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Cybersecurity Classroom

Cybersecurity Summer Camp for High School Students

The University of Tampa’s GenCyber camp, CyberSpartans, is geared towards high school students with the objective of providing foundational cybersecurity knowledge, increasing the interest of a diverse group of students in cybersecurity education and careers, and creating awareness for safe online behavior. The five-day camp with pre- and post-camp activities aims to ignite students’ interest and give them the opportunity to have hands-on experiences through microcomputers, games, puzzles and group exercises, and the opportunity to interact with computer science and cybersecurity professors and industry experts.

Camp activities involving group work and gamified content will offer a student-centric learning environment. The participants will interact with instructors and experts with varying backgrounds for exposure to different perspectives in cybersecurity and cyber ethics, preparing them for a successful post-secondary education and cybersecurity career.

The camp will be hosted on UT’s campus in the Jenkins Health and Technology Building, which houses a Security Operations Center, Cyber Range and the Makerspace lab. After completing the camp, participants will receive a completion certification, camp T-shirt and camp bag.

Camp Dates and Locations

Pre-camp Date: 9 a.m.—12 p.m. on April 29, May 13, May 20, and June 3, 2023
Location: Online

Camp Date: June 5-9, 2023
Location: Jenkins Health and Technology Building, University of Tampa

Post-camp Date: updated - Fall meetings will be announced
Location: TBA

Camp Program

June 5: Introduction to Cybersecurity
June 6: Cryptography
June 7: Defense in Depth
June 8: Identification and Authentication
June 9: Think Like an Adversary

Important Information about the Camp

  • No background in cybersecurity is needed.
  • We encourage students with diverse abilities and from diverse communities to apply.
  • Priority will be given to rising sophomores and juniors at the time of the camp.
  • Barring sickness, every student is expected to have full participation in online meetings and camp meetings.
  • The camp is free for all attendees. Materials, snacks and lunch will be provided.

Space is limited. The selected students will be contacted through the provided email in April.

For questions email ayayla@ut.edu, Alper Yayla, camp program director.

The application period is over

The camp is funded by a grant from the National Security Agency and the National Science Foundation through their GenCyber program.

GenCyber Logo          National Security Agency United States of America Logo            NSF Logo


CyberSpartans working hands-on

Students build their Raspberry Pis during an interactive session on the fundamentals of computing.

CyberSpartans in a computer lab

Students search for clues to solve challenges and puzzles and learn how to "think like an adversary."

CyberSpartan working on programming

The Raspberry Pi platform enables interactive learning of computing and networking concepts.

CyberSpartans working on an assignment

Students work on the "Ice Cream Truck Problem" which illustrates the challenges of cybersecurity.

CyberSpartans working together in the Skyview Room

"The Internet of Strings" activity demonstrates the fundamentals of computer networking.