Girl Scouts partner with CSUSB for Cyber Security Camp

REDLANDS >> Drones, codes and Raspberry Pi (single-board computers) returned to Cal State University, San Bernardino (CSUSB) for a week of cyber security mayhem. The Girl Scouts of San Gorgonio Council again partnered with CSUSB to present the 2016 edition of GenCyber, a five-day camp in which middle school girls, ages 10 to 15, step on campus to learn cyber security theories from prominent industry leaders. Recruitment efforts include outreach to Title 1 schools and underserved communities. Well-known entities such as Facebook, Google, Northrop Grumman, SIGMAnet, GE, Mitre, CISCO, Department of Homeland Security and Bank of America were among the companies confirmed for the event. “The summer camp is a great way to expose these young women to career fields in cyber security they may not be aware of and having a lot of fun in the process,” said Tony Coulson, a professor in the university’s Information and Decision Sciences department and director of the CSUSB Cyber Security Center. More than 250 girls engaged in various interactive sessions, including cyber forensics and Internet safety. Participants also met mentors, braved the Leadership Challenge ropes course 40 feet above the ground and gained hands-on experience with coding drones and computers. New this year to GenCyber was the introduction of the Cyber Leaders program. Cyber Leaders incorporate high school girls, many of them seasoned Girl Scouts, interested in cyber security to the GenCyber program by training them to work with younger girls in a leadership position. CSUSB staff and volunteers trained Cyber Leaders to help make GenCyber 2016 a successful event for all. San Gorgonio Council’s efforts to bring science, technology, engineering and mathematics opportunities to girls go beyond GenCyber. The Council has partnered with Time Warner Cable to launch Imagine Your STEM Future, a year-long program that connects middle school girls to careers in STEM through local businesses, fire and law enforcement agencies and military entities. “We are focused on introducing girls to career paths that they may not otherwise consider as an option,” said Carrie Raleigh, STEM Manager for the Girl Scouts of San Gorgonio Council. “We have been able to introduce our girls to current and relevant experiences, introduce them to female mentors in STEM fields and empower them to try new things,” Raleigh said. GenCyber 2016 was generously funded through grants from the National Security Agency, Northrop Grumman, Southern California Edison, State Farm, SIGMAnet and San Bernardino Community College District/Doing What Matters.