Atlantic Cape Welcomes Atlantic City High School Students to Mays Landing Campus for Cyber Day Workshops

MAYS LANDING — Atlantic Cape Community College’s Annual Cyber Day brought nearly 100 students from Atlantic City High School to the college’s Mays Landing campus on June 1 for a day filled with hands-on technology and cybersecurity activities, practical demonstrations, and interaction with industry professionals and experienced facilitators.

During his opening remarks, Atlantic Cape Computer Information Systems and Aviation Studies Department Associate Professor Dr. Bojan Zilovic spoke of the burgeoning cybersecurity field to the students in attendance.

“This is a field where there is a high demand for qualified candidates,” Zilovic said. “There is a tremendous need for cybersecurity professionals and there are currently more than 750,000 jobs available nationwide.”

The event also highlighted Atlantic Cape’s cybersecurity, Esports and computer science degree programs. A panel of industry professionals and experts featured John Piazza, CIO, Atlantic Cape Community College; David Fiore, Corporate Director of Cybersecurity, AtlantiCare; Michael Schillo, Jr., Rowan University; James Clark, VP of Information Technology, South Jersey Industries; and Nick Simonsen, Information Security Officer, Ocean Casino Resort. The panel discussed various aspects of cybersecurity and provided valuable insights during a question and answer session with the students.

Several students posed questions to the panel from what issues they may have had to tackle during the pandemic and how many cybersecurity attacks they have had to combat to how much they make in salary?

Panelists gave good advice to the students seeking to enter into this ever-growing and changing field. Fiore stated to “be open to anything and be inquisitive. We want superheroes that want to protect other people’s things.” Schillo, Jr. implored the students to “keep all options open because life doesn’t always go in a straight line” and Clark concluded with “be curious, continuously learn and always look for challenges.”

Following the panel discussion, the students split up into individual workshop groups where they learned about cryptography, gaming design, information technology systems, AI teachable-machine, AutoHotKey (AHK), Esports and cybercrime tools.

In the cryptography workshop led by Ian Manahan, the President of Rowan University Cyber Security Club, participants delved into the history of encryption, focusing on the Caesar Cipher. They practiced encoding and decoding messages using the Caesar Cipher and competed against each other in a decoding competition, with prizes awarded to the winner.

Edward E. Burns facilitated the gaming design workshop, where participants explored the essentials of creating engaging and enjoyable computer games. Concepts, such as concept creation and game mechanics were covered, making them suitable for seasoned gamers and beginners.

Piazza conducted an informative tour of their state-of-the-art facility, including the server room, data center and networking infrastructure. Participants had the opportunity to gain an exclusive behind-the-scenes look and learn about the various components of the IT infrastructure.

Pavi Lakshminarayan, Lead, South Jersey STEM & Innovation Partnerships, led the AI Teachable Machine workshop, introducing participants to machine learning basics and demonstrating how to create custom models using Google's Teachable Machine platform. Through hands-on exercises and real-world examples, participants developed a deeper understanding of machine learning's applications and its potential for solving real-world problems.

The AutoHotKey (AHK) workshop, facilitated by Elian Deogracia-Brito, explored the fundamentals of automating everyday desktop tasks using AHK. Participants discovered the versatile capabilities of AHK and learned practical examples showcasing how it can streamline and enhance their Windows computing experience.

William “Bud” Morey, Atlantic Cape’s Esports club coach, conducted an Esports workshop and demonstration, providing participants insights into competitive gaming. Attendees had the opportunity to improve their gaming skills, try out popular esports games, and receive expert guidance from the coach, including commentary and analysis of gameplay strategies.

Tim Cwik, Division Chair of Aviation, led the cybercrime tools workshop, where participants learned to identify, analyze, and mitigate tools and techniques used by cybercriminals. Through hands-on exercises and real-world examples, participants better understood cyber threats and how to stay ahead.

Atlantic Cape is developing strong connections with four-year industry partners like Rowan University so that local students may attend Atlantic Cape, take some courses, receive cybersecurity certifications and then advance to a four-year college or university, or enter the workforce.

Atlantic Cape’s cybersecurity curriculum entails several steps to ensure that students are prepared academically and receive the necessary certifications required to enter the workforce. These steps include receiving an associate’s degree, earning the CompTIA A+ and Network+ certification, earning the CompTIA Security+ certification, earning the CompTIA Linux+ certification, earning the TestOut Ethical Hacker Pro certification, and earning the CompTIA SySA+ certification.

View the photo gallery from this event on Flickr https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjAG9u8.

Learn more about all of these academic programs that Atlantic Cape has to offer at https://www.atlanticcape.edu/academics/degrees-structure/index.php.

About Atlantic Cape Community College

Atlantic Cape is a comprehensive two-year community college serving the residents of Atlantic and Cape May counties. The college offers over 40 career, transfer and workforce development programs to more than 8,000 students annually at three campuses in New Jersey: Atlantic City, Cape May Court House and Mays Landing.