35 by 35!

Madera Cyber Innovation Center & 

’87 Endowment Fund for USAFA Cyber Distinguished Lecture Program

We are excited to support our Academy’s newest initiative and thrilled we are the first class to support Cyber efforts at USAFA, which includes the Department of Computer and Cyber Sciences, as well as Air Force CyberWorx!  In honor of our 30^th reunion, the Class of 1987 is raising funds in support of the construction, maintenance, and use of the Madera Cyber Innovation Center as well as create a permanent endowment in support of the USAFA Cyber Distinguished Lecture Program.

Capital Investment

The class of 1987 proposes to fund a new laboratory as the Madera Cyber Innovation Center expands from a capacity of 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 courses held in this lab will teach advanced skills to hunt, identify, counter, and recover from a wide range of threats within enterprise networks, including APT, nation-state adversaries, organized crime syndicates, and hacktivists, Students and researchers will conduct digital forensic analyses of computing devices and perform testing and analysis of software to conduct reverse engineering of potential malware. Using malware analysis tools, students and researchers can analyze the attack lifecycle and glean important forensic details to enhance their threat intelligence to stop the spread of attacks and prevent future attacks. The lab will be equipped with access to the Joint Information Operations Range to allow connection to multiple training ranges as well as malware repositories.  In acknowledgement of our capital investment, the class of '87 will be recognized prominently for our generous support for the Cyber Forensics & Reverse Engineering Lab.

Lecture Series

Our class also seeks to raise an endowment to fund the USAFA Cyber Distinguished Lecture Program.  This program will address relevant topics in the realm of cyber technology, policy, strategy, law, and ethics. Through invitation to thought leaders in arenas such as cyber, design thinking, and innovation, USAFA Cyber 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, as well as address cutting-edge topics in the cyber and cyber security realm.  Our ’87 Cyber Lecture endowment will be used to pay the honoraria 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 Cyber Lecture endowment, our Class of ’87 will be appropriately recognized as the premier supporter of the USAFA Cyber Lecture Series. 

Our support of the Madera Cyber Innovation Center 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!

If you have any immediate questions, you may contact the Class of 1987 class gift committee at 1987usafa@gmail.com.