As a cyber operations major, Kirin Chaplin, ’25, will be starting the fall semester with a competitive resume. A research project her sophomore year entailed a deep dive into cyber security in the energy sector.
Chaplin became interested in cyber operations in high school, when she had the opportunity to take a few general courses in cyber security, but The Citadel is where she fell in love with the subject. She and her classmates paired with the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) to research the energy sector, one of the nation’s 16 critical infrastructure sectors, which concerns a multifaceted web of electricity, oil and natural gas resources and assets.
They looked at past attacks and ways they might have been mitigated, learned about different kinds of security attacks, and examined what protocols and procedures to follow in the face of an attack. “Being able to work with professionals at SLED and learn what an IT professional actually does, versus having a preconceived idea that IT is just plugging stuff in, when it’s actually so much more, was really enlightening for me,” said Chaplin.
Networking with professionals is important, too, because published research can quickly become outdated in the rapidly changing digital landscape. “Talking to people in their day-to-day lives who are working in the field was really beneficial,” said Chaplin.
Chaplin is also involved in The Citadel’s cyber club and cyber team, where students compete to solve complex cyber security challenges. “It’s a way to practice new tools,” said Chaplin, who will be taking over as vice president of the cyber club and the cyber team in the fall.
The rising junior is on track to graduate early and already has plans to put her research experience to good use. As a CyberCorps Scholarship for Service Award recipient, she will spend at least two years working for a federal government agency upon graduating.