For the first time, the Nevada County Sierra College campus is participating in the Air Force Association’s summer CyberCamp program, which started Wednesday and continues through Friday. Professor Steve Linthicum, a cyber security instructor at the college, says the free signups closed quickly, with more than 30 local 7th through 12th graders trying to solve security problems on personal computers…

click to listen to Professor Linthicum

Linthicum says there is a growing demand for people with such skills…

click to listen to Professor Linthicum

Linthicum says each AFA CyberCamp will culminate Friday in a team-based competition, that puts the campers in a role of IT administrators tasked with finding and addressing cyber security vulnerabilities in simulated network environments. They’ll compete against teams around the country, including at community colleges in the Sacramento region. It will closely mimic AFA’s annual CyberPatriot National Youth Cyber Defense Competition, which will enter its ninth season in October. The camps are in conjunction with the Community College Chancellor’s Office initiative known as “Doing What Matters for Jobs and the Economy”.