CDT
BLDG T-403

AI Emerging Technologies and Risk Implications, Workshop