NMU fights computer hacking with students
Computer hacking has been growing problem in the U.S. as of late, with major entities like Apple, Bank of America, and even the NSA falling prey.
The Seaborg Science Center at Northern Michigan University is taking a proactive measure to help curb that trend by starting a Cyber Security Workshop for high school students and teachers. The five-day camp will focus on computer programming, cryptography, router configuration, modern forensics, and how to hack into a network.
“What we’ve discovered is that the majority of hackers out there are fairly young. What we want to do is tap that resource and get them to fight this cyber war that’s going on. Here is a field that, if you’re the right mindset, is a tremendous amount of fun and it pays really well. It’s very detailed. It’s very technical. You’re involved in hands on battles with other computers. There’s lots of work in that area. If their interested, they can find out about it at this program,” explained S. Ken Culp, an instructor at NMU’s Department of Mathematics and Computer Science.
The federal government has been looking for ways to combat the hacking movement on a national level. As a result, they’ve started throwing resources at universities and technical institutions across the country.
“So with that growing national awareness, Northern Michigan University wanted to explore the idea and see what the interest level is in our area. Is there room to grow career fields in our area to help defend against some of these modern day threats?” noted Chris Standerford, Director of the Seaborg Center for Teaching and Learning Science & Mathematics.
The program will run in conjunction with a number of departments at NMU, including Criminal Justice, Computer Science, Engineering Technology and Information Technology. It costs $20 and runs from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday through Friday, from July 29th to August 2nd. If you want to register your child, you can contact the Seaborg Science Center by email at seaborg@nmu.edu or by phone at 906-227-2002. Limited scholarships are available.