Science Center of Pinellas

Science Center of Pinellas County Introduces Cyber Security Education and Certification program to fill critical need for cyber experts

The Science Center of Pinellas County has teamed up with Raytheon, SRI International, and St. Petersburg College to create an innovative cyber security educational program that will prepare students for testing in industry recognized certifications. This practical training and knowledge will qualify students for credits towards a two or four-year degree in Network Security from St. Petersburg College.

The program was introduced October 11, 2010.

The next class will begin January 9th 2012.

Click here for the latest updates on this innovative program: blog;

http://science.dodlive.mil/2010/12/09/connecting-science-technology-and-academics-in-cyberspace/

Why:

According to the recently appointed White House Cyber Security Chief, Howard A. Schmidt, “In our digital world the information technologies we depend upon everyday present us with great opportunity and great danger -- for our national security, public safety and our economic competitiveness, as well as our personal privacy. Our lives have been enriched in countless ways by technologies that are now a part of the very fabric of our day to day lives. Our dependence on these wonderful technologies continues to increase with each new innovation, as does our shared responsibility to protect our security and our privacy. Indeed as President Obama has said, ‘this cyber threat represents one of the most serious economic and national security challenges we face as a nation.’”

Class Objective:

Prepare students for careers in cyber security -- with the skills and knowledge necessary to protect national, corporate, and civilian networks; providing them STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) foundation components, and also with successful career placement opportunities with the best companies.

The Science Center’s (SCPC) “real-world” learning methodology is uniquely differentiated by:

• Blending academic and practical experience
• Mentoring by industry experts
• In-depth applications of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) principles
• Use of e-learning tools that include threat simulation and attack, counter-attack gaming
• Hands-on exercises with servers and computer hardware components
• Providing opportunities for internships and career placements

The SCPC Cyber Security Education and Certification Program:

This program is intended to provide students the essentials of computer networking, operating systems, hardware, software, firewalls, security levels, network management, ethics, protocols, security procedures, how to harden networks, risk and exposure factors, and much more. The content will directly prepare the student to pass the following industry recognized CompTIA (the Computing Technology Industry Association) certifications:

• A+
• Net+
• Security+

Course Length – 15 Weeks:

The course is designed for approximately two hundred forty (240) total curriculum hours. The actual in-class instructor mentored portion will be sixty (60) hours – two days per week with two-hour sessions.

The components to this Cyber Security Education and Certification program will include the following competencies outside of basic computer literacy:

Students who take the SCPC Cyber Security Education Certification class and pass the examination for the three certifications (St. Petersburg College is a certified testing center) will qualify for credits towards a post secondary two or four year Cyber Security degree program in Network Security offered in our partnership with St Petersburg College (SPC).

Real World Instructional Methodologies:

Experts in the field of cyber security from Raytheon, St. Petersburg College, and other industries have developed the program curriculum. Content has also been obtained from the Department of Defense with assistance from the Air Force Association. Raytheon certified specialists will facilitate the program. These industry experts will mentor students in the fundamental aspects of STEM in a blended learning model – providing students with critically needed job skills.

Who Should Undergo This Training?

Any student or adult desiring to equip themselves with skills in high-demand in an industry burgeoning with opportunity.

“The U.S. is facing a critical shortage of qualified professionals in cyber security,” said William Schweikert, director of engineering for Raytheon in Florida.” We want to interest students in cyber security while they’re young and develop a pipeline of experts. We hope to someday recruit the best and brightest of these students to our company so we can continue to help protect our national security.”

Cyber security is perhaps “THE” national security imperative for the U.S. No other nation relies more on the internet for its own defense and economy. Our lives are so entwined in the web that we are the most vulnerable nation on earth to disruption or exploitation of those connections. Sanford Schlitt, Air Force Association Vice Chairman of the Board, Aerospace Education, explained to Pinellas County educators at the April kickoff meeting, that, “The key to our protection lies in people, much more than firewalls or software. We need more U.S. citizens educated in the disciplines of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. And arguably, we require talent in cyber security most of all.”

Adults who desire either new skills or enhancement of existing computer technology training need this program to prepare them for careers in a critical high-growth industry.

Students who complete the Science Center Cyber Security Education Certification Program will qualify for internships at top companies as well credits towards a two or four-year degree from St. Petersburg College.

About Us:

Science Center of Pinellas County: The Center is a K-12 student educational institution with programs focused on STEM. The Center’s seven-acre facility houses an observatory, a planetarium, marine touch tank, weather station, wetlands, and various labs for cyber security, forensics, chemistry, robotics, energy, petrology, and computers. This Cyber Security curriculum is one of the many programs that support the Center’s focus on career skills development for students. The Center is not a supported by taxpayers and depends upon public, corporate, foundations, and programs such as these, for financial support. The Center is located at 7701 22^nd Avenue North, St. Petersburg, FL, 33710. For more information, please visit

www.sciencecenterofpinellas.org.

For additional information, please call (727) 384-0027 ext.229 or email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Contact: Shawn O'Neal  – Science Center of Pinellas County (727) 384-0027 x229