HONOLULU — Girls in grades eight to 12 are invited to apply for the CompuGirls Hawai‘i Spring Camp 2021, a free, virtual program aimed to introduce and educate girls underrepresented in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) education to cybersecurity and information technology.
Students will participate in nine, two-hour sessions, on Saturdays from Feb. 20 to April 24, and will be provided full access to curriculum and activities. The registration deadline is Friday, Feb. 12.
“CompuGirls Hawai‘i provides Hawai‘i girls with the unique opportunity to explore cybersecurity and IT with access to mentors, job shadowing and industry internships,” said Jodi Ito, chair of CyberHawaii and chief information security officer of the University of Hawai‘i.
“Following the success of our fall 2020 program, we look forward to welcoming a new spring cohort and engaging students in new activities while connecting them with local leaders and exploring possible career paths.”
The spring camp will include the use of innovative technologies such as Gather.Town, a virtual space for students to interact more effectively online combining video-calling with a 2D map, and micro:bit, a pocket-sized computer that introduces how software and hardware work together.
In addition, students will be introduced to cryptography, the practice of encrypting and decrypting data; the role of ciphers in cybersecurity, guessing the cipher key to reveal encrypted data; whether cracking ciphers is ethical, and much more.
Registration for the camp 2021 is free and open to girls in grades eight to 12. Students who do not have access to a laptop with USB ports and/or Wi-Fi must indicate that in their application, and devices will be provided to them for the duration of the program.
To register, visit cyberhawaii.org/compugirls.
The inaugural CompuGirls Hawai‘i Fall cohort was led by public-school teachers selected as mentor-teachers to implement the curriculum, and were responsible for student academic growth. The fall cohort had 49 students representing O‘ahu, Maui, Lana‘i and Hawai‘i Island, with a large number identifying as Native Hawaiian or having more than one ethnicity.
CompuGirls Hawai‘i is an affiliate of COMPUGIRLS, a national program focused on increasing opportunities for girls of color in the fields of science and technology.
The program was developed in partnership with CyberHawai‘i, UH, Arizona State University Center for Gender Equity in Science and Technology and the Defense STEM Education Consortium.
The goal of CompuGirls Hawai‘i is to introduce Hawai‘i girls from populations traditionally underrepresented in STEM to cybersecurity and IT as fields of study and viable career paths.
To register or for more information about CompuGirls Hawai‘i, visit cyberhawaii.org/compugirls.
Source: The Garden Island
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