GenCyber: Adventure Zone Teacher Academy consists of pre-camp, summer camp, and post-camp activities.
GenCyber: Pre-Camp
Our pre-camp activities include an award-based competition and a one-day regional seminar that give an opportunity for high school teachers to motivate their students to attend the competition and present their projects. The team in the first place will receive $3,000, the second will receive $2,000, and the third group will receive $1,000. The competition will be open to all teachers from the Tri-state area. (Any teachers who participated, have not participated, do not have a plan to participate, or have a plan to participate in the GenCyber camp can join the competition). Click here for more information.
GenCyber: Post-Camp
The post-camp activities will include follow-up visits and a one-day conference. During Fall 2023, the program director and lead instructor will communicate with high school teachers and visit schools. Based on their needs, student assistants will be assigned to the school teachers to implement computing and cybersecurity activities in their classroom environments. Moreover, the teachers from the Tri-State area will be invited to the conference at Marshall University to share their experiences while implementing computing and cybersecurity subjects into their classroom subjects. The conference date is April 20, 2024. The teachers have a chance to share their success stories with other teachers. The conference will be open to all teachers from the Tri-state area to participate and share their opinions and create a network.
The conference will be open to all teachers from the Tri-state area to participate and share their opinions and create a network Click here for more information.
2023 Teacher Summer Camp
Camp participants will explore the world of cybersecurity with experts in the field through fun, real-world learning experiences enhanced by close teacher-student interaction. Camp activities include hands-on exercises, interactive lectures, games, career exploration, and campus tours. Funding for the camp will be provided jointly by the National Security Agency (NSA) and the National Science Foundation (NSF) through an award received by Marshall University. The GenCyber camp is contingent on funding availability.
The summer camp will assist teachers in developing and integrating cyber subjects into their courses at their home schools. Camp participants will engage in hands-on explorations of the many aspects of security, including ethics, networks, phishing, social engineering, and robotics system. Camp participants will also develop lesson plans for delivering cybersecurity content in K-12 curricula. We are intending to train thirty high school teachers at Marshall University.
The week of the camp is planned for June 12-16, 2023.
Camp Benefits to Teachers
- Free to all participants
- The participants will receive a stipend ($1100.00 per one-week)
- Graduate-level professional development course credit from Marshall University.
- The participants will receive free materials, which will be used in the program.
- Meal (breakfast, lunch, and dinner).
- Accommodations.
The participant must attend the week-long camp to receive stipends and course credit.
How to Apply for the Camp
The application will be opened in mid of Fall 2022 semester.
The application deadline is 5:00 pm, Friday, May 1, 2023. Late applications may be considered but this scholarship will be awarded on a first-come, first-served basis and with consideration for the strength of the application. Due to the limited availability of seats, early registration is strongly recommended. To apply, please complete and submit this application form. It is recommended that you first scan the questions, gather the required information in the question, and then fill out the application form HERE.
Cost of the Camp
All camp activities are offered at no cost to all participants.
Residential Program in the Camp
- Teachers attending from outside a 50-mile radius will have the option to reside on campus.
- Those teachers choosing to commute within a 50-mile radius will be reimbursed travel expenses at the GSA rate of $0.56 per mile and parking fee.
Selection Criteria for the Camp
Open to High School STEM teachers, with preference given to teachers from the nearby regions (Tri-state area). Must be a U.S. Citizen or permanent resident. Prior knowledge of computers and cybersecurity is not required. However, it’s helpful to have a strong interest in computers and cybersecurity. Women and underrepresented minority groups in STEM are strongly encouraged to apply.
Previous GenCyber Teacher Camps at Marshall University
Marshall University organized a virtual camp in the summer of 2021 and an in-person camp in the summer of 2023 to train a total of 53 high school STEM teachers. Of the 20 teachers who enrolled in the 2021 summer camp, 65% immediately implemented cybersecurity principles in their respective fields, which included science, mathematics, career education, and ROTC. Our result shows that 950 K-12 students were exposed to cybersecurity within their course subjects in the first semester after the camp, and 800 of them were not in computer science courses. The results of the 2023 summer camp will be available soon.
Please contact genycber@marshall.edu if you need assistance.
