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Get the most interesting and important stories from the 黑料吃瓜网 of 黑料吃瓜网.Digital technologies often open new doorways for creativity and collaboration, but rely on cybersecurity analysts, architects and engineers to keep them safe. Pitt鈥檚 CyberCamp is training the next generation of cybersecurity professionals, working to address the field鈥檚 .
For the last eight years, Pitt鈥檚 has worked to bridge the talent gap.
The free, weeklong camp 鈥 spotlighted this year in a for helping develop the national cybersecurity workforce 鈥 is a collaboration between Pitt Cyber and Pitt IT that鈥檚 taught cybersecurity skills to more than 1,200 high school students, many of whom are from underserved areas. The CyberCamp team often works with Pitt鈥檚 Community Engagement Centers as well as local and regional chapters of the United Way, Boys and Girls Clubs, Urban League and others to identify participants.
鈥淭here鈥檚 a significant amount of people committed to this,鈥 said Kate Ulreich, Pitt IT鈥檚 engagement leader and departmental liaison to ECA, who has coordinated the camp for six years with Pitt Cyber Administrative Director .
鈥淚t鈥檚 a true partnership in every sense. The goal is to ensure we鈥檙e mindful about diversifying this tech pipeline of students we鈥檙e trying to create, so this camp is a workforce development opportunity at its core.鈥
And it鈥檚 working. The camp is in such high demand that registration typically fills up within 24 hours, Ulreich said.
Ember Tomlinson, a rising first-year student, was able to snag a coveted spot. After beginning an ethical hacking YouTube course months ago, they sought more opportunities to learn about the fundamentals of cyber systems and ethics. Hearing about the CyberCamp from their mom, they realized they would have the chance to build upon those skills and were eager to sign up.
Yet, it is the hands-on nature of the camp that has them wanting to return next year.
鈥淭he activities, being able to go into a computer system and not only change things but also know how they work 鈥 were fun,鈥 said Tomlinson. 鈥淚t was also really nice to see so many other people interested in this cybersecurity branch and watch them light up when they got to talk about what they found.鈥
The camp introduces students to professionals in the field and covers various topics and technical skills, including digital literacy, cyber ethics, systems security and Windows and Ubuntu system administration, through a curriculum based on the U.S. Air Force Association鈥檚 courses.
Depending on experience, participants are assigned to either a standard or advanced cohort, meaning those with basic and higher-level knowledge are welcome. At the end of the week, campers partake in a hacking simulation competition where they must identify, protect and defend against vulnerabilities to test what they learned.
Tomlinson praised instructors for going their kindness, patience and willingness to let students 鈥渓earn at your own pace.鈥
Ulreich estimates that 70% of the camp instructors are Pitt IT employees, all of whom participate on a volunteer basis.
鈥淢any have returned for several years, and that鈥檚 a testament to how efficiently the camp is run and the value they see it has for the students in terms of having an impact,鈥 she said.
For additional instructors, Pitt Cyber looks to educators from local high schools and community colleges and UPMC security analysts. These teachers are often paired with a Pitt IT employee, melding technical expertise with classroom management skills, which she said makes for a more robust student experience.
This cross-collaboration has yielded positive results, and not only for students.
鈥淲hen we first started it was rare to find or see this type of content being taught in high school classrooms, but now many STEM teachers are being required to incorporate some of this content into their classrooms and are excited to do so,鈥 Ulreich said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 nice because they鈥檙e off during the summers and they also receive a stipend.鈥
Along with the generosity of instructors, Ulreich credited 补苍诲听, primary sponsors for the last several years, for their financial contributions and continued commitment to developing the workforce.
With a focus on diversifying the cybersecurity industry, Ulreich said her team is proud to have statistics that are 鈥渂etter than industry average.鈥 In last year鈥檚 camp, 58% of participants identified as non-white and a quarter of the spots were allocated for girls.
鈥淲e鈥檙e trying to get more engagement from girls, and while we鈥檝e not hit the numbers we want, an increase is happening steadily, and we鈥檝e never seen a drop since the start of the camp. It leads us to ask 鈥榳hy is that?鈥 and gives us something to dig into; it鈥檚 an opportunity.鈥
Given the success of the program and requests from students and parents for additional offerings, Pitt Cyber worked with School of Computing and Information faculty member on Advanced CyberCamp 2.0, a three-day virtual course launching in July. Registration was full within three days.
鈥淲e have seen this work,鈥 said Ulreich. 鈥淏uilding relationships, prioritizing partnerships 鈥 even if they don鈥檛 seem to make sense on paper 鈥 and seeing the success and benefits to students and community members in real life is incredible.
鈥淲e have the best partners, and team members who go above and beyond consistently, which is so important because these skills are increasingly important for navigating life and a career.鈥
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鈥 Kara Henderson, photography by Aimee Obidzinski