Staten Island students explore cybersecurity | In Class column

IN CLASS: This article highlights the different activities that involve school communities and is a part of a continuing education section.

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. During a recent special engineering lab, students from Staten Island high schools participated in hands-on learning about data encryption.

Last month, students from St. Peter’s Boys High School took part in an event organized by Engineering Tomorrow, a public organization that encourages high school students across to pursue careers in engineering through mentorship, hands-on training, and lab events created by engineers.

1,200 students from ten states participated in the Cybersecurity: Protecting Data with Encryption event via Zoom.

On December 11, Gerry Dawes, a career engineer with Engineering Tomorrow, came to the New Brighton high school to personally instruct the children in the lab.

Students gained knowledge on a variety of subjects during the lab, such as artificial intelligence, malware, hacking, and phishing assaults.

The exercise included practicing various encryption methods and strategies to conceal data from hackers, such as encrypting and decrypting communications using simple ciphers and utilizing the CyberChef online tool for data analysis and decoding.

Students gained knowledge on a variety of subjects during the lab, such as artificial intelligence, malware, hacking, and phishing assaults. (Thank you, Engineering Tomorrow.)Tomorrow’s Engineering

According to Dawes, Engineering Tomorrow thinks that exposing students to a variety of engineering occupations that they might not have otherwise thought about will create rewarding opportunities and result in a more diverse and expansive engineering workforce.

According to Dawes, a former director of the business ethics and compliance division at the Con Edison Company of New York, the students at St. Peter’s Boys High School demonstrated amazing creativity in utilizing various encryption techniques and investigating the realm of cybersecurity during today’s lab. We want to encourage children all throughout the country to contribute to this important sector and pursue STEM education after high school.

Engineering In order to address the engineering issues of the future and create a more inventive environment, the goal of Tomorrow is to develop a larger and more diversified engineering workforce. Schools receive all content at no cost.

EVERYONE’S JOURNALISM

30 public schools from all five boroughs of New York City, including one on Staten Island, have been chosen for the first cohort of Journalism for All, a public-private project to establish sustainable journalism programs in underprivileged high schools.

Journalism for All, spearheaded by the NYC young Journalism Coalition (YJC), seeks to promote fair access to young journalism and cultivate a media environment that represents and upholds a varied democracy. According to data from the New York City education department, it gives priority to fairness when choosing schools where, on average, 84% of pupils experience financial difficulty.

A story from the prospective journalism instructor, plans for the school’s program development, and statements of support from students, the principle, and other stakeholders were all included in the applications that were received from 55 high schools. Schools that predominantly served underrepresented student populations, had an open admissions process, and lacked strong existing journalism departments were given preference in the selection criteria.

One of the thirty schools selected is Port Richmond High School.

For three years, the chosen institutions will get practical assistance in starting and maintaining journalism programs.

A full-year high school journalism curriculum, teaching training from professionals at CUNY’s Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism, startup funding, in-kind assistance from nonprofit service providers, and paid summer internships for students are all included in this. Journalism courses will begin at all 30 schools in September, and teachers will start professional development this month.

A scalable strategy that tackles the equity gap in journalism education is what Journalism for All seeks to establish. By 2028, YJC hopes to have a solid foundation in place to increase journalism opportunities both in New York City and across the country.

The Youth Journalism Coalition’s director, CJ Sanchez, stated, “We are ready to provide the unambiguous proof of impact that is necessary to build a sustainable, system-wide program.” We are dedicated to quantifiable outcomes that show how journalism education improves students’ lives and builds stronger communities. In addition to offering opportunities today, our collaborative efforts with students, educators, local agencies, community organizations, and others are setting the foundation for all students, regardless of their zip code, to have the power to influence the future of our schools, cities, and country.

The Charles H. Revson Foundation, the Helen Gurley Brown Foundation, the D J McManus Foundation, and the Pinkerton Foundation are providing funding for the project.

Do you have any ideas for stories for the section on in-class education? Annalise Knudson, education reporter, can be reached by email [email protected].

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