Security

Rochester Institute of Tech Launches Student Camps, Teacher Workshops in Cybersecurity

• By Joshua Bolkan
• 07/06/15

The Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) is launching a summer workshop for teachers and camps for middle and high school students interested in learning about cybersecurity.

GenCyber, as the program is called, is part of a national effort to increase the number of skilled cybersecurity professionals.

The teacher workshop will take place July 8-9 and is designed to "help teachers gain knowledge and skills in the cybersecurity field and design curricula to train the next generation cybersecurity workforce," according to a news release.

The student camps, scheduled for July 13-17 and 20-24, will offer studnets in grades 6-12 the opportunity to explore careers in cybersecurity as part of RIT's Kids on Campus camp program.

Developed by cybersecurity students and faculty, the free programs are designed to be accessible to teachers and students with no background in programming.

"In these workshops, both groups will learn how to deal with cyber threats through a variety of collaborative, hands-on activities including password hacking, live malware handling and smartphone protection," said Andy Meneely, assistant professor of software engineering, in a prepared statement. "In addition, the teachers get to discuss and learn how to incorporate the curriculum into their own schools."