High School Girls Learn 'Virtuous Hacking' in Computer Science Program

Computer Science for Cyber Security CS4CS 

Forty-five high school girls are tackling programming, virtuous hacking and digital forensics this week at the New York University Tandon School of Engineering. The no-cost program is intended to woo more women into data security. Tandon's population of female students for the coming academic year is 40 percent, compared to a national average of 20 percent among engineering undergraduate programs in 2015, according to the American Society for Engineering Education.

The program, Computer Science for Cyber Security (CS4CS), lasts three weeks and will culminate with a cyber-mystery that involves, aptly, the theft of Wonder Woman's iconic lasso.

The students meet daily, Monday through Friday. During the first part of the camp, they receive lessons in programming, depending on their level of expertise. Then they receive an introduction to cryptography, by examining the classic cyphers, frequency analysis, hashing and related topics. From there, it's onto operating systems, steganography (the study of message concealment) and image analysis, networks, the web, databases and forensics. The program is led by members of the Department of Computer Science and Engineering and the Offensive Security, Incident Response and Internet Security (OSIRIS) Laboratory.

After the program is over, the girls are encouraged to serve as "computer science and cyber security ambassadors" to woo additional classmates to participate in Tandon's Cyber Security Awareness Week events and competitions, taking place this year in November.

The earlier students are exposed to these topics, the sooner they'll "cultivate an interest in STEM," noted Meghan Clark, lead instructor and a middle school computer science teacher at the Packer Collegiate Institute in Brooklyn. "I believe it is especially important for high school girls, as they will be more encouraged to delve deeper into the subject if they are introduced to it at a young age."

Phyllis Frankl, professor of computer science and engineering at NYU Tandon who directs the CS4CS program, agreed. "It's useful for high school girls to be exposed to computer science and cybersecurity before college so that they can realize that there are many great opportunities for them in these fields, to help build their confidence that they can succeed, and to help girls who are already interested in these areas to feel less isolated," she said.

And the outcomes appear to be trending the way the university hopes they do, Frankl added. "According to surveys we've done at the end of our camps, most attendees have increased interest in studying cybersecurity, computer science, and/or other STEM disciplines. Some of the CS4CS alumnae are studying in our undergraduate programs now and some have gone into CS majors at other universities."

CS4CS is part of the university's STEMNow camps, which invite students in for a myriad of summer education topics. They're recruited from New York City public schools with an emphasis on those who come from families in which no one has attended college and within communities typically underrepresented in STEM. Females make up six in 10 of STEMNow's participants, according to program officials.

About the Author

Dian Schaffhauser is a former senior contributing editor for 1105 Media's education publications THE Journal, Campus Technology and Spaces4Learning.

Featured

  • abstract geometric pattern of glowing interconnected triangles, hexagons, and circles in blue, gold, and white, spread across a dark navy-to-black gradient background

    OpenAI Introduces 'Operator' AI for Performing Web Tasks

    OpenAI has announced "Operator," an AI agent designed to perform web-based tasks autonomously using its own browser. Currently available as a research preview for Pro users in the United States, the tool aims to automate everyday activities such as filling out forms, ordering groceries, and even creating memes.

  • digital illustration of Estonia with glowing neural network-like connections spreading across the map

    Estonia to Roll Out ChatGPT Edu for all Secondary Schools

    In a nationwide artificial intelligence program dubbed "AI Leap 2025," the country of Estonia plans to provide free access to leading AI applications for all secondary school students and teachers. The initiative will launch with a rollout of ChatGPT Edu to 20,000 high school students in grades 10-11 and their 3,000 teachers, beginning Sept. 1.

  • glowing digital brain made of blue circuitry hovers above multiple stylized clouds of interconnected network nodes against a dark, futuristic background

    Report: 85% of Organizations Are Leveraging AI

    Eighty-five percent of organizations today are utilizing some form of AI, according to the latest State of AI in the Cloud 2025 report from Wiz. While AI's role in innovation and disruption continues to expand, security vulnerabilities and governance challenges remain pressing concerns.

  • DreamBox Math

    Discovery Education Announces Accessibility Enhancements for DreamBox Math

    Discovery Education has updated DreamBox Math, an online math program for K–8 students to supplement core instruction, to improve accessibility for K–5 students, according to a news release. DreamBox Math provides personalized instruction by adapting to individual learners’ responses and providing an engaging, dynamic learning environment.