Computer security summer camp for high school students

Abstract

Iowa State University's Information Assurance Center and the Iowa Chapter of InfraGard are collaborating to give juniors and seniors in High School an opportunity to visit ISU for a three day summer camp to gain knowledge in computer security. The camp has been offered twice and is conducted by Iowa State University professors in the security field, community experts, and graduate students that are in the security program at ISU. The camp provides an overview of computer security, educates students on computer networking security concepts, uses of different types of cryptography, and general understanding of how information warfare is conducted. This is a "hands on" lab-oriented camp that provides students an opportunity to work with state of the art equipment and to learn from industrial and academic leaders. Students will work with current technology like firewalls, Virtual Private Networks, and intrusion detection systems. Students setup security systems, analyze attacks, and see equipment in use. The last day of camp the students defend their networks against a red team "hackers" consisting of security professionals. One afternoon the students travel to Des Moines to tour different companies that are related to computer security. We expect students to gain interest in the area, broaden their knowledge on computer security, have fun, and meet faculty and experts that are able to answer questions about their occupations, and give them insight as to what the future could hold for them in computer security field. The camp will also perk their interest in coming to ISU or other universities after high school. This paper will outline the camp objectives, the planning process, and the recruitment process. The importance of a partnership between academia, government, and the private sector will be discussed. The changes from the first year to the second year based on feedback will also be presented in addition to plans for the third year. © American Society for Engineering Education, 2006.