Pitt Cyber Invites High School Students to Free CyberCamp at Two Locations

PITTSBURGH—Local high school students seeking opportunities for hands-on cybersecurity education are invited to take part in the Air Force Association’s CyberCamp on July 23-27 at the University of Pittsburgh’s Oakland campus or Robert Morris University’s (RMU) Moon campus.

The camp, hosted by Pitt’s Institute for Cyber Law, Policy, and Security, will feature a standard curriculum for beginners at Pitt or RMU, as well as an advanced curriculum at Pitt for students who successfully completed the 2017 AFA CyberCamp hosted by Pitt Cyber. Participants will be given free computer access, workbooks, camp T-shirts and lunches. Camp will be held daily from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

High school teachers, staff members, parents and guardians may register participants through EventBrite. For details, visit https://pi.tt/cybercamp. 

“If we are to meet the cyber threat, we need to increase the capacity by training more students through programs like the AFA CyberCamp,” said David J. Hickton, founding director of Pitt’s Cyber Institute. Pitt was one of more than 100 sites selected across the country to host a CyberCamp last year and the only site chosen in Pennsylvania.

“Anyone in high school can tell you how much we need our phones and computers to be secure. This is a unique opportunity for them to put those convictions into practice and learn more about cyber security,” said RMU President Chris Howard, a distinguished graduate of the Air Force Academy and retired lieutenant colonel.

The camp is open to all students enrolled in high school for the 2018-19 school year, including incoming ninth graders and graduating seniors. Pitt Cyber and RMU, with support from Microsoft, are offering the camp free to all students as part of their commitment to cybersecurity workforce development and education in the region.

CyberCamp learning modules use a combination of software and hands-on exercises designed to teach students cyber safety, cyber ethics and cyber and STEM career opportunities, along with critical network security skills and tools. Students will also learn how to protect their personal devices from outside threats.

On the final day of the camp, participants will have an opportunity to win prizes by entering a team-based competition that puts campers in the role of IT administrators tasked with finding and addressing cybersecurity vulnerabilities in simulated operating environments. These CyberCamp competitions will closely mimic AFA’s annual CyberPatriot National Youth Cyber Defense Competition, which will enter its eleventh season in October.

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