Junior Cyber Discovery: Creating a Vertically Integrated Middle School Cyber Camp

摘要

Abstract Junior Cyber Discovery: Creating a Vertically Integrated Middle School Cyber CampAbstractThe United States faces an unprecedented challenge in foreign competition in math, science andengineering. Locally, we face the challenge of preparing a workforce versed in cyber issues aswell as math, science and engineering to fulfill the needs of the region. The problem over the lastdecade is there has been a 50% decline in student interest in engineering and a 14% decrease inengineering degrees with only 2.1% of High School graduates likely to earn an engineeringdegree. This project cultivates an interest in cyber, computer programming, math, science andengineering by exposing middle school students to the new technology.Cyber Discovery camp was developed through a collaboration of mathematics, science,engineering, and liberal arts faculty at _______________. This total immersive camp experiencewas aimed at high school teachers and their student teams. The residential camp exposed studentparticipants to multiple topics of cyberspace including: history of cyberspace, ethical and socialissues, applications, and the need for and use of security in cyberspace.Similar to Cyber Discovery camp, where the focus is on building relationships betweenuniversity and high school faculty; Junior Cyber Discovery is a collaboration between highschool and middle school STEM teachers. The Junior Cyber Discovery camp model focuses onmiddle school students.This paper describes a partnership that was developed between the high school and its feedermiddle schools to immerse rising 7th grade students in a week long project-based day camp todevelop interest and skills in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM).The students participated in activities that explore artificial intelligence and virtual reality whichin turn cultivated their interest in the science and engineering aspects of cyberspace throughinteractive hands-on robotics and 3-D modeling. Socratic discussions concerning the socialimplications of the concepts presented were explored in depth through the use of movies thatdirectly relate to artificial intelligence and virtual reality. Examples from the camp will bepresented along with lessons learned.