GenCyber Program Provides Participants with an Experience to Understand Cyber Security
Building on its reputation as a nationally recognized center for cyber security education, County College of Morris (CCM) will be offering high school sophomores, juniors and seniors the opportunity to enroll in a free one-week GenCyber cyber security camp at the college this summer.
With $59,800 in funding from the National Security Agency and National Science Foundation, CCM will be offering two one-week identical GenCyber summer camps in August through its Center for Cyber Security in the Department of Information Technologies. The camps, introducing high school students to the field of cyber security and possible career opportunities, will provide an interactive, immersive experience that is both fun and educational.
The “Pocket VPN CCM GenCyber Camp” is a five-day cyber security experience. Participants will be engaged from the first minute of the first day to the last minute of the last day.
The first camp takes place August 6 through 10 and the second identical camp runs August 13 through 17. Both 
camps start at 9 a.m. and end at 3 p.m. each day. Each session can accommodate 25 students and entrance to the program is contingent on successful application submission and acceptance.
Through the GenCyber program, camp participants at CCM will learn sound cyber security principles, garner an increased awareness and interest in cyber security careers, and gain an understanding of correct and safe online behavior. GenCyber is a national program to increase interest in cyber security careers and diversity in the workforce.
Students in the CCM GenCyber summer camp will configure a Raspberry Pi to act as a Virtual Private Network (VPN), which they can use on their home networks after the camp is over for secure Internet connection and transmission.
CCM is the only community college in New Jersey to be named a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense Education. Through its Center for Cyber Security, the college also seeks to further the mission of educating future cyber security professionals and preparing the community to be better cyber citizens.
“This is an opportunity of a lifetime,” said Professor Patricia Tamburelli, who is overseeing the camp with her husband, Joe, an adjunct professor in the Information Technologies department. “Cyber security is exciting and fun and this is a real opportunity for high school students to be fully immersed in cyber activities and hands-on exercises, which, hopefully, will ignite the spark that will encourage career exploration in this high-growth area.”
To register for the GenCyber camp being offered at CCM, go to https://tinyurl.com/y92pere8/.
