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Portland, OR (PRWEB) March 13, 2017
EnergySec, a non-profit energy sector security consortium, and Portland Public School’s Lincoln High School Coding Club today announced PDX Cyber Camp 2017, sponsored by PacStar, a week-long summer camp designed to give students hands-on, introductory experience to cybersecurity principles and policies. The camp, organized and managed by a team of high school students, educators and industry professionals, will be held in three locations during the week of July 17 to July 21. Local students interested in learning more about this exciting new field are encouraged to apply early before the camps fill up.
New for 2017 is a “Girls Only” camp at Lincoln High School, which will feature leading women guest speakers from the cybersecurity industry, and female instructors to provide an inclusive and tailored program for young women interested in STEM careers.
“Cybersecurity is one of today’s hottest technical fields, with some experts forecasting a shortage of up to 1 million trained professionals in the years ahead,” said Charlie Kawasaki, chief technology officer of PacStar (Pacific Star Communications, Inc.) and founder and organizer of the PDX Cyber Camp. “Careers in cybersecurity can be incredibly rewarding, high paying, and are in demand worldwide in just about every industry.”
According to Kawasaki, the camp gives local high school students an opportunity to learn about this exciting field and participate in hands-on classes with Portland-based cybersecurity industry experts. Following on the success of last year’s PDX Cyber Camp, the 2017 camp has been expanded, adding more locations and the new “Girls Only” session.
“We are proud to support PDX Cyber Camp 2017 which expands STEM educational opportunities for local youth. As a leader in advanced communications systems, PacStar understands that cybersecurity is critical for our customers, whose lives depend on the security of our equipment,” said Peggy Miller, chief executive officer of PacStar. “We need more experts in this field. I am particularly interested in inspiring young women to pursue careers in STEM, for whom early mentors are key in stimulating their interest in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. In fact, I was encouraged by my high school teachers to join the math team which led to my life-long interest in science and to a highly rewarding career in technology.”
PDX Cyber Camp 2017 is designed for students interested in learning about cybersecurity, but who do not have experience or prior training in this field. The program includes expert presentations by guest speakers from industry-leading companies who have deep experience in cybersecurity fields and insight into careers in cybersecurity in IT security, network security, and secure software engineering. In addition, students will receive an introduction to cybersecurity and ethics, an introduction to VMWare Player, hands-on security configuration of Windows and Ubuntu operating systems, a mock cyber competition, and the opportunity to participate in a networking reception with security business professionals at the conclusion of the camp.
Students who participate in this camp will receive valuable experience that can help them qualify for cybersecurity internships. Three students from the 2016 camp secured internships at local cyber and network security companies last year.
Camp Details
- Date: Monday, July 17 through Friday, July 21, 2017
- Times: Monday to Thursday 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Friday 9 a.m. to 1p.m.
- Locations:
o Location #1(Girls Only): Lincoln High School, 1600 SW Salmon St, Portland, Oregon
o Location #2 (Co-Ed): Center for Advanced Learning, 1484 NW Civic Dr., Gresham, Oregon
o Location #3 (Co-Ed): Mentor Graphics, 8005 Boeckman Rd, Wilsonville, Oregon
- Cost: $150 per session. Scholarships available based on financial need.
- Food: Lunches provided.
- Each camp facility supports a maximum of 25 students to ensure that each student will have a dedicated computer system.
How to Apply
Interested students may apply here http://bit.ly/pdxcyber. The deadline for applications is Monday, May 1, 2017, although early application is encouraged to ensure a place in the camp roster. Prerequisites for the camp include demonstrated interest in computers, such as participation in programming classes or extra-curricular hands-on computer activities, or a strong recommendation from a teacher.
The selection criteria will also consider gender, ethnic and socio-economic factors to promote diversity and inclusion of under-represented groups in the STEM and cybersecurity fields.
In addition to the 2017 PDX Cyber Camp title sponsor, PacStar, other sponsors include IBM, McAfee by Intel Security, Mentor Graphics, Galois, Absolute Software, Cylance, Hueya, New Relic, McKenzie Worldwide, Software Diligence Services, and the Technology Association of Oregon.
For more information about the camp, please visit: http://www.softwarediligence.com/pdxcybercamp/
