Do I need to attend all five days of the camp?
Yes - students are required to attend all five days.
What is the time commitment?
The camp will be held in-person from 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM Monday-Friday with the exception of a 1:30 PM dismissal on Friday. Class instruction begins at 9 so we do recommend students arrive 10-15 minutes early in order to make it to the computer lab on time. This information is subject to change.
What are the Camp’s Covid precautions?
Students and instructors are required to follow Pitt’s Oakland Campus Covid protocols. If students or instructors are sick or meet the CDC guidelines for quarantine or isolation, they must not attend camp and will receive a priority registration option for next year. You can read more about Pitt’s precautions here. Please email afacamp@pitt.edu with any questions.
Do I need my own computer?
When in-person, students do NOT need their own device. We utilize the Pitt Information Technology computing lab computers.
Is there a cost?
No, the camp is free thanks to our generous sponsors and partners - AT&T, EQT, Grable Foundation, Pitt Information Technology, and UPMC Women in IT.
Do I need any previous computer or technical experience?
Standard camp students do not need to have any prior knowledge of cybersecurity to participate. Some basic knowledge of computer hardware (knowing how to use a mouse, browse the internet, identify common computer icons, etc.) is helpful. If students would like to brush up on their computer skills ahead of time, we recommend the Carnegie Library DigitalLearn tutorials. "Using a PC (Windows 10)" and any of the modules under the "Being Safe Online" category will be useful to review before the camp. If interested in 1:1 instruction, email info@carnegielibrary.org.
Advanced camp students must possess some prior knowledge and participation requires successful completion of a previous AFA CyberCamp or verified participation in the CyberPatriot National Youth Cyber Education Program. Most of the Advanced curriculum builds on material covered by our Standard camp and also draws from the activities/tasks in the CyberPatriot competition.
What will I learn?
We utilize curriculum provided by the Air Force Association's CyberPatriot Youth Program. The first two days of the standard camp will cover the basics of cyber ethics and systems security, with the following two days diving deeper into cybersecurity in Windows and Linux (Ubuntu). Friday is competition day - students compete to fix vulnerabilities on Windows 10 and Ubuntu 16 images.