Category: Camps

For Immediate Release
Contact:  Eric Brown, elbrown@tntech.edu, 931-372-3519

Cookeville, TN – The Community College Cyber Enrichment (C3E) program is funded by the Department of Defense via the Cybersecurity Scholarship Capacity Building Program to grow the pipeline of cybersecurity workforce from community colleges in Tennessee. The project provides opportunities and resources for Tennessee community college students in academic pathways to Associate’s, Bachelor’s, and Master’s degrees in computer science and cybersecurity and ultimately leads to careers in the cyber security workforce. The project
aims to foster an interest in cybersecurity and provide students exposure to careers available in this field.

This year, Tennessee Tech University / CEROC successfully hosted two webinars for C3E, as well as a workshop for interested community college students. Like many events this year, COVID-19 restrictions necessitated virtual meetings for all events. Students participating in the program received a stipend from DoD. Over 60 community college students from seven different community colleges in Tennessee attended the virtual workshop held on November 6-7, 2020.

During the workshop they received advice from individuals who are currently working in the industry, as well as professors and currently enrolled students who shared their experience with cybersecurity. Students were able to expand their social network through breakout rooms. They were also able to participate in some CTF challenges on the soarCTF platform (a CTF written by Tennessee Tech CyberCorps SFS and DoD CySP scholars) with volunteers from the CyberEagles student cybersecurity club providing logistical support.

Speakers featured during the event included:

• Dr. Corrine Sande: Director, National Cybersecurity Training & Education Center
• Britny Rominger: Exploitation Analyst, Department of Defense
• Miranda Skar: Penetration Tester, Gotham Digital Science
• Bryan Stone: IT & Security Manager, IoActive Inc.
• Joshua Wilson: Information Security Specialist, Tennessee Board of Regents
• Dr. Dan Manson: Commissioner, National Cyber League
• Dr. Robert Spear: Chair, Community College Cyber Summit (3CS)
• Ms. Lynn Dohm: Executive Director, Women in CyberSecurity
• Mr. Austin Tice, soarCTF Lead Developer and SFS scholar, CEROC

For the upcoming Spring and Fall semesters, selected students will be sponsored to participate in an online cybersecurity competition with training as well as opportunity to attend a cybersecurity conference that will take place Summer 2021. Selected applicants will have sponsored opportunities to participate in a summer bridge program at Tennessee Tech University, and can apply for DoD and CySP Scholarship program.

CEROC: Cybersecurity Education, Research and Outreach Center at Tennessee Tech University, under the direction of Dr. Ambareen Siraj, is a center of excellence in the College of Engineering focused on crowd-sourced education programs; research in emerging cybersecurity topics; and outreach programs to stakeholders in academia, government and industry. CEROC is an NSA-accredited Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense Education (CAE-CDE), host of the first and largest CyberCorps SFS program in the State of Tennessee, and host of the only DoD Cyber Scholarship program site in the state placing the center among the top tier of such centers in the nation. CEROC, via Dr. Siraj’s work, is also the founding group for the Women in Cybersecurity Conference, the largest conference of its type focusing on enhancing diversity within the cybersecurity workforce. More information about CEROC and its programs can be found at https://www.tntech.edu/ceroc or by sending an email to ceroc@tntech.edu. 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(contact Eric Brown, elbrown@tntech.edu, (931) 372-3519 for more information)
August 21, 2020

COOKEVILLE, TN – The Cybersecurity Education, Research and Outreach Center (CEROC) conducted its 5th annual CyberCorps SFS New Scholars Bootcamp.  The 2020 CyberCorps Scholarship for Service Bootcamp at Tennessee Tech University was held August 20-21, 2020. Like so many events, the bootcamp was conducted virtually due to COVID-19 precautions.  As a result of this change, more students were able to participate in this year’s event than ever before. Approximately 275 students from across the nation attended this two-day workshop to prepare themselves for their new roles as CyberCorps SFS scholars.

