EPIC Summer Camp 2016

For the fourth year, I had the opportunity to lead a number of computer security labs for Cal Poly’s Engineering Possibilities in College (EPIC) summer camp, and as always, it was a ton of fun. As in prior years, I used my network security board game, [d0x3d!] as a way to introduce the idea of the value of digital data to middle and high school students.

I also offered a dedicated “cybersecurity” track to rising junior and seniors. In addition to [d0x3d!], we also played a kinesthetic firewall game–somewhere between Red Rover and Mastermind–that has students develop and reverse engineer the drawbridge access policy of an opposing team’s castle.

I also had them write their first Python program–a password cracker–which I think embeds many core computer science and computer principles in a program that takes no more than 10 lines to write.

I look forward to continuing to develop these type of fun and engaging security games and labs for EPIC as part of a recent NSF award Zoe Wood and I received.