Forge Institute Partners with 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock鈥檚 Cyber Arena to support NSA-sponsored Cybersecurity Summer Camp in Arkansas
Philip Huff, left, an assistant professor of cybersecurity, and Sandra Leiterman, right, manager head the 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock Cyber Arena. Photo by Ben Krain.The has announced a partnership with the University of Arkansas at Little Rock鈥檚 , the cybersecurity-focused lab within the Department of Computer Science. The initiative will support the first National Security Agency (NSA)-sponsored GenCyber Summer Camp in Arkansas for 7th-12th graders. The free cybersecurity summer camp is part of an initiative that brings educators, industry, and state leaders together to drive interest and long-term investment in secondary school cybersecurity education. It is funded by a $100,000 grant from the NSA.鈥淭his program provides students with an engaging experience,鈥� said Philip Huff, assistant professor of cybersecurity at 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock. 鈥淭his unique camp ensures a fun time for students at all levels of technical ability. We want each student to come away feeling excited and confident about cybersecurity. The Cyber Arena provides experiences in phishing, ransomware, cryptography, forensics, and many more types of hands-on technologies. Plus, each day students reflect on ethical questions in cybersecurity and data privacy, learning through recent events. We hope to send campers back home pumped up to learn more about cybersecurity classes offered at their schools.鈥�Forge Institute is providing instructors and guest speakers from its vast network of subject matter experts. The organization is also assisting with curriculum development by providing insight to spark the interest of the camp鈥檚 participants and encourage their pursuit of a career in cybersecurity. 鈥淭his is going to be an exciting two weeks for all of the participants,鈥� said Scott Anderson, executive director of Forge Institute. 鈥淭hey will have an opportunity to hear from experts in cybersecurity from across the nation and come away with more awareness of what a career in cybersecurity looks like. This is a fantastic opportunity for Arkansas students. I am hoping many will choose a career in IT or cybersecurity. Events like these are essential to growing the state鈥檚 pipeline of talent that our organizations need to protect their systems and networks. We are excited about Arkansas鈥檚 first GenCyber Summer Camp and our partnership with the awesome team at 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock, who is making cybersecurity education a priority for their faculty, students, and the state鈥檚 future workforce.鈥�Forge Institute has helped promote this opportunity and will be involved throughout the execution of the camp, along with post-camp activities to hopefully make this an annual event.聽
