High school students from all over Iowa gathered for the first Youth Cyber Summit on October 12 at Iowa State University. This interactive learning experience allowed young cyber enthusiasts to connect with current undergraduate and graduate students from ISU, as well as alumni. Much of the information presented echoed a similar theme: find your passion and stay engaged in learning.

ISU students present capture the flag

The students participated in several activities, including a capture the flag event where they tackled hacking challenges to find seven flags in different categories such as web security, reverse engineering, cryptography, hardware, and general hacking. In another classroom there were one-on-one security demonstrations setup at multiple stations. The demos covered a variety of topics including: security awareness for RFID (Radio-frequency identification), lock picking and the explanation of how physical security and cybersecurity go hand-in-hand, wireless routing with public IP traffic, and more.

The last area of focus emphasized cyber pathways and co-curricular opportunities.  ISU Professor Doug Jacobson highlighted cybersseek.org and explained the steps that students could take in high school and college to prepare for the high-demand cyber field.

ISU Cyber Stations

Jacobson highlights Innovate-IT, which includes a set of modules available to high school-aged students who can form clubs at their school or extracurricular group with an advisor or mentor.  Innovate-IT offers focus areas like cyber defense, game design, and robotics. Schools wanting to start a club can fill out a form to officially join ISU’s Innovate-IT and get access to slides, student guides, and activities.

ISU Presentation of Resources

Another emphasis was co-curricular activities which were highly encouraged for students to participate in. Jacobson and a variety of high school instructors stressed the importance of broadening technical skill sets and to include club experiences on college applications and resumes; which show the ability to go above and beyond to set oneself apart. ISU’s co-curricular activities presented to the students included: Cyber Defense Challenges (CDCs), CyberPatriot, the Cybersecurity Ambassador Program, coding camps and more. Jacobson’s goal is to educate every Iowan about cybersecurity. The interactive videos and modules his team is creating make the cybersecurity topic less cumbersome and while educating on the essential topics for online safety. Public visitors can find some of the resources online at CyberED and Cyber House Rock.

The activities concluded with students asking a panel of security and technical professionals  about their cyber careers. The panel explained qualities that they look for when hiring, the importance of focusing on the basics when dealing with general cybersecurity awareness in businesses, and encouraged showcasing hobby and passion projects to highlight your skills and individuality.

Iowa Communications Network serves as an awareness partner for the Iowa Cyber Hub. We support the initiatives undertaken by Iowa State University aimed at enhancing security and promoting online awareness for all Iowans. 

Additional Resources

If your school is interested in Innovate-IT view the sign-up flyer on ISU's website.

Learn more about the Iowa Cyber Hub.