Cybersecurity Education Consortium
GSI is arming lifelong learners at all levels – from primary school students to deep technical experts – with the critical thinking, problem-solving, and technical skills necessary to be digitally literate citizens and to thrive in the rapidly shifting technological sector.
GSI’s educational efforts are aimed at enhancing the nation’s pipeline of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) talent. Focus areas include:
- Enhancing the pipeline of STEM talent interested in careers in defense and national security.
- Upskilling today’s workforce so people have the technological, managerial, and communications skills needed to succeed in our rapidly evolving world.
Capabilities
- The Cybersecurity Education Consortium (CEC) partners with educators and the broader cybersecurity community to ensure students are prepared to lead and be changemakers in the cybersecurity workforce. The CEC:
- Serves as a hub for ASU students to connect them to cyber opportunities and events;
- Supports educators at all levels to network and find student-centered solutions for curriculum and courseware;
- Engages K-12 students in accessible cyber activities that will introduce them to this growing field and drive sustained interest in the topic;
- Helps industry partners connect with ASU and the educational community.
Featured projects
- CyberDay4Girls
- Bringing hands-on cybersecurity education to students
- Cybersecurity curriculum for middle schoolers
CyberDay4Girls
In an effort to engage middle school girls in cybersecurity, the CEC partnered with IBM to host a CyberDay4Girls event at ASU’s West Campus. The event brought 200+ middle school girls to campus for a 1-day event where they learned the basics of blockchain, cryptography, and how to secure the internet of things. The young girls also heard from a panel of women in the field of cybersecurity, who discussed their professional journeys and potential career paths..
Bringing hands-on cybersecurity education to students
As a pilot project in collaboration with the Center for the Future of Arizona, the CEC is providing 15 teachers and more than 400 students in Arizona with free access to the U.S. Cyber Range. The cyber range allows teachers the ability to implement their content through a number of hands-on simulations in different virtual environments. With the chance to practice cybersecurity skills firsthand in a safe virtual environment, students learn important lessons on what cybercriminals look for and how to protect themselves online.
Cybersecurity curriculum for middle schoolers
The CEC developed a middle school cybersecurity curriculum grounded in the Arizona computer science state standards to fill an educational gap in many Arizona schools and introduce students to core cybersecurity concepts before they enter high school. The content covers topics including digital citizenship, cyber threats and prevention, careers, encryption and ciphers, digital and physical security, passwords, firewalls, protocols, ethical hacking, networking, and vulnerabilities, and is available to anyone for free on the CEC’s website. The content has reached 150 + teachers in 19 states.