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Tuesday, September 11, 2012

Cyber Security is Focus of Marshall High's Ninth Annual Model UN Training Conference

Cyber security and the threats posed to national infrastructure and economic networks will be the focus of Marshall High School’s ninth annual My First Model United Nations (UN) training conference on Saturday, October 13. Marshall High School is a Fairfax County public school.

Marshall High’s Model UN Club will partner with the University of Virginia’s (U.Va.) International Relations Organization to present the one-day conference for middle and high school students interested in international relations, diplomacy, and issues facing the U.N. Approximately 250 students from public and private schools throughout the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area are expected to attend.

This year’s conference will focus on cyber security, which in recent months has increased in urgency as countries, corporations, and international organizations—including the United Nations—attempt to reach consensus regarding the nature of the threat and the measures that should be taken to safeguard critical infrastructure, including transportation, electrical grids, communication systems, water supplies, and financial networks.

The day-long, hands-on conference will include a morning session on advanced Internet research, public speaking, and how to write position papers and UN resolutions, that will be taught by Marshall High social studies teachers and outside experts. The afternoon will be devoted to small group sessions chaired by U.Va. students. In those sessions, students will represent some of the 193 nations in the UN as well as corporations and non-governmental agencies. The students will get a chance to present their respective positions on issues associated with cyber security while practicing the skills learned during the morning sessions.

Information about the upcoming conference, including online registration, is available at www.fcps.edu/marshallhs. Registration deadline is Friday, September 28.  A background guide on cyber security, written by Marshall High juniors Taruni Paleru and Manjari Kumarappan, will be made available to registered delegates in mid-September. 

Several Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) high schools sponsor Model UN conferences throughout the school year, including Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology and Chantilly High School, as do universities in the area, including U.Va., which will host a Model UN conference in Charlottesville in early November.