Cybersecurity camp keeps faculty, high school students sharp
Cybersecurity camp keeps faculty, high school students sharp
https://news.gcu.edu/gcu-news/cybersecurity-camp-keeps-faculty-high-school-students-sharp/
Publish Date: 2026-06-11 13:52:00
Source Domain: news.gcu.edu
Using an unordered list, summarize the following article with between 4 and 8 key points.
GCU Cyber Center of Excellence recently hosted GenCyber Camp for high school students to learn about cybersecurity.
Photos by Ralph Freso
The ever-changing world of AI and cybersecurity keeps everyone on their toes, from technology experts to instructors to students considering a career in these fields.
And that’s what keeps Grand Canyon University technology leaders prepared as they keep their annual GenCyber Camp fresh as more than three dozen high school and junior high students were challenged this week by a spectrum of exercises that kept them informed and entertained.
“There’s so much to teach that we try mixing it up with different resources that we have,” said Joseph Urbaszewski, GCU Cyber Center of Excellence program manager. “We read the room, we try to see what their needs are, depending on who’s attending, and we just develop.”
“I also have our student workers very much involved in helping develop those plans, so we have core areas of learning and core areas of lessons. But our student workers bring their version of students of what they’re up to and what’s out there, so that mixed together really brings a new, refreshing way of looking at it.”
Cyber Center program manager Joseph Urbaszewski leads a discussion on hacking during the GenCyber Camp at the GCU Cyber Center of Excellence.
Mika Van Knippenberg, who is considering studying cybersecurity and law in college, absorbed the knowledge offered during the all-week camp.
“I believe it offers a lot,” said Knippenberg, a homeschool student whose father works in the cybersecurity industry. “I didn’t know a lot about hacking and how stuff like this works, so it’s helpful and been explained very clear.”
During Tuesday’s session, three groups of eight students were asked to line up in single file and deliver a phrase to each other, with the last person writing down the phrase to compare it to what the first person said.
“When we transfer data, we transfer one by one through the layers,” Urbaszewski said.
Red team members celebrate their victory in a Sphero Bolt robot challenge during GenCyber Camp at the GCU Cyber Center of Excellence.
Afterwards, the seven layers of cybersecurity were presented to the students and explained in a mnemonic manner.
In this case, the learning tool to remember each of the seven layers was: Please Do Not Throw Sausage Pizza Away.
Or
Layer 1 – P as in Physical
Layer 2 – D as in Data link
Layer 3 – N as in Network
Layer 4 – T as in Transport
Layer 5 – S as in Session
Layer 6 – P as in Presentation
Layer 7 – And A for Application.
Urbaszewski, assisted by Hanz Murella, a software engineer junior and CCE student worker, spontaneously quizzed students on different facets of cybersecurity. He tossed trinkets, such as GCU iPhone chargers, to those who correctly answered questions, such as what layer 4 stood for, or the difference between http and https.
Software engineer junior Hanz Murella leads a discussion during the GenCyber Camp at the GCU Cyber Center of Excellence.
Tip: Https is more secure and often used when looking at personal bank accounts, which shut off after a certain time for security reasons.
After learning how to program a sphere on their laptop computers and cell phones, four groups of six students were enthused by a contest in which two groups were in charge of five blue sphere robots and the other two in charge of one red sphere robot.
Blue tape was placed on the carpet and designed to resemble a maze. The blue teams were allowed to place five robots anywhere on the tape, while the red teams had to program their spheres inside the maze squares. Without hitting any of the blue spheres, which had to stay on the tape, the red team had to come out through the other side.
Camp participants take part in a Wireshark hacking tool exercise during the GenCyber Camp at the GCU Cyber Center of Excellence.
Both groups won their respective competitions and received prizes that included stuffed animals of GCU’s mascot, Thunder.
“I came here to learn,” said Nestor Garay, an eighth grader at Phoenix Christian Prep. “The funnest part was the robot we just programed. I like programing.”
The quest to serve high school students continues. CCE conducts surveys with students and forwards the information to the marketing team. In addition, CCE works with K12 Educational Development, interested schools throughout the state and addresses Department of Homeland Security initiatives.
GCU is associated with the National Centers of Academic Excellence in Cybersecurity, a program that enforces demanding standards set by the National Security Agency. The NSA gives NCAE-C designations to institutions, including GCU, committed to developing cybersecurity professionals that will decrease vulnerabilities in the nation’s infrastructure.
Phoenix Christian Prep eighth grader Nestor Garay, who is looking toward a career in cybersecurity, listens during a Wireshark hacking tool exercise.
“We like being unique, so we like doing those state-of-the-art type things, a little bit different in a good way, and therefore they like looking at us,” Urbaszewski said. “GCU offers this type of stuff, in contrast to others.”
GCU computer science professor David Demland presented a unique perspective on the importance of learning, as he asked students how to out-run a bear.
“How fast do you have to run? Faster than the dude behind you,” Demland said. “I’m going to teach you the most important thing you’re going to learn through work. Be better than at least the person next to you because when there’s a layoff, they’re going to go. You won’t.
“Always improve your skills. Don’t be complacent. I tell all my students, ‘you think you’re going to get out of school and be done studying. No. This is a precursor. You will study much harder when you get to the workforce. Get used to it. That’s what technology is going to force you, so prepare for it.”
GCU News senior writer Mark Gonzales can be reached at [email protected]
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