Perspectives on Increasing Gender Diversity in Computing from a Cybersecurity Summer Camp Experience
Abstract: To increase gender diversity in the STEM and computing fields, many outreach programs targeting female middle and high school students have been created by the higher education community. These programs use topics such as app development, 3D printing, programming, etc. to introduce students to computing and the format varies from day workshop to week(s) long summer camps. This paper discusses the results found from a week long nonresidential summer camp program focusing on cybersecurity. Cybersecurity camp broadens the awareness of information systems security issues among young adults. In contrast to using coding based activities to introduce students to computer science, activities in the cybersecurity camp require a minimum of mathematical knowledge or programming skills. In this paper, we present the findings from a girls-only session in our cybersecurity camp in 2015. We include a discussion on the limitation of this study and the implication for future research.
Presider: Jian Zhang, Texas Woman's University