Cyber Georgia STEMfest returned to Augusta on Thursday at the Georgia Cyber Innovation and Training Center.
Similar to a day camp and loaded with hands-on activities, STEMfest takes place twice a year in March and September. One hundred students from eight different high schools in Georgia and South Carolina were welcomed to this year’s fall event.
These schools included Greenbrier High School, Richmond County Technical Career Magnet School, Ridge Spring-Monetta High School, Thomson High School, Wagener Salley High School, Woolard Technology Center, Arabia Mountain High School and Georgia Communications Academy.
Middle schools are welcomed during the event’s spring session.
Activities included a rapid prototyping game where students worked in teams to build the tallest freestanding structure out of PVC pipes, pool noodles and zip ties in 40 minutes. In an escape room-themed activity, students cracked codes to advance to different rooms.
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“We want it to be fun,” said Todd Gay, director of outreach and engagement for the Georgia Cyber Center. “We want these kids to be able to get excited about cybersecurity because one of the problems we’re having is, we have so many jobs that are available in cybersecurity, but we don’t have enough people to fill them. So we’re trying to shrink that workforce gap.”
The presenting sponsor of the event was the Cyber Fusion Innovation Center.
“We look forward to keeping on doing this twice a year just to get face-to-face with the students, especially at the high school level, getting to hear about their goals and aspirations and what they want to do, their interests in the field…hopefully we help inspire some of them to move forward in the field,” said Dr. Bob Ross, Cyber Fusion Center director.
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Gay said that he enjoyed interacting with the students at STEMfest and hearing their questions.
“Just to see this excitement in these young students’ eyes…that’s been great,” he said.
The Georgia Cyber Center is linked to certificate programs and undergraduate and graduate-level programs in cyber security, and is partnered with Augusta University and Augusta Technical College.
Wennie Squires, Cyber Career success coordinator, said she helps partner university students with the Cyber Center’s resident partners for student employment and internships.
“Our students like to get into the mix to learn things outside of the classroom,” she said.
Squires noted there are around 130 student internships linked to the Cyber Center.
“A lot of our students end up being very successful,” she said.
