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Pinckney launches nation’s first high school-based cybersecurity institute

Brigadier General Michael Stone photo
Scott Pohl
/
WKAR-MSU
Michigan Army National Guard Brigadier General Michael Stone

A unique program in Michigan seeks to teach high school students the techniques of “ethical hacking” to protect online information. We talk with the director of cybersecurity for Pinckney Community Schools, as well as the chief of cybersecurity for the Michigan Army National Guard.

President-Elect Donald Trump and America’s intelligence community are at odds over allegations that Russia may have hacked into the Democratic National Committee’s cyber network to influence the election. The rhetoric underscores the importance of strong cyber security.

A new program underway in a southeast Michigan public school district is blazing a trail for future IT specialists. The Pinckney Community School District has recently cut the ribbon on its new Cyber Training Institute, the first of its kind in the US.

Current State talks about this enterprise with the district’s director of cybersecurity, Dr. James Darga, and Brigadier General Michael Stone, the assistant adjutant general for installations who oversees cybersecurity for the Michigan Army National Guard.

Kevin Lavery served as a general assignment reporter and occasional local host for Morning Edition and All Things Considered before retiring in 2023.
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