Four Midshipmen from the United States Merchant Marine Academy at Kings Point received The Institute of World Politics Award for Excellence in Cyber Statecraft during the Class of 2023 Awards Convocation Ceremony on June 16th.
The award winners were MIDN Allison Malia Aitken, MIDN Christopher Vincent Quinn, MIDN Dante Michael Spina, and MIDN Anai Marie Walters. These four Midshipmen formed a team that won an essay competition for First Class Midshipmen with a paper on “Maritime Cyber Security: Dry Bulk Vessel in the West Coast South America to Northern Europe Trade.”
IWP Chief Information Officer Dean Lane, Executive Vice President Chris Glass, and Professor Timothy McLellan, Director of the Maritime Logistics and Security Program at Kings Point, presented the Midshipmen with monetary awards and plaques recognizing their achievement.
Originally from Monroe, New Jersey, Allison Aitken is an Ensign with the USCG stationed in St. Louis, Missouri. Christopher Quinn, from Manahawkin, New Jersey, is a Third Mate working for SubCom. Dante Spina, from Miami, Florida, is a Third Mate working for Norwegian Cruise Lines – Pride of America. Originally from Grantville, Pennsylvania, Anai Walters is a Third Mate working for the University of Hawaii on their research vessel.
2023 is the fifth year in which IWP has presented this award, which is part of an enduring partnership between IWP’s Cyber Intelligence Initiative (Ci2) and Kings Point.
IWP and the United States Merchant Marine Academy at Kings Point