The CyberCorps Scholarship for Service program has been in existence since 2000, the result of Presidential Directive 63 / National Plan for Information Systems Protection in 1998.  The program/grant is jointly managed by the National Science Foundation and the Office for Personnel Management.  Through this program, grants are offered to qualifying four-year institutions to provide scholarships for rising college juniors.  The scholarships provide full tuition, books, professional development funds, and health insurance stipend.

Under the leadership of Dr. Ambareen Siraj, CEROC’s director, the bootcamp provides essential training for rising CyberCorps scholars in variety of research and related soft skills to help them be successful in their cybersecurity education journey.  Skills training will include communication and technical writing skills, ethics, time management, personal finance, service learning, and federal resume writing.  Participants will be introduced to the expectations and norms of academic research allowing them to contribute to cybersecurity research as they prepare for their future cybersecurity careers.  Participants will also have the opportunity to hear and interact with speakers from a variety of local and federal agencies, including the Office of Personnel Management, gaining insight into the cybersecurity needs at the federal level and better understanding of the roles and responsibilities of an SFS scholar.

“The bootcamp provides these students an important starting point for their CyberCorps SFS career.  We receive numerous ‘thank you’s’ from our attendees when we meet at the SFS Job Fair in January.  They tell us that the camp is part of their success story.” stated Eric Brown, CEROC’s assistant director.  “Watching these future cyber professionals light up when they begin to understand what career paths are available and how important their role will be in the future defense of their country’s critical infrastructure makes all of our efforts worthwhile.”, commented Dr. Ambareen Siraj, CEROC Director.

CEROC is no stranger to these types of events.  Throughout the year, the center engages over 2,000 students and external researchers / program managers during programs such as the GenCyber Summer Camp, GenCyber on Wheels, on-site presentations, career fairs, and visiting focus groups.  The collaborative work in these areas is crucial to addressing future cybersecurity issues both in application and workforce pipeline development. 

CEROC: Cybersecurity Education, Research and Outreach Center at Tennessee Tech University, under the direction of Dr. Ambareen Siraj, is a center of excellence in the College of Engineering focused on informal education programs; research in emerging cybersecurity topics; and outreach programs to stakeholders in academia, government and industry. CEROC is an NSA-designated Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense Education (CAE-CDE), host of the first and largest CyberCorps SFS program in the State of Tennessee, and host of the only DoD Cyber Scholarship program site in the state placing the center among the top tier of such centers in the nation. CEROC, via Dr. Siraj’s work, is also the founding group for the Women in Cybersecurity initiative, the largest of its type focusing on enhancing diversity within the cybersecurity workforce. More information about CEROC and its programs can be found at https://www.tntech.edu/ceroc or by sending an email to ceroc@tntech.edu. CEROC can also be found on social media at Facebook / Twitter / Instagram: TNTechCEROC and LinkedIn at https://linkedin.com/company/TNTechCEROC.

COVID-19 has created many challenges for institutions organizing summer camps and meetings where youth traditionally gather to take advantage of learning during the long summer break. For the Cybersecurity Education Research and Outreach Center (CEROC) at Tennessee Tech, this challenge came when they had to cancel their awarded 2020 GenCyber student camp with NSA directives. The camp historically brought together high school students from across the state to participate in a week of cybersecurity activities such as Capture the Flag (CTF) competitions, cybersecurity exercises, and career option/professional development discussions. However, with support from the College of Engineering, CEROC decided to move forward with their own initiative this summer – a time which is especially challenging to students with many summer opportunities being cancelled.

The Virtual Cyber Discovery camp (https://www.tntech.edu/ceroc/outreach/cyber_discovery_camp.php), which was organized to be delivered via Zoom is a combination of elements from past GenCyber camps, GenCyber on Wheels mobile expeditions, and on-site cyber discovery days featuring activities and exercises developed at CEROC by its leadership and student ambassadors. Two camps were planned: one in June and one in July, and both to be conducted across three half-day adventures. Students completing all three days of the camp would be given a certificate from CEROC. The June 2020 camp was attended by fifty high school students and a group of ten high-performing students won a Raspberry Pi 4 single board computer for excellence in multiple events. While there is always a desire to deliver face-to-face camp opportunities, the Virtual Cyber Discovery camp provided a first of its kind opportunity to reach out to a larger audience providing an engaging opportunity for students that might otherwise would have had no camp opportunities due to COVID-19 cancellations.

