BLINN, TEXAS A&M PARTNER TO INSPIRE FUTURE TECH LEADERS AT CYBERSECURITY CAMP

  

The Blinn College District’s cybersecurity camp continues to grow in popularity — and impact — as students who attended last year’s inaugural event returned this summer to help others explore the field.

Held July 7-11 at the Blinn-Brenham Campus’s Science, Technology, Engineering, and Innovation Building, the free, weeklong camp reached its 30-student capacity and included a waiting list for the first time.

Bryndolyn Carmichael of Bryan, a high school student taking dual credit courses at Blinn with aspirations for a career in cybersecurity, attended last year’s camp. This year, she returned as an aide, helping to teach her peers.

“We went to Texas A&M’s camp first and helped incorporate a lot of things with cybersecurity,” she said. “Then we got invited to come do it here at Blinn.”

Carmichael said each camp teaches her something new, even if her role this summer is different.

“We get to learn a bunch of new, amazing stuff,” she said, “and we get to work with a lot of gadgets and trinkets.”

Dr. Bruce Gooch, Blinn College District Computer Science Department Head, helped organize the camp and said interest in the camp skyrocketed.

“At the first camp, I had a tough time getting 30 kids,” he said. “This year, I had a waiting list.”

The camp is funded through a U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) grant and led by instructors from Texas A&M University’s Cybersecurity Center. Bast Schellhorn, program specialist at the Cybersecurity Development Program at A&M’s Cybersecurity Center, said response to Blinn’s camp was “phenomenal.”

“We got a lot of response for the camp,” Schellhorn said. “We cover cybersecurity basics, safe internet practices, and common threats. Students learn about the Linux operating system, practice hacking into Raspberry Pi computers, program in Python, and explore circuitry through hands-on projects like lighting LEDs. That’s really fun for them.”

Schellhorn said the Department of Defense hopes early exposure to cybersecurity will inspire students to pursue careers in the field.

“By exposing these students to cybersecurity while they’re still in high school, they might find that they’re interested in pursuing cybersecurity and may one day go to work for the Department of Defense,” he said. “In all of our critical infrastructures especially, cybersecurity is part of our everyday lives now. We’re always looking for more people.”

Gooch said the camp is geared toward a wide range of students, from beginners to those with programming backgrounds.

Kaitlyn Bohack, a camper from Bellville, said she was familiar with Python programming but not computer circuitry.

“I didn’t know any of this circuitry stuff like making LEDs light up. That’s really fun and interesting to me,” Bohack said. “We could never do that in my high school computer science class.”

Gabriella Carlile, also from Bellville, said, “It’s been really fun. I’m learning a lot. I was never into computer science or anything, so it’s all new to me.”

Blinn Cybersecurity Program offers hands-on experience, small class sizes, and an opportunity to earn a Level 2 certificate and an Associate of Applied Science (AAS) degree. The AAS degree and certificate are both offered at the A&M RELLIS and Brenham campuses.

The 33-credit-hour Level-2 Certificate in Cybersecurity prepares students for entry-level technician opportunities in the information security sector, with emphasis in cybersecurity and digital forensics in government, private sector, and law enforcement agencies. This certificate combines networking and systems administration fundamentals with a strong focus on defensive strategies to secure networks and systems.

For students seeking a broader education, the 60-credit-hour Associate of Applied Science in Cybersecurity includes all the courses from the Level-2 certificate and adds coursework in algebra, business communication, network defense and countermeasures, and computer system forensics. Graduates can pursue careers as a security analyst or technician, network administrator, security administrator, IT support specialist, cybersecurity technician, or information security technician.

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics figures show security analysts earn a median salary of $124,910. The field is expected to grow 33% in the number of jobs from 2023-33, much higher than the national average for all jobs.

(Story courtesy Blinn Information)