Kent State University is one of the first universities in Ohio to host the Air Force Association’s (AFA) CyberCamp Program this summer.
This week-long, residential pilot program held on the Kent State campus is free for select students from Warrensville Heights High School due to generous support from the OMNOVA Solutions Foundation.
The students will learn the fundamentals of cybersecurity, as well as the teamwork and organizational skills that will set them apart in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) job market. In addition, program participants will benefit from presentations by and direct interactions with cyber industry professionals, from the commercial, military and law enforcement sectors, who will expose students to the broad career opportunities in this field.
Seventeen students have signed up for Kent State’s AFA CyberCamp, which will be held Monday, June 11, to Friday, June 15, and taught by Paul Creed, technology project director in the Office of Continuing and Distance Education at Kent State.
“Kent State University is proud to host our inaugural Air Force Association CyberCamp,” Mr. Creed said. “During the week, high school students from Warrensville Heights School District will learn about the fundamentals of cybersecurity, hear from cyber security professionals and experience a week of on-campus living on the university’s Kent Campus. We’re excited to start this program and hopeful that we can add it to our yearly offerings in the Office of Continuing and Distance Education.”
As an AFA CyberCamp host, Kent State will receive software and a hands-on curriculum kit designed to teach students cyber safety, cyber ethics and critical network security skills and tools. Each AFA CyberCamp will culminate in an exciting team-based competition that puts the campers in the role of information technology administrators tasked with finding and addressing cybersecurity vulnerabilities in simulated network environments. The local AFA CyberCamp competitions will closely mimic AFA’s annual CyberPatriot National Youth Cyber Defense Competition, which will enter its 11th season in October.
For more information, visit www.kent.edu/cybercamp.
About the AFA CyberCamp Program
The CyberPatriot National Youth Cyber Education Program was created by the Air Force Association in 2009 to attract students to cybersecurity and other science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines critical to our nation's future. In addition to the annual National Youth Cyber Defense Competition and the new AFA CyberCamp program, CyberPatriot has three other programs for various age groups. The Elementary School Cyber Education Initiative (ESCEI) was designed to introduce young students to online safety. The Cyber Education Literature Series was created to teach younger children about cybersafety with the debut of the illustrated Children’s book: Sarah the Cyber Hero. The newest program for CyberPatriot is CyberGenerations: a senior citizens guide to cybersafety that will premiere in late spring 2018. To learn more about CyberPatriot, visit www.uscyberpatriot.org.
About the Office of Continuing and Distance Education
The Office of Continuing and Distance Education expands access to Kent State University resources in Ohio and beyond. Credit courses, conferences, professional development programs and more are offered on campus or online to meet the unique educational and professional development needs of traditional students, working professionals and adult learners. The office builds on university strengths in business, health and bio-sciences, technology, education, communication and information, and other areas to turn ideas into new programs for continuing education. Continuing and distance education courses are an excellent way to stay on top of industry trends and changes or to continue the lifelong pursuit of knowledge for personal growth and development. For more information about Kent State’s Office of Continuing and Distance Education, visit www.kent.edu/cde.
About Kent State University
Kent State University is one of 76 public higher-research universities, as categorized by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, and is ranked in the first-tier list of Best National Universities by U.S. News & World Report. With eight campuses spanning Northeast Ohio, a College of Podiatric Medicine, a Regional Academic Center, and academic sites in major world capitals such as New York City, Geneva and Florence, Kent State is one of Ohio’s leading public universities and a major educational, economic and cultural resource far beyond the Northeast Ohio region it has served since 1910. The student body comprises more than 39,000 students, including more than 2,000 international students from 104 countries, and the worldwide alumni family exceeds 241,000. The addition of new learning environments from the sciences to the arts and the development of exciting new academic programs such as aerospace engineering, geographic information science and business analytics characterize Kent State’s focus on transformational educational experiences. For more information about Kent State, visit www.kent.edu.
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Media Contact:
Laura Andrews, landrew2@kent.edu, 330-672-4492