Fostering Interest and Knowledge in the Information Security Industry for K-12 Students Using Virtual Machines
Ethan Adams, Patrick Scanlon, Joseph Torres, Tricia K. Clark, Terence Laughlin, Abdullah Konak · 2024
The field of information security is growing rapidly as malicious attacks to information systems become more frequent and detrimental to individuals and organizations who have become increasingly dependent upon these systems.With such a dramatic growth in demand in a short timeframe, there exists a shortage in the supply of professionals entering the field.In order to assist in the remediation of this gap, the Penn State Berks Information Sciences and Technology (IST) and Security Risk Analysis (SRA) programs are hosting an annual NSA and NSF sponsored summer camp as part of the GenCyber program.This camp is focused on critical thinking, problem-solving, and igniting interest in information security and other STEM fields through the application of hands-on activities in the security of a virtual machine environment.By implementing this program, Penn State Berks aims to show students the value of information security as early as reasonably possible, share the knowledge of safe practices and principles for using the Internet safely, and instill an interest in cybersecurity, as well as the STEM field as a whole.The evaluation of the program shows that the participants make significant progress towards achieving the learning outcomes of the summer camps.