CYBER CAMP COMING TO RIPLEY COUNTY THIS SUMMER
Ripley County, Indiana – Genesis: Pathways to Success (GPS), Northern Kentucky University, Ivy Tech Community College and local school corporations will host a Cyber Camp at Jac-Cen-Del High School June 27-29 from noon to 5 p.m.
Thanks to grant funding from the Education Workforce Innovation Network (EWIN) through the University of Indianapolis Center for Excellence in Leadership of Learning (CELL), this three-day camp will be free for Ripley County students who have just completed 7th or 8th grade.
Scot Cunningham of Northern Kentucky University and Joseph Kennedy of Ivy Tech Community College have developed the curriculum for the camp. Students will learn how to protect against hacks, counter hack intruders, ethically hack and how to maintain a safe web environment. In this hands-on experience, students will work with Raspberry Pi and will learn from cybersecurity experts at the Indiana State Police Department, Hill-Rom, Hillenbrand and Enhanced Telecommunications.
The purpose of the EWIN grant is to establish a strategy to develop a workforce with the necessary knowledge, skills and abilities required for careers in cybersecurity. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment of individuals with these skills is projected to grow 18 percent between 2014 and 2024, much faster than the average for all occupations.
Ripley County schools are stepping up to the challenge with Ripley County students across every district being immersed into a full computer science and information technology culture. Starting as young as pre-K and kindergarten, students are developing digital citizenship, ethical behavior, problem solving and critical thinking skills. These character-building traits are emphasized as students increase knowledge in academic subjects such as algorithmic problem solving, network diagrams and hierarchy and abstraction in computing.
Cyber Camp will reinforce lessons learned in school and emphasize the need for individuals with cybersecurity knowledge and skills while providing students with an overview of postsecondary training required for careers in cybersecurity.
To sign up for Cyber Camp, contact Cheryll Obendorf, executive director of GPS, at cobendorf@genesisp2s.org.
Genesis: Pathways to Success is an initiative of the Ripley County Community Foundation dedicated to empowering students to succeed in STEM by developing programs in areas such as engineering, agriculture, health science and technology as well as by supporting events that encourage students to apply curious minds and critical thinking skills to real-world opportunities. GPS generates ongoing and meaningful dialogue and collaboration to prepare a talent pipeline for a globally dynamic marketplace. For additional information, please visit www.genesisp2s.org.
