Inspiring the Next Generation of Cyber Stars
GenCyber Summer Teacher Camp at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga
June 17-21, 2019
The supply of cybersecurity professionals has fallen far short of demand, with some studies estimating the gap being as large as 600,000 professionals needed to meet the Nations demand. We hope to help turn that around.
In addition, cybersecurity is rarely taught in schools even within computer science classes. We hope to help change that by spurring best practices in cybersecurity pedagogy across content areas and development of curricula and lesson plans that can be used to infuse cybersecurity principles across many subject areas.
Cybersecurity is vital to the future of the United States, not just at the government level, but also at the industrial, economic, academic, and personal levels as well. It is critical that young students have a basic understanding of cybersecurity so that as they learn through their schooling and personal experiences, they can see how cybersecurity impacts all aspects of their lives, be it through social media, economic situations, or physical devices.
Our country is entering an era where it is likely that numerous household items, personal computing devices, and business systems will be connected to “The Internet of Things”. In this rapidly evolving technology environment, everyone needs to be cognizant of cybersecurity. Whether you are a NSA analyst, an accountant, an electrician, or a stay-at-home mom or dad, these devices will become increasingly important in our lives. We need both broad awareness of cybersecurity in the general population and experts in the field who can identify and mitigate vulnerabilities.
GenCyber’s mission is to grow the number of students studying cybersecurity in the United States. The program includes summer camps across the nation designed for elementary, middle, and high school students, and teachers. The camps focus on engaging the learners with sound cybersecurity principles and teaching techniques.
This camp at UTC is designed for full-time teachers in STEM at 9-12 grades covering topics on 1) Intro to Design Principles; 2) Network Security; 3) Web security; 4) Secure Coding; and 5) Cyber security and Society. Applicants must include a list of all teaching experiences, major STEM interest areas, specific cybersecurity experience and/or interest, academic accomplishments, and their teaching history with past and future classes detailed. It is also critical that the recruited teachers can properly translate the gained cybersecurity knowledge into a classroom-appropriate curriculum. As such, applicants must broadly describe ways in which they could incorporate cybersecurity curriculum into their current and future classes. Applicants may also include two professional references. Because our program will cover cybersecurity topics at a beginner level, applicants will not be required to have a substantial cybersecurity background.
Application (due on May 15, 2019): Click here 
Capacity: 15 teachers
What to receive: Knowledge on cybersecurity, Hands-on experiences, Networking with professionals and peers, $300 stipend, and a Chromebook.
Requirements: Attendance and participation in the 5-day summer camp
Contacts:
Principal Investigator: Dr. Li Yang (Li-Yang @ UTC dot EDU)
Lead Instructor: Dr. Mengjun Xie (Mengjun-Xie @ UTC dot EDU)
Instructor: Mr. David Schwab (David-Schwab @ UTC dot EDU)