ACTION Institute researchers participated in UC Santa Barbara's School for Scientific Thought (SST) to teach high school students about cybersecurity principles and Artificial Intelligence (AI) basics.
Dr. Ilya Grishchenko and PhD Student Stijn Pletinckx led an engaging, three-day workshop that provided hands-on experience with innovative tools like ChatGPT. Through interactive sessions, Grishchenko and Pletinckx equipped the students with the technical skills needed to tackle elementary security challenges, and to take their first steps into the world of cybersecurity and AI. This is all part of the ACTION Institute's goals for broadening participation and educating our future workforce.
In addition to introducing technical skills, the course also highlighted the possible career paths that exist within the fields of cybersecurity and AI, and on how a focus on inclusivity and diversity is necessary to keep these two fields accessible from every background. The course also emphasized the ethics discussions surrounding security, and taught the students how to be aware of, and avoid, bias in machine learning models.
The following high schools were represented:
- South High School, Bakersfield, CA
- Dos Pueblos High School, Goleta, CA
- Bishop Garcia Diego High School, Santa Barbara, CA
- Santa Paula High School, Santa Paula, CA
- Channel Islands High School, Oxnard, CA
- Rio Mesa High School, Oxnard, CA
- San Marcos High School, Santa Barbara, CA
- Hueneme High School, Oxnard, CA
- Fillmore High School, Fillmore, CA
#from the SST website.
The School for Scientific Thought (SST) at UCSB offers a unique Saturday program for high school students in grades 9-12 during the Fall and Winter Quarters. Sessions run for three consecutive Saturdays from 10:00am to 2:00pm on the UCSB campus, with each meeting introducing advanced scientific concepts beyond the standard high school curriculum. Topics range from nanotechnology to reverse engineering, all tied to real-world applications. Participants will enjoy a complimentary pizza lunch and a campus tour each Saturday, with no homework or exams to worry about.
SST’s teaching staff consists of exceptional UCSB scientists and engineers, actively involved in doctoral or post-doctoral research, eager to share their passion for science and insights into current research with the students. This program not only provides an engaging learning experience in modern science and engineering but also offers students a glimpse into university life and the opportunity to meet role models in these fields. By bringing together motivated students from various schools, SST fosters relationships based on a shared interest in science.