Summer Camps
**2020 Student and Teacher camps have been deferred until summer 2021 per NSA guidelines. Please check back later for additional information. **
2019 Summer Cyber Camps
UWF GenCyber Guiding Cyber Mentors Camp
The University of West Florida Center for Cybersecurity will host a week-long camp for educators in grades 1-12 this summer.
June 10-14: Guiding Cyber Mentors
The camp will be for teachers in grades 1-12 and will serve as a foundation for developing a regional persistent community of cybersecurity mentors. Teachers will learn about cybersecurity concepts and cybersecurity ethics through hands-on activities via the Cyber Operations and Security Training Lab (COAST) and Florida Cyber Range at the Studer Community Institute Building, 220 W. Garden St. Teachers will develop lesson plans for their classrooms through experiential and role-playing activities.
Camp Highlights
- Cybersecurity First Principles and tools
- Explore cybersecurity careers and programs
- Engaging curricula and hands-on activities
- Access to Florida Cyber Range
- Curricular resources for teachers
- Instruction by UWF faculty and students
- Lesson plans creation
- Catered lunches
Eligibility
Teachers must:
- Be a high school/middle school/elementary school teacher in Escambia, Okaloosa or Santa Rosa school districts
- Have interest in adding cybersecurity to classroom curricula
- Have basic computer skills
- Be able to attend each day
- Be a citizen or lawful permanent resident of USA
Registration
- Escambia County teachers contact Lori Anderson
- Okaloosa County teachers contact April Branscome
- Santa Rosa County teachers contact Jeff Baugus
UWF Pathways to Cyber Student Camp
The University of West Florida Center for Cybersecurity will host a week-long camp for students in grades 7-12 this summer.
June 17-21
220 W. Garden St., Suite 250
Cost: Free!
The camp will be for students in grades 9-12 and will serve as a platform on how to utilize the Linux operating system and command line through hands-on activities via the Cyber Operations and Security Training Lab (COAST) and Florida Cyber Range. Additionally, the camp will increase students' interest in cybersecurity careers, workforce diversity and enhance their cybersecurity awareness. The camp will provide students with a practical learning experience and perspective on the broader topic of cybersecurity.
Camp Highlights
- Engaging curricula and hands-on activities
- Access to Florida Cyber Range and Cyber Operations and Security Training Lab (COAST) in Studer Community Institute Building
- Instruction by UWF faculty and students
- Curricular resources
- Catered lunches
Eligibility
- Rising 9-12th grade student in Fall 2019 or 2019 high school graduate
- Have an interest in cybersecurity
- Have basic computer skills
- Able to attend each day
Registration
- Limit of 30 spots filled
- Late registrants put on waitlist
GenCyber Archive: 2018
2018 GenCyber Camp Highlights
The UWF Pathways to Cyber Program offered two GenCyber combination camps for high school students and teachers on June 25-29 and July 9-13. The camps served as a platform for a statewide program to increase interest in cybersecurity careers and workforce diversity, enhance cybersecurity awareness and improve cybersecurity content and teaching methods for high school curricula.
Each camp included 24 high school students and 12 middle and high school teachers, who learned about Cybersecurity First Principles together through engaging curricula and hands-on activities in the UWF Cybersecurity Battle Lab. The five-day, fast-paced program served as an introduction to the Cybersecurity First principles, cybersecurity careers and how to utilize the Linux operating system and command line. Additionally, the program provided participants with a practical learning experience and perspective on the broader topic of cybersecurity.
Pensacola News Journal, Santa Rosa Press Gazette and WEAR-TV each covered the camp. Click the links below for their coverage.
PNJ| Santa Rosa Press Gazette| WEAR-TV| Center for Cybersecurity Blog
GenCyber Archive: 2017

The UWF Pathways to Cyber Program hosted two combination camps in July 2017 for high school students and teachers. The National Security Agency/National Science Foundation Program funded the GenCyber camps. The camps served as a platform for a statewide program to increase interest in cybersecurity careers and workforce diversity, enhance cybersecurity awareness and improve cybersecurity content and teaching methods for high school curricula.
Students and teachers learned about the Cybersecurity First Principles, career opportunities in the region and networked with cybersecurity experts through engaging curricula and hands-on activities such as a scavenger hunt, NSA Day of Cyber and a private-eye program.
Blog: GenCyber Camp Enhances Cybersecurity Awareness
Local Teens Learning How to Combat Hackers
UWF GenCyber Program
Gulf Breeze High School student Preston Parsley shot video from the 2017 University of West Florida Center for Cybersecurity GenCyber Combination Camp. National Security Agency and National Science Foundation funded the GenCyber camps.