Oregon Tech Portland-Metro

Cybersecurity learning goes beyond the classroom at Oregon Tech - On June 4, members of the Oregon Tech Portland-Metro Cybersecurity Club put their skills to work during a hands-on hackathon designed to mirror an enterprise environment. Students built and configured servers, strengthened systems against threats, and then switched roles to test their defenses by finding hidden flags across the network.

Scott Reinholtz (Cybersecurity), Joshua Brady (Information Technology), Anibal Lopez-Bonilla (Software Engineering Technology), Trevor Craig (Cybersecurity), and Noah Etchemendy (Software Engineering Technology) put classroom knowledge into practice while gaining experience with the tools and workflows used in the field.

“This allowed students to apply what they learned in class in a practical way, demonstrating those skills in a real environment,” said Scott Reinholtz, one of the club’s organizers. “It also allows students opportunities to ask questions and keep learning outside the classroom. We want students to be able to continue their education with an on-site practical use case that uses enterprise hardware and software to enhance their skills in cybersecurity, IT, and networking.”

Each participant received a 3D-printed award created by Reinholtz to recognize their work.

The student-run club meets weekly to explore cybersecurity, information technology, networking, and Capture-the-Flag competitions. Members gain experience with tools and topics including network and web exploitation, hardware and wireless security, reverse engineering, defensive operations, security information and event management, and digital forensics.

Interested in joining? Students are welcome to attend weekly meetings or connect through the club's Discord community: https://discord.com/invite/bJ2ZjDKhtT

A great night at the Oregon Consular Corps Trade Dinner at the Portland Art Museum—where Oregon Tech students, faculty, staff and alumni, as well local industry and international leaders, came together to celebrate international trade, foreign direct investment, and global relationships in the Pacific Northwest. 🌎🌲

Thanks to Professor Phong Nguyen for the photos and reporting that “Oregon Tech had the coolest table there!” ✨