GenCyber Camp

Cybersecurity is an exciting career prospect and a great opportunity to stay engaged and challenged. Join us to learn about cybersecurity concepts, ethical hacking, digital forensics and ethics and more!

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GenCyber Camps for High School Students

Sponsored by National Security Agency's (NSA) GenCyber program, we offer two, one-week nonresidential summer camps for rising students in Grades 9–12 to explore the field of cybersecurity through online instruction and lab activities.

Who can attend?

  • Rising ninth–12th graders
  • No previous cybersecurity experience or knowledge is required

Cost of attendance

  • Attendance is free
  • We provide complimentary breakfast, lunch and parking
  • This is a nonresidential camp — no housing provided 

2024 GenCyber Camp

Zoom info sessions

We will host two 30-minute information sessions before camp starts.

Dates

  • Camp 1 - July 22-26
  • Camp 2 - July 29-August 2

Locations

  • Classroom - Miller Nichols Library and Learning Center, Room 452 (MNLC 452)
  • Breakfast and lunch - Plaster Center Room 104 (P104)

View campus map (PDF)

Parking

We suggest you park in the Rockhill parking garage (52nd and Charlotte streets) on the morning of the first day of camp. You will receive your parking pass during check-in, so after breakfast you can place the pass in your car.

Camp topics (subject to minor changes)

  • Days 1 and 2 - Cybersecurity concepts, Internet safety, ethics, laws, cryptography and password security
  • Day 3 - Steganography, Google hacking, network scanning and scripting
  • Days 4 and 5 - Blockchain, Deepfakes, Minecraft programming, game building and competition

Schedule

First day

8:20 a.m.-8:55 a.m.
Breakfast and check-in
Plaster Center, Room 104 (P104)

9 a.m.-12:20 p.m.
Morning sessions
Miller Nichols Library and Learning Center, Room 452 (MNLC 452)

12:20 p.m.-1:20 p.m.
Lunch
Plaster Center, Room 104 (P104)

1:25 p.m.-4:45 p.m.
Afternoon sessions
Miller Nichols Library and Learning Center, Room 452 (MNLC 452)

4:45 p.m.-4:50 p.m.
Wrap-up and checkout
Miller Nichols Library and Learning Center, Room 452 (MNLC 452)

 

All other days

8:20 a.m.-8:55 a.m.
Breakfast (optional)
Plaster Center, Room 104 (P104)

9 a.m.-12:20 p.m.
Morning sessions
Miller Nichols Library and Learning Center, Room 452 (MNLC 452)

12:20 p.m.-1:20 p.m.
Lunch
Plaster Center, Room 104 (P104)

1:25 p.m.-4:45 p.m.
Afternoon sessions
Miller Nichols Library and Learning Center, Room 452 (MNLC 452)

4:45 p.m.-4:50 p.m.
Wrap-up and checkout
Miller Nichols Library and Learning Center, Room 452 (MNLC 452)

Morning and afternoon sessions include four, 45-minute sessions with a 5 or 10-minute break between each session. Each session consists of a short lecture, a group discussion or hands-on lab and a review.

Health and safety

Camp safety is our highest priority. All camp activities will take place in Plaster Center, Room 104 and Miller Nichols Library and Learning Cener, Room 351, on the Volker campus. Students should not leave these buildings without approval from the camp staff.

The University of Missouri System requires that all camp staff, including faculty, teachers and graduate assistants, pass the background check and training course for working with youth under age 18.

View UMKC COVID-19 resources and guidelines

Questions?

Contact program director Dianxiang Xu.

Meet the Camp Staff

Dianxiang Xu

Program Director

Dianxiang Xu, Ph.D., is a professor of computer science at UMKC. His areas of expertise include cybersecurity, software engineering and data analytics. He has published more than 140 peer-reviewed journal and conference papers. He has offered summer programs for high school teachers and students to gain research experiences in cybersecurity.

Yugyung Lee

Lead Instructor

YugYung Lee, Ph.D., is a professor of computer science, associate department chair and co-director of NSF IUCRC Center for Big Learning. Her research interests include cybersecurity, artificial intelligence and big data analytics. She has published over 130 refereed papers and led numerous projects funded by NSF, NIH, IBM, etc. She has won the N.T. Veatch Award for Distinguished Research and Creative Activity in 2016, the IBM Smarter Planet Faculty Innovation Award and Google’s CS4HS Faculty Award in 2015.

She has organized many STEM programs to provide access and opportunity for K-12 students and teachers. Examples include an AI workshop for 15 De La Salle high school students in 2019 and a one-week programming workshop for 20 high school students in 2013. Recently, she received the 2019 STEMMy Award by the Central Exchange Women in STEM initiative.

Farid Nait-Abdesselam

Lead Instructor

Farid Nait-Abdesselam, Ph.D., is a professor of computer science and the lead of the Security and Optimization of X-Systems (SOXS) lab at UMKC. He had experiences working with high school teachers and students. He has given multiple seminars to high school students in STEM areas such as Fundamentals of Internet and its Services, Hacking and Internet Security and From Mathematics to Algorithmics. He has served in multiple orientation forums for high school students, conferencing and discussing STEM fields as professional careers and highlighting job descriptions and opportunities.

Deanna Soukoup smiles. She has long hair and wears a light-colored shirt.

Deanna Soukup

K-12 Pedagogical Expert

Deanna Soukup is a computer science teacher at Lee’s Summit West High School in Lee’s Summit, Missouri. She has been teaching STEM classes for 21 years and has taught high school Computer Science courses for the past 7 years, including PLTW Computer Science Essentials, AP Computer Science Principles, AP Computer Science A and Computer Hardware and Operating Systems I and II. She sponsors the Lee’s Summit Girls Who Code club for all girls in Grades 3-12 in the Lee’s Summit School District, and she also sponsors the Lee’s Summit West Coding Club. She was recently recognized by the National Center for Women and Information Technology with the Aspirations in Computing Educator Award. She earned a master‘s degree in instructional and learning technologies and a bachelor’s degree in education.

Carol Birnbaum

K-12 Pedagogical Expert
Carol Birnbaum is a computer science teacher at Blue Valley West High School in Overland Park, Kansas. She has taught high school-level Computer Science courses for 14 years and middle school-level computer classes for an additional nine years. She primarily teachers AP Computer Science and Aand AP Computer Science Principles. She also has experience teaching web design, video production, databases, and general computer skills. She earned a Master's Degree in Information and Learning Technology and a Bachelor's degree in Education.