Rather than just working with high school students in the state of Tennessee, this year’s virtual camp also featured students from coast to coast including an international student who participated from their home country at 1:30am local time. Among the states represented were Alabama, Colorado, Illinois, Maryland, Michigan, New York, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Utah, and Virginia. With multiple grade level represented, the bulk of the students were in the 10th – 12th grade with an equal distribution of genders represented. For some of the students, the camp was their first exposure to cybersecurity topics at that depth.

CTFs were among the most popular parts of the camp. The students engaged in traditional and virtual unplugged versions of the cyber capture the flag games. Cyber Jeopardy (fashioned after the popular game show) was also a hit among the participants. While all of the activities provided entertainment and exposure to cybersecurity concepts, the cybersecurity professional and student panels made a significant impact on the participants providing insights into cybersecurity careers and pathways. These panels consisted of past and current cybersecurity students from Tennessee Tech’s Computer Science program. Many of the panelist had been or were current CyberCorps SFS or Department of Defense Cyber Scholarship program participants.

Evidence of this impact came in many forms. One of the female student participants sent this message to one of the lead camp counselors after the conclusion of the camp:

“Thank you for organizing the Tennessee Tech Cyber Camp last week. It was my first experience participating in a CTF, and I learned so much about cybersecurity concepts. I am a rising high school senior and will definitely consider studying cybersecurity in college after this camp.“

Marena Soulet, one of the lead camp counselors and a CyberCorps SFS scholar, noted “I can say that ‘yes’, the virtual camp did bring its own set of challenges. Being in front of a camera in your home is different from physically being in a room where the activities are occurring. Ice breakers in the early part of the camp were crucial to getting the students to engage. We saw the teams grow together each day. Then, after the conclusion of the camp, I got a message from one of the students. She said that because of the camp experience, she was considering cyber as a path of study and career. It was at that point that it all became very real to me. Something incredible happened during that camp. I am super excited to see what happens during our July camp!“

Dr. Ambareen Siraj, CEROC’s director, commenting on the camp’s rollout, “This summer we had to do something for the youth who are challenged by the COVID-19 situation at large and that’s why the virtual camp. In the camp, what these students experienced in three half-days is not all that different from what the workforce is experiencing through telecommuting. Aside from acquiring cybersecurity knowledge/experience during the camp, these kids gained some valuable engagement skills which will help them in future jobs, including the ability to work remotely as a member of a team. I am very proud of our students/counselors teamwork and dedication to making an incredible camp happen. “

CEROC will be offering a second camp on July 21st – 23rd meeting 1:00pm – 4:30pm each day. 100 high school students are expected to attend the camp. Building on the experience of the June camp, the July camp is expected to bring cybersecurity to youth in a more fun and engaging manner.

CEROC: Cybersecurity Education, Research and Outreach Center at Tennessee Tech University, under the direction of Dr. Ambareen Siraj, is a center of excellence in the College of Engineering focused on informal education programs; research in emerging cybersecurity topics; and outreach programs to stakeholders in academia, government and industry. CEROC is an NSA-accredited Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense Education (CAE-CDE), host of the first and largest CyberCorps SFS program in the State of Tennessee, and host of the only DoD Cyber Scholarship program site in the state placing the center among the top tier of such centers in the nation. CEROC, via Dr. Siraj’s work, is also the founding group for the Women in Cybersecurity initiative, the largest of its type focusing on enhancing diversity within the cybersecurity workforce. More information about CEROC and its programs can be found at https://www.tntech.edu/ceroc or by sending an email to ceroc@tntech.edu. CEROC can also be found on social media at Facebook / Twitter / Instagram: TNTechCEROC and LinkedIn at https://linkedin.com/company/TNTechCEROC.