SAISD Middle School Students Participate in First West Texas Youth Cybersecurity Workshop & Expo

San Angelo ISD students from Glenn, Lincoln and Lone Star Middle Schools participated in a unique future-ready experience at the Youth Cybersecurity Workshop and Expo last Thursday, April 7, 2022. The event was the first of its kind to be held in West Texas, and was an innovative day centered on cybersecurity and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math), hosted by Angelo State University and the City of San Angelo in partnership with the University of Texas San Antonio’s Center for Infrastructure Assurance and Security (CIAS) and San Angelo ISD. 

“The expo provided a perfect opportunity for students who have a passion for cybersecurity, coding and STEM,” said SAISD Digital Innovation Facilitator Jennifer Feck. “It was exciting to see their ‘smartness’ being nurtured in this environment.”

The day began with a motivational welcome for students by ASU President and SAISD alumni General Ronnie Hawkins, Jr. President Hawkins discussed the importance of cybersecurity, and how technology can change over time, even showing students examples of older technology he had worked with like a computer punch card and floppy disks. He emphasized how stills and information that students learned at the event and in their 21st century classrooms can translate into careers in cybersecurity.

The event included a rotation of three engaging workshops designed for students to learn more about cybersecurity, think critically, collaborate, create and get hands-on, beginner experience in cybersecurity. 

The workshop sessions were:

• Intro to Cyber Threat Defender- In this session, students were provided an overview of essential cybersecurity information and defense strategies as part of a multi-player card game. Students were able to play the game and learn basic cybersecurity terminology, reinforce understandings of a network infrastructure, learn about the relationships between cyber-attacks and defense countermeasures, real-world challenges, facts and historical information connected to the cybersecurity field.
• Intro to EPIC Cyber Range/Dictionary Attack Lab - In this session, students gained hands-on cybersecurity skills to protect companies and organizations from data breaches learning about red team cyber also known as cyber offense with students engaging in problem-solving and coding. ASU students assisted in the session.
• Career Exploration - In this session, students had the opportunity to speak with organizations and companies with careers related to cybersecurity and the commercial space like Goodfellow Air Force Base, CalTech,  Ener-tel and Snider IT. 

Following the workshop sessions, students continued to enjoy the experience of a college visit at ASU with an on-site lunch, a special recognition of SAISD Lake View High School’s CyberPatriot Team by Mayor Brenda Gunter for accomplishments in cybersecurity this school year, and closing remarks by President Hawkins. 

“This event was the perfect opportunity to spotlight the importance of cyber awareness to our public school students. These students will ultimately become a critical line of defense against cyber attacks in the future,” said Dean of the ASU College of Education, Dr. Scarlet Clouse. “It is our goal to continue the efforts in educating our students and community citizens to the ways in which we can all become more cyber secure."

The Youth Cybersecurity Workshop and Expo is part of the ongoing community-wide cybersecurity program being piloted in San Angelo by ASU and the University of Texas at San Antonio's CIAS in partnership with SAISD and the City of San Angelo. SAISD is proud to be a part of the outstanding, innovative program as one more way to support all students’ pursuit of their future-ready goals and to engage in learning to develop attributes of the SAISD Learner Profile. SAISD extends appreciation to ASU leadership, professors and students, UTSA CIAS, Mayor Gunter and the City, and community partners who came together to make it a successful event, and to our own SAISD Difference Makers who helped make the inaugural cybersecurity event impactful and successful. To stay up-to-date on San Angelo ISD, please visit the SAISD website at www.saisd.org and follow us on Facebook and Twitter. 

More Information on the cybersecurity program
The cybersecurity program is funded by a grant from the National Security Agency and is designed to help entire communities become more cyber secure. Once the two-year pilot implementation is complete, the program will be transferable and applicable to communities of any size nationwide. On April 26, 2022 a second community-wide event, the Concho Valley Cyber Security Roundup, hosted by ASU and the City of San Angelo, will feature informational and interactive presentations for businesses, nonprofit organizations, government entities, healthcare facilities, schools, educators and senior citizens. For more information on the Concho Valley Cyber Security Roundup contact Dr. Scarlet Clouse, Dean of the ASU College of Education, at 325-942-2212 or scarlet.clouse@angelo.edu.