Peoria Unified’s MET (Medical Engineering Technology) Professional Academy students recently partnered with the Arizona Cyber Warfare Range, the city of Surprise, and AZ TechCelerator to re-open the Arizona Range AZ02 in Surprise.

The range, operated solely by volunteers, is a live-fire cyber warfare range created to rapidly train cybersecurity talent with hands-on learning through innovation in cybersecurity techniques. Through a unique internship opportunity, second-year students in the MET Professional Academy’s Technology program have been working diligently over the last few weeks to get the range ready for community members and veterans to come in and train in cybersecurity through hands-on learning experiences that are developed and coordinated by co-founder Brett Scott.

The range has been sitting dormant for several years due to lack of volunteers. Utilizing students in Peoria Unified’s signature program who specialize in technology and cybersecurity gives the range the support it needs and the students real-world experience while helping revitalize the business.

“Our partnership with the Arizona Cyber Warfare Range has provided MET Professional Academy students with a unique opportunity to share their passion for Cybersecurity with community members in the West Valley,” says Chad Eichenlaub, director of the MET Professional Academy. “Throughout the internship, students have had an opportunity to problem solve and increase knowledge through collaboration with peers, instructors, and community members. This is one of the first in-person internships in our cybersecurity program that has provided students with an authentic application of their cybersecurity skill sets.”

The MET Academy serves students from all seven Peoria Unified high schools, allowing juniors and seniors that are interested in pursuing high demand STEM career pathways choose a focus in Medical, Engineering, Cyber-Security/IT Networking or Bioscience. For more information about the MET Academy, visit peoriaunified.org/MET.