The Scouts BSA gathered on campus on two recent Saturdays to attend the Merit Badge College hosted by Messiah. In our Cyber Center, scouts attended workshops to complete their Digital Technology merit badge. They reviewed and completed several of the requirements needed to earn their badge, including:
- the history of digital technology over time,
- the kinds of devices they imagined might be available when they are an adult,
- digital storage of text, sounds and pictures,
- lossy and lossless data compression,
- useful and programmable digital devices,
- similarities and differences between devices, computer networks, programs and apps,
- history and threat of malware,
- protecting their digital privacy,
- internet browsing security.
Director of Cybersecurity Education, Lynn Bigelow, was present to provide instruction on these topics along with a scout leader. An informational session, co-led by cybersecurity major Grace Taylor, was held for parents during lunch to talk about computer science and cybersecurity studies. Scouts spent the day completing nine of the tasks required to earn their merit badge in digital technology, and will finish the other eight on their own using the information they gained at the workshops.
It was a privilege to host the Scouts BSA and aid in their cybersecurity learning journey!
