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Cyber Escape Room Challenges, Inspires High School Students to Pursue Careers in Cybersecurity

The event was part of the Greater Omaha Chamber’s Careerockit career engagement initiative.

  • Three students work to decrypt a code using a key as a guide during the Code Breaker activity.

    Three students work to decrypt a code using a key as a guide during the Code Breaker activity.

  • A student holds wire cutters next to a board with wires, lights, and buttons. She carefully takes direction from others to ensure she cuts the right wire in order to defuse a simulated bomb.

    A student carefully takes direction from others to ensure she cuts the right wire in order to defuse a simulated bomb.

  • A student holds wire cutters next to a board with wires, lights, and buttons. She carefully takes direction from others to ensure she cuts the right wire in order to defuse a simulated bomb.

    A student holds wire cutters next to a board with wires, lights, and buttons. Students on the other side of a divider look up information about the device to help her disarm it. She carefully takes direction from others to ensure she cuts the right wire in order to defuse a simulated bomb.

  • Students use context clues to figure out someone's password in a social engineering challenge. Photos, cards, miscellaneous items and documents left on a desk can provide clues as to what might be someone's password.

    Students use context clues to figure out someone's password in a social engineering challenge. Photos, cards, miscellaneous items and documents left on a desk can provide clues as to what might be someone's password.

OMAHA – Lock ‘em up and throw away the key – high school students learned about potential career paths in the growing field of cybersecurity research and development while they worked their way out of an escape room specially designed with various tech challenges.

The Nebraska Applied Research Institute (NARI), an affiliate of the University of Nebraska, recently hosted a Cyber Escape Room challenge for high school students at the Scott Technology Center.

Students from Waverly High School’s High Ability Learner Program were required to complete four challenges involving social engineering, cryptography and decoding, forensics and reverse engineering, and technical and hardware troubleshooting.

Those who participated came away from the event keeping a future in cybersecurity or another science, technology, engineering, or mathematics field top-of-mind.

“When we got back to school, I asked who was interested in technology now and everyone raised their hands and shared how they could apply it to their lives or future careers,” said Laurie Little, Coordinator for Waverly High School’s High Ability Learner program. “They loved it and definitely want more opportunities.”

The event was part of the Greater Omaha Chamber’s CareeRockit career engagement initiative which aims to provide students with experiences that will inspire them to pursue careers in the Omaha area, grow the area’s talent pipeline, and connect organizations with future employees. Student experiences provide pathways into careers and allow them to build a portfolio of connections to help propel them forward right here in Omaha.

See additional coverage of the event on KETV's website.

About NARI

Nebraska Applied Research Institute (NARI) is an affiliate of the University of Nebraska. NARI advances resilience in OT by solving complex ICS cybersecurity challenges in critical infrastructure sectors including healthcare facilities and utilities. NARI provides OT offensive and defensive cybersecurity resiliency services, including risk assessments, incident response planning, and training that allow our customers to discover, assess, manage, and mitigate OT cybersecurity risks.

 

About the University of Nebraska at Omaha

Located in one of America’s best cities to live, work and learn, the University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO) is Nebraska’s premier metropolitan university. With more than 15,000 students enrolled in 200-plus programs of study, UNO is recognized nationally for its online education, graduate education, military friendliness and community engagement efforts. Founded in 1908, UNO has served learners of all backgrounds for more than 100 years and is dedicated to another century of excellence both in the classroom and in the community.

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