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The University of Wisconsin-Platteville\u00a0Department of Computer Science and Software Engineering<\/a>\u00a0is offering three interactive\u00a0summer coding camps<\/a>\u00a0for high school students. The first camp,\u00a0Computer Games Programming<\/a>, will run from Wednesday, June 8 through Friday, June 10.\u00a0Cyber Defense<\/a>, will take place from Monday, Aug. 15 through Friday, Aug. 19. The series wraps up on Saturday, Aug. 20 with the\u00a0Hackathon<\/a>, where a participant has the opportunity to win a $5,000 UW-Platteville scholarship.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Hackathon will be an opportunity for students to solve a problem and apply the skills they have learned in the camps and win prizes,\u201d said\u00a0Dr. Afzal Upal<\/a>, professor and department chair of Computer Science and Software Engineering. \u201cThe first camp is introducing students to programming in Python by designing computer games. The second camp will be teaching students to be aware of cyber threats they face. We will show them how easy it is for hackers to steal other people\u2019s information and the dangers we all are exposed to.\u201d<\/p>\n According to Upal, it\u2019s important to create a pipeline with high school students and introduce them not only to campus, but also the programs available. Last fall, UW-Platteville unveiled its new undergraduate degree in\u00a0cybersecurity<\/a>. The Department of Computer Science and Software Engineering also developed an innovative interdisciplinary program called\u00a0Computer Science+X<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are the only UW campus to have a cybersecurity program and CS+X programs,\u201d said Upal. \u201cStudents may not know they have these programs right here in their backyard. What better way to let them know about the programs than bringing them to our campus, put them in one of our new computer labs, and teach them the fundamental skills and concepts. Not only will the students see the programs, but the talented faculty we have and how much fun we make it for them to learn these concepts.\u201d<\/p>\n Upal said he\u2019s looking forward to teaching the camps in person and having the students receive the hands-on experience.<\/p>\n \u201cWe, as faculty members, enjoy seeing the faces of the students when they understand a concept. It\u2019s why you get into the profession. All of that was missing in the virtual environment. We are excited,\u201d said Upal. \u201cWe hope the students take away an appreciation of how broad, essential and fundamental computer science is, regardless of what career they intend to pursue.\u201d<\/p>\n The Cyber Defense camp and Hackathon are free of charge, however, space is limited.<\/p>\n \u201cAll of this has been made possible by the generous donation by Dr. Ron Meissen [1971 UW-Platteville alumnus]. We are asking for a deposit so we know the students will be coming, but the deposit will be fully refunded,\u201d said Upal. \u201cIt\u2019s a wonderful opportunity. It\u2019s free of cost to come and have an opportunity to win a $5,000 scholarship towards a field that is inspiring to the high school student.\u201d<\/p>\n To register for the camps, visit\u00a0www.uwplatt.edu\/summer-coding-camps<\/a>.<\/p>\n Written by Ruth Wendlandt<\/p>\n
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