Cybersecurity Camp
Posted on November 19, 2018 by Alumni
Cybersecurity is typically not high on the list of priorities for rising high school freshmen. However, for 60 ninth-graders at W.P. Davidson High School in Mobile, cybersecurity is not only a priority; it is a possible future career.
Four years ago, Dr. Todd McDonald and Dr. Todd Andel, faculty in USA鈥檚 School of Computing, received a grant from the National Security Agency and the National Science Foundation to hold a cybersecurity camp for high school students on USA鈥檚 campus. The goal was to pique young students鈥� interest in the 铿乪ld and, one day, hopefully, for those students to attend USA鈥檚 School of Computing.
鈥淲e already had a good relationship with Davidson,鈥� said Andel. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a competitive magnet program, and we decided to target students who were entering the EPIC program in the ninth grade.鈥�
EPIC (Engineering Pathways Integrated Curriculum) is a specialized curriculum path that prepares students to enter post-secondary education quali铿乪d for majors that rely heavily on math and science, like computer science and engineering. McDonald and Andel continued running the one-week camp with NSA funding through 2017.
鈥淟ast year we decided to seek industry funding instead because it allows for more 铿俥xibility with the camp curriculum,鈥� said McDonald.
But teaching cybersecurity comes with a hefty price tag. This year鈥檚 camp cost about $35,000 and more than half was funded by a sponsorship from AT&T鈥檚 Aspire program, with the goal of investing in high school-aged students to prepare them for future success in the 铿乪ld of cybersecurity.
鈥淪tudents these days have grown up with smart phones and devices, so they are very familiar with how to use them,鈥� said McDonald. 鈥淗owever, hardly any of them have the understanding of how things can go wrong.鈥�
During the camp, students and faculty discuss topical current events, like how to protect their personal information online and on their phones. Students also spend the week learning basic 鈥渂lock code鈥� programming.
鈥淚t teaches them the concepts of coding without requiring them to know how to program on day one,鈥� said Andel. With basic programming under their belts, campers learn to program Sphero balls (think BB-8 from Star Wars) that they use to race through mazes in the Shelby Hall lobby.
鈥淲e won鈥檛 see the fruits of this until 2019,鈥� said Andel. That is when the camp鈥檚 inaugural students will graduate from Davidson and, possibly, enroll in USA鈥檚 School of Computing.