"UA Little Rock Receives $150,000 NSA Grant to Host Cybersecurity Educational Program Across Arkansas"
The National Security Agency (NSA) has awarded the University of Arkansas at Little Rock (UALR) a nearly $150,000 grant to hold a year's worth of free cybersecurity educational events for Arkansas junior high and high school students. UALR will collaborate with Philander Smith College to host the state's second Arkansas GenCyber Strength Training camp, which will support the state's long-term investment in secondary school cybersecurity education. The grant will cover a free two-week cybersecurity summer camp at UALR in July 2023. In addition to the summer camp, UALR will host a series of quarterly education events that will take the form of escape rooms with cybersecurity challenges in order to get Arkansas students interested in cybersecurity education. Dr. Philip Huff, assistant professor of cybersecurity at UALR, Sandra Leiterman, managing director of UALR's Cyber Arena, and Dr. Suzan Anwar, a UALR graduate, assistant professor, and department chair of computer science at Philander Smith College, are among those working on the grant. The Arkansas GenCyber Strength Training program will be provided free of charge to up to 100 Arkansas rising 7th-12th grade students. There will be both a virtual and in-person camp option, allowing students from all over the state to participate even if they cannot travel to Little Rock. Students will also participate in hands-on activities in cyberattacks and defense provided by UALR's Cyber Arena, which already serves more than 500 virtual students in Arkansas with cloud-based cybersecurity labs. Participants will engage with industry experts about career opportunities and learn about cybersecurity through cutting-edge hands-on activities that allow students to experience cyberattacks from both the victim and adversary perspectives. This article continues to discuss UALR hosting cybersecurity educational events for junior high and high school students in Arkansas with funding from the NSA.