Two GenCyber camp
participants show a robot they are programming at the camp.
RAPID CITY, SD (June 26, 2018) – An all-girl cybersecurity summer camp at the
South Dakota School of Mines & Technology is free to accepted participants, thanks to a grant from the
National Security Agency (NSA) GenCyber program. The NSA GenCyber program helps direct a diverse group of young people toward cybersecurity careers that are critical to national and economic security.
The SD Mines GenCyber camp takes place June 25-29, with 30 high school girls in grades 8-11 attending. Sessions focus on core principles and practices of cybersecurity, robotics and programming. Students also have the option of studying wireless security, advanced robotics,
the internet of things, white hat hacking, unmanned aerial vehicles, 3D printing and careers in cybersecurity.
Media interested in interviewing camp organizers can come see students working on robots between 2:45 and 3:45 p.m. Thursday, June 28, in rooms 106 and 116 of the Classroom Building on the SD Mines campus
(campus map).
GenCyber Girls Camp director Kelly Corwin is an instructor of math and computer science at Mines. “In today's world, it is the responsibility of all technology consumers to protect their own privacy and safety, and the GenCyber camp gives students the knowledge and
tools to help protect themselves throughout their entire lives,” says Corwin. “Furthermore, diversity of ideas and of individuals is essential in creating a strong community of experts in cybersecurity, and the GenCyber camp introduces cybersecurity concepts and career paths to students who may
otherwise miss these great opportunities.”
Building a strong workforce of information technology and cybersecurity experts is not only crucial for the nation, these job skills have also been identified as one of the five industry sectors with the highest potential in South Dakota.
The SD Mines camp features a collaboration with Black Hills Information Security (BHIS), which is a company focused on customized security solutions for their clients. Officials from BHIS are involved in enhancing the curriculum alongside professors
in Mines’ Department of Mathematics and Computer Science and Engineering. Other speakers at the camp come from Google and Stinger Ghaffarian Technologies (SGT). The camp has also received donations from Microsoft and Midco.
Those interested in more information on the camp can check the
website.