Thirty NYS STEM Teachers Invited to Attend GenCyber Camp in August

by | January 6th, 2020

teacher and child at a laptop, gen cyber logo

Excelsior College, Capital Region BOCES, and Questar III BOCES recently were awarded a $98,624 grant from the National Security Agency (NSA) and National Science Foundation (NSF) to participate in the GenCyber program (www.gen-cyber.com).

This grant will fund a cybersecurity camp for a total of thirty 6th–12th grade STEM teachers from August 13–17, 2018, prior to their return to the classroom this fall. The camp will be held at the Capital Region BOCES in Albany, New York, and includes hands-on educational instruction and activities with Excelsior College cybersecurity faculty and industry experts.

“It’s with great pride Excelsior College was awarded this opportunity to work with BOCES and to provide much needed cybersecurity training for educators in the New York state Capital Region,” says Amelia Estwick, program manager of the National Cybersecurity Institute at Excelsior College. The National Cybersecurity Institute was established in 2014 as an academic, training, and research center dedicated to assisting government, industry, military, and academic sectors meet challenges in cybersecurity policy, technology, and education.

The GenCyber grant is significant since it funds the first cybersecurity camp for educators in New York’s Capital Region. The area was dubbed “Tech Valley” in the late 1990s in recognition of the growth of the technology industry and associated academic programs. There is a significant demand for cybersecurity expertise beyond STEM industries, to assure proper handling of information in state government, regional medical systems, and defense installations.

With this grant, Excelsior College, Capital Region BOCES, and Questar III BOCES can collectively leverage expertise in the region and provide much needed educational support services for educators. Combined these organizations serve over 45 school districts impacting hundreds of educators and thousands of students in the New York State Capital Region.

Participants selected for the GenCyber camp will earn 37.5 Continuing Teacher and Leader Education (CTLE) credits and receive a $800 stipend. They do not need prior background knowledge in cybersecurity to attend but must be available to attend all five days of the camp. Limited travel stipends may be offered to some participants. Applications for the 30 spots in the free camp are accepted now until May 25.

For more information, visit https://explore.excelsior.edu/LP_GenCyber.html or email gencybercamp@excelsior.edu.

Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Security Agency.