The Future of Cybersecurity Is Female: Applications Open for Summer Program for New York-Area High School Girls

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BROOKLYN, New York — The NYU Tandon School of Engineering is now accepting applications for the Computer Science for Cyber Security (CS4CS) summer program, a free, three-week, full-day summer program providing an introduction on the fundamentals of cybersecurity and computer science while breaking down barriers and encouraging the cybersecurity professionals of the future to celebrate women and minorities in STEM. A new major sponsorship by The Depository Trust and Clearing Corporation (DTCC), the premier post-trade market infrastructure for the global financial services industry, will enable 48 students to attend classes on the Downtown Brooklyn campus of NYU Tandon, tackling topics including digital forensics, steganography, “white-hat” hacking, and cryptography.

CS4CS aims to help young women gain STEM skills and confidence, and to build the pipeline of young women entering cybersecurity — a high-paying field growing at ten times the rate of the overall job market, and one in which women are dramatically underrepresented. The United States and many other countries have a shortage of cybersecurity professionals, a situation that has been recognized as a major threat to national security.

DTCC, this year’s CS4CS sponsor, has supported STEM education efforts at NYU Tandon for several years, and the firm’s cyber experts have served as guest lecturers during past CS4CS programs.

“We are thrilled to continue our partnership with DTCC and are grateful for their support of CS4CS 2018,” said Ben Esner, director of NYU Tandon’s Center for K12 STEM Education. “We share a strong dedication to building the next generation of cybersecurity experts, and we know that giving young women early opportunities to experience the excitement of STEM learning in a university setting can change the course of their lives and future careers.”

“Our experience since launching these summer programs for young women in 2012 gives us hope that women can be the key to unlocking the cybersecurity puzzle confronting society,” said Computer Science and Engineering Professor Phyllis Frankl, who leads the CS4CS program development and curriculum. “The talent and enthusiasm displayed by these high school students is a cause for optimism. In a few short weeks, they not only master new computer science skills but they develop a passion for the wide-ranging skills required of the protectors of our modern world.”

“DTCC believes it is critical to give young adults the right platform to learn and to innovate. We are delighted to once again sponsor NYU Tandon’s CS4CS program to bring STEM-based cybersecurity education to high school girls,” stated Stephen Scharf, chief security officer at DTCC. “Cybersecurity is a growing threat across all critical sectors, and it is incumbent upon all of us to help to prepare our next generation of cyber security leaders by investing today in our youth and our communities.”

CS4CS is one component of STEMNow, a lineup of more than a dozen summer workshops and classes designed to engage New York City middle and high school students — and their teachers — in hands-on STEM learning. Founded in 2013, STEMNow has reached thousands of students and hundreds of teachers, many of whom hail from underserved communities with little local access to STEM programs and facilities. Women, who represent just 25 percent of the STEM workforce, comprise almost 60 percent of STEMNow participants.

CS4CS applicants should be rising 9th-12th grade students living within commuting distance of NYU Tandon. No cybersecurity or computer science experience is necessary.

About the New York University Tandon School of Engineering
The NYU Tandon School of Engineering dates to 1854, the founding date for both the New York University School of Civil Engineering and Architecture and the Brooklyn Collegiate and Polytechnic Institute (widely known as Brooklyn Poly). A January 2014 merger created a comprehensive school of education and research in engineering and applied sciences, rooted in a tradition of invention and entrepreneurship and dedicated to furthering technology in service to society. In addition to its main location in Brooklyn, NYU Tandon collaborates with other schools within NYU, the country’s largest private research university, and is closely connected to engineering programs at NYU Abu Dhabi and NYU Shanghai. It operates Future Labs focused on start-up businesses in downtown Manhattan and Brooklyn and an award-winning online graduate program. For more information, visit engineering.nyu.edu.

About DTCC
With 45 years of experience, DTCC is the premier post-trade market infrastructure for the global financial services industry. From operating facilities, data centers and offices in 16 countries, DTCC, through its subsidiaries, automates, centralizes and standardizes the processing of financial transactions, mitigating risk, increasing transparency and driving efficiency for thousands of broker/dealers, custodian banks and asset managers. Industry owned and governed, the firm simplifies the complexities of clearing, settlement, asset servicing, data management and information services across asset classes, bringing increased security and soundness to financial markets. In 2016, DTCC’s subsidiaries processed securities transactions valued at more than U.S. $1.5 quadrillion. Its depository provides custody and asset servicing for securities issues from over 130 countries and territories valued at U.S. $49.2 trillion. DTCC’s Global Trade Repository maintains approximately 40 million open OTC positions per week and processes over one billion messages per month.