Cyber Defense for High School Students and Teachers (CDSAT)

Texas A&M University Corpus Christi, Corpus Christi TX

Investigators

Abstract

Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi (TAMU-CC), a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI), is partnering with the Air Force Association's CyberPatriot program to increase the production of cybersecurity professionals. The goal of the CDSAT project is to engage high school students, teachers, and counselors in innovative, hands-on computer security training and applied computer security competitions that will motivate students to pursue degrees and careers in cybersecurity and information assurance. The project's short-term strategy targets high school students, teachers, and counselors in the South Texas region, which is more than 80 percent Hispanic, to increase the number of students, especially underrepresented minorities and women, in TAMU-CC's undergraduate Cybersecurity and Infrastructure program. The project's long-term strategy targets these populations nationally to increase enrollment in cybersecurity programs at other colleges and universities. The CDSAT project is: * creating and distributing operating system training images with instructional narratives, security configuration steps, and scoring engines, as well as stand-alone integrated competition environments, to support the preparation of high school teams for competitions; * hosting summer camps for students interested in cybersecurity and CyberPatriot, including Women in Technology Security (WITS), a summer camp for high school juniors and seniors that focuses on the development of cyber-defense skills and the exploration of education and career options in cybersecurity and other STEM fields; * providing training to high school teachers to increase engagement of students and teachers in cybersecurity competitions and to enhance knowledge of cybersecurity degree programs and careers; and * sponsoring workshops for high school counselors to enhance their knowledge of cybersecurity, introduce them to the CyberPatriot program, and provide them with promotional materials for distribution in their schools.