Thanks to a fourth year of funding from the National Science Foundation and the National Security Agency, Indiana University of Pennsylvania will offer a free, one-week GenCyber cybersecurity camp for middle and high school students.
The camp will take place June 24 through 28 at IUP from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
For the fourth year in row, IUP is the only school in western Pennsylvania that is part of this initiative. IUP has received almost $320,000 for the GenCyber program over the past four years. The project director is Waleed Farag, a director of IUP's Institute for Cybersecurity and professor of computer science.
The camp will be taught by a team of faculty with established expertise in cybersecurity teaching and research. It will provide a uniformly distributed, engaging blend of delivery that includes direct instruction, group activities, structured discovery, and hands-on laboratory and informal instructional techniques to both individual and combined cohorts.
Upon completion of the camp, participants will have a strong understanding of cybersecurity in addition to mastering basic skills that help them be safer online; students in the camp will receive a Droid Inventor Kit to take home. Lunch and a snack will be provided as part of the program.
To apply, students must be entering seventh grade or higher in fall 2019. Space is limited, so interested participants should apply as soon as possible. Application deadline is April 19. Information about the camp and application forms are available at IUP GenCyber.
According to national experts, jobs in cybersecurity have grown 91 percent nationally, and the demand for cybersecurity workers is expected to rise to 6 million globally.
For more information, persons may email gen-cyber@iup.edu.
A recent Ponemon Institute study ranks IUP's Computer Science Program among the top 25 percent of 183 American schools for cybersecurity education. The Ponemon Institute conducts independent research on digital privacy and security.
This ranking reflects IUP history of recognition for excellence in the field of cybersecurity and information assurance.
IUP is a National Cyber Security Alliance “Champion,” recognized by the National Cyber Security Alliance. IUP was recognized in a 2014 national survey of “Best Schools for Cybersecurity” by HP Enterprise Security, released in October 2015. The university was ranked in the top 25 percent of all cybersecurity programs in the nation. Only four Pennsylvania colleges and universities were rated in the top quartile.
The university is a recent recipient of a grant from the National Science Foundation to support women and minorities in cybersecurity. It has received several NSF grants related to this discipline.
IUP was first selected as a National Center for Academic Excellence in Information Assurance by the National Security Agency and the Department of Homeland Security in 2002, a recognition that the university continues to hold.
IUP's program is unique because of its interdisciplinary character, blending the disciplines of criminology and computer science. In addition to the development of computer programs and systems for cybersecurity, IUP's program focuses on cybercrime detection, loss prevention, and how to collect the evidence to prosecute cybersecurity offenders.