Cyber ACE: John Beuter’s mission is to protect the digital world   

“I love cybersecurity because of the ability to help and protect others. It’s the ability to have real-world impact, and I never have to question whether my work matters,” says John Beuter, a senior majoring in cybersecurity engineering. “In the digital age we live in, we always need people to protect our data and sensitive information.”

Beuter got hands-on experience defending data in an immersive cyber warfighting and leadership internship over the summer designed to prepare students for cybersecurity careers in the Department of Defense.

The Advanced Course in Engineering (ACE) Cyber Leadership Development program experience covers leadership during crisis situations, the science of mission assurance, the art of cyber warfare and communication skills.

Each week at ACE, Beuter spent 80-100 hours learning from military or cyber security experts, applying that knowledge to real-world problems and presenting the solutions his team found.

“ACE was a great opportunity to work with other people from across varied age ranges, nationalities and experiences,” Beuter says. “And I just kept thinking back to how the opportunity and education I have at Iowa State really prepared me to not only stand out in the technical realm, but also taught me the necessary interpersonal skills to effectively collaborate with others to create solutions.

“I see a lot of similarities in what it means to be a cybersecurity engineer and what it means to be a Cyclone Engineer. It means knowing your work does matter and will matter; having the courage to challenge yourself every day and ask the questions that need to be asked; to not only push yourself to do better but push everyone else around you to be better because we are all linked by our need to keep data and computer systems safe from attack.”