Sparking Curiosity: Educating Students in Cyber Security   

STEM Education in Wyoming Classrooms 

Pinkham Unrestricted Fund 

This story is from our Spring 2024 newsletter. See the full newsletter here!

When you think of cyber security, you probably think about long and complicated passwords. They can seem annoying, even when you know they keep you safe. The CyberWyoming Alliance knows how important it is for all Wyoming citizens to learn about cyber safety, even the youngest Wyomingites. 

Thanks to your support, CyberWyoming received a grant for youth to learn about cyber security through LEGO kits.   

CyberWyoming Alliance’s LEGO kits include LEGO buildings, lighting systems, a small computer called a Raspberry Pi, a wireless router or a switch, and an attack and defense laptop. Laura Baker, Director for CyberWyoming Alliance, knows these topics can seem scary. 

“LEGOs aren’t scary, but cyber security can be,” says Laura. “It makes it less intimidating to see how everything works together using LEGO sets.”  

Students got to play attacker or defender with the LEGO kits at the Wyoming Air National Guard’s STEM Discovery Day

Students can learn skills that help them explore future IT career paths because of your support. 

Schools in Wyoming now have to teach units about cyber security, but they need help. Your support means that CyberWyoming can share their lesson plans with teachers statewide. They offer activities for kindergarten through 12th grade that keep kids engaged, including the new LEGO kits. 

Teachers can check out a LEGO kit for the entire semester, free from the CyberWyoming Alliance. When students first get their hands on the kits, they learn engineering, circuitry, and networking. They then break into two teams – defenders and attackers – and set up their laptops. Defenders must keep the lights on in the LEGO building, while attackers try to shut the lights off. 

The kits help students connect to the real world. The buildings are hospitals, fire stations, ski slopes, or small businesses that can be found in nearly every Wyoming community.  

Above: See the LEGO system in action with Laura manning the laptop. Below: The Hospital kit from CyberWyoming features a helicopter pad, minifigures on guerney, and the lighting strung throughout the build.

“It’s a hands-on learning experience that is so much better than sitting in front of a computer. The kit simulates the interconnection of physical security and cyber security,” says Laura. 

Your support gives students hands-on experience and the curiosity to keep learning. 

“If I’d had this in high school, I would have been much more engaged,” says Brooke Malone, Program Coordinator for CyberWyoming. “It could have sparked my interest to pursue something like cyber security or STEM in college.” 

Thanks to you, this grant will help other students pursue this in the future. 

Teachers, you can check out a LEGO kit from CyberWyoming Alliance for your own classroom by visiting: cyberwyoming.org/programs.