CEC Summer Scholars programs provide opportunities for high school students
Application deadline for this year's AI and Cybersecurity sessions extended to May 18
CEC Summer Scholars programs provide opportunities for high school students
Application deadline for this year's AI and Cybersecurity sessions extended to May 18
Last summer, rising juniors and seniors participated in discussions and hands-on projects, building connections with Miami University faculty and professionals, while authentically experiencing life in a campus dorm.
Every year, Miami University hosts the Summer Scholars program, a week-long event where high school students dive into a specific academic topic. Sharing a traditional-style room with one roommate and having access to a meal card, students in the program gain experience living in a dorm and managing their meals while simultaneously engaging in academic subjects. Students in the program not only gain this experience, but they also receive priority consideration when applying to Miami admission, scholarships, and selective programs.
In 2025, Miami's College of Engineering and Computing (CEC) hosted multiple programs for the event, including Certified Cyber Defender: Intro into Security + Fundamentals. This session, along with other Engineering, Computing and Technology-focused topics like AI Wise: Understanding Artificial Intelligence and Using It Responsibly are currently open for applications until May 18.
Within the Certified Cyber Defender program, led by Professor and Director of the Center for Cybersecurity James Walden, students learn cybersecurity skills, including how to examine data, look for intrusions, and locate web application vulnerabilities. Professors Scott Campbell, Honglu Jiang, and Joe Kennedy taught different topics during the week, giving students a variety of perspectives on cybersecurity.
“There’s no prior experience required for the program, and we do a lot of hands-on activities like encrypting and decrypting messages,” Walden said. “They also look at data packets flowing across a network to identify intrusions.”
Many students come in with little to no experience and leave confident in their understanding of the field and of their next steps to succeed.
Between engaging in interactive cybersecurity labs and puzzles, Miami’s Chief Information Officer David Seidl spoke at the event. As the author of many certification textbooks, Seidl spoke knowledgeably to the students about the process of earning professional certifications and their importance to employers.
Along with gaining cybersecurity experience and speaking to experts in the field, students were also taken to the cyber fusion center at US Bank in Cincinnati to learn about the cyber workplace and to participate in a cybersecurity incident response activity. In this students simulated an incident response team in an organization experiencing a data breach.
“I think that environment really impressed them. It looks more like what you’d expect to see in movies,” Walden said. “They have the big displays on the walls, clocks with the different time zones that US Bank is operating in, and multi-monitor workstations.”
Being in the space not only allowed students to put their newly learned skills to use, but also showed them the opportunities that come with working in cybersecurity.
On the last day of the camp, students practiced what they had learned over the week in a cybersecurity capture the flag activity. The activity was a Jeopardy-format competition, with challenges covering all of the cybersecurity topics they had learned over the previous four days.
Through the week spent with the program, students gained a greater understanding of cybersecurity, learning what a career in the field would look like and what the different career options are.
“For this particular year, we tied our content to the Security+ professional certification,” Walden said. “That’s probably the best known entry-level certification for cybersecurity, and it’s actually required if you work with the Department of Defense or for contractors for them. So it gives you a step up.”
At the conclusion of the event, students were given a Security+ certificate bundle, which included not only a textbook for guidance, but hands-on labs, practice exams, and a voucher to take the certification test.
Through the Certified Cyber Defender program, students were able to gain valuable experience in cybersecurity, meet professionals in the field, and they were set up for success in their future endeavors.
The deadline for applications for the Certified Cyber Defender and A.I. Wise sessions have been extended until May 18. Learn more and apply today!