{"id":7018,"date":"2026-02-11T15:28:07","date_gmt":"2026-02-11T21:28:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.und.edu\/cem\/?p=7018"},"modified":"2026-02-11T15:28:07","modified_gmt":"2026-02-11T21:28:07","slug":"und-backed-grand-forks-cybersecurity-team-goes-gold","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.und.edu\/cem\/2026\/02\/und-backed-grand-forks-cybersecurity-team-goes-gold\/","title":{"rendered":"UND-backed Grand Forks cybersecurity team goes gold"},"content":{"rendered":"

Red River High School claims North Dakota Cyber Madness state title with UND support<\/b><\/b><\/p>\n

\"A
Members of Grand Forks Red River High School\u2019s Cyber Madness team pose with UND College of Engineering & Mines faculty member Jielun Zhang, Ph.D., after winning the North Dakota Cyber Madness state championship in Bismarck. Contributed photo.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A student team from Grand Forks Red River High School is bringing home a state championship after winning North Dakota Cyber Madness, following a two-day competition held in Bismarck. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Behind the win was a season of preparation \u2014 and a strong partnership between local K-12 education and the UND College of Engineering & Mines<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\"Professional
Jielun Zhang<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Throughout the year, Jielun Zhang<\/a><\/strong>, faculty in the college’s School of Electrical Engineering & Computer Science<\/a><\/strong>, supported the team by regularly attending practices at Red River High School to provide instruction and reinforce key cybersecurity concepts. Zhang also traveled to Bismarck to support the students during the state competition. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Red River\u2019s team was advised by Paul Zettler, a Red River educator, with Grand Forks Public Schools leaders highlighting how the combined mentorship helped students grow their skills and confidence in a fast-moving, high-demand field. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cDr. Zhang\u2019s time and effort were instrumental in the success of this year\u2019s championship team,\u201d says Eric Ripley, executive director of Career & Technical Education for Grand Forks Public Schools, noting the win as \u201ca wonderful example of the ongoing collaborative efforts between UND\u2019s College of Engineering & Mines with the Grand Forks Public Schools.\u201d \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

That collaboration reflects UND\u2019s continued commitment to hands-on learning, community partnerships and talent development in North Dakota \u2014 especially in areas like cybersecurity, where workforce needs continue to grow.<\/p>\n

The state championship also underscores how early exposure to real-world cybersecurity challenges can help students discover academic and career paths in computing, engineering and national security \u2014 and how regional partnerships can expand opportunities for students right where they live.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Written by Paige Prekker<\/a><\/strong> \u00a0\/\/ \u00a0UND College of Engineering & Mines<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Red River High School claims North Dakota Cyber Madness state title with support from UND School of Electrical Engineering & Computer Science.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":79,"featured_media":7019,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[893],"tags":[902],"class_list":["post-7018","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-school-of-electrical-engineering-computer-science"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nUND-backed Grand Forks cybersecurity team goes gold - College of Engineering & Mines<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Red River High School claims North Dakota Cyber Madness state title with support from UND School of Electrical Engineering & Computer Science.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/blogs.und.edu\/cem\/2026\/02\/und-backed-grand-forks-cybersecurity-team-goes-gold\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"UND-backed Grand Forks cybersecurity team goes gold - 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