The free camp, held at Daytona State’s Advanced Technology College, was made possible by the Advanced Cybersecurity Education Consortium(ACE) for which Daytona State is the lead institution among nearly a dozen southeastern colleges and universities. The students, ranging from high school freshmen to seniors (including eight young ladies), were introduced to beginner and intermediate computer security techniques involving digital forensics, browser security, malware handling, virtualization and more.
“This was a perfect way to introduce students to the potential in pursuing careers in cybersecurity and cyberforensics,” said Dr. Philip Craiger, an associate professor in Daytona State’s School of EngineeringTechnology, who also is a principal investigator leading the ACE Consortium.“The students were enthusiastic about what they were learning and very motivated to take on the challenges we presented to them.”
The consortium’s goal is to advance cyber-forensic education in the southeastern United States and is funded by a four-year National Science Foundation grant totaling over $1.8 million. It has resulted in cybersecurity education program development at K-12 schools and higher education institutions throughout the southeast region, including DSC's new Advanced Technical Certificate in Cybersecurity and Cyberforensics to be offered starting this fall.
Craiger said the cyber camp will serve as a blueprint for other consortium institutions. “We believe we’ve learned enough about running a successful cyber camp that we can share what we’ve learned.”
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the demand for cybersecurity professionals will increase by 37 percent over the next eight years, with median pay for experienced professionals averaging near $86,000 annually. Cybersecurity and cyberforensics jobs are found in business, industry, military, law enforcement, government, academia and the intelligence community.