DSU adds Espionage Camp to summer schedule

April 11, 2024

High schoolers can trade their bats and gloves for laptops this summer by registering for Dakota State University’s first-ever Cyber Espionage Camp in from June 24 to 26.

This unique camp is designed to introduce high school students in grades 9-12 to national security and cyber espionage through a mix of live-action and online games, exercises, and in-person simulations.

“The Cyber Espionage Camp is for anyone interested in the intersection of technology with politics, history, and law enforcement,” said Dr. Kurt Kemper, Professor and camp organizer.

Inspired by the huge success of DSU’s GenCyber camps, DSU faculty, students from the Cyber Leadership and Intelligence major, and industry professionals will lead the hands-on learning sessions throughout the free, multi-day camp.

“The Cyber Leadership and Intelligence (CLI) major is a little non-traditional in that it mixes some computer science and cyber operations material with history, politics, and sociology,” Kemper said. “We felt the camp was a good way to get interested students to think about the intersection of technology and the social sciences while having a ton of fun.”

The activities created for the camp will introduce attendees to basic concepts from the CLI major, while engaging them in thinking about how technology affects international relations, diplomacy, and law enforcement, he explained. Some of the activities include attending a spy/murder mystery dinner party, participating in a game of Diplomacy, and dealing with the fallout of a fictional country experiencing a major national crisis.

The Cyber Espionage Camp is entirely sponsored by the Governors Cyber Academy and will accept up to 50 students.

Registration will remain open until filled or Monday, June 10, whichever comes first.

“We want students to have fun, first and foremost,” Kemper said. “It’s summer camp, not summer school. But hopefully, they’ll come away from the experience understanding what the CLI major covers and how these ideas and practices operate in the contemporary world.”