GenCyber Grant Brings Cyber Camp to Bridgeport

Approximately 60 TRIO Upward Bound students will train in SHU’s technology labs

Key Highlights

• Sacred Heart University received a GenCyber grant of nearly $90,000 from the Department of Defense, through the National Security Agency, to launch PioneerGuard, a cybersecurity summer program for high school students
• PioneerGuard will serve approximately 60 Bridgeport, Connecticut, high school students through SHU's TRIO Upward Bound program during a six-day, hands-on camp
• The grant period runs from August 17, 2026, through January 31, 2028, and builds on SHU's National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense designation

Sacred Heart University has received a grant of nearly $90,000 from the U.S. Department of Defense through the National Security Agency's (NSA) GenCyber program to launch PioneerGuard, an immersive cybersecurity summer program for high school students. The award covers the period from August 17, 2026, through January 31, 2028.

“GenCyber is a national initiative supported by the National Security Agency that seeks to increase cybersecurity awareness, education, and interest in cybersecurity careers,” said Sajal Bhatia, PionnerGuard program director and cybersecurity professor. “SHU's award will support PioneerGuard, an immersive cybersecurity summer program that will introduce high school students to foundational cybersecurity concepts, responsible digital practices, and education and career pathways through hands-on learning.”

The program will serve approximately 60 high school students from Bridgeport, Connecticut, through Sacred Heart's established TRIO Upward Bound program, with a particular focus on students who have little or no previous exposure to cybersecurity. During a six-day, in-person camp, students will complete 30 hours of instruction, rotating through hands-on activities in the University's cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, IDEA, and AR/VR labs, working collaboratively on challenges that culminate in a capture-the-flag competition.

“Hands-on learning is at the heart of PioneerGuard,” Bhatia said. "Students will explore foundational concepts such as confidentiality, integrity, availability, defense in depth, adversarial thinking, cybersecurity ethics, password security, cryptography, phishing and social engineering, network security, and AI in cybersecurity.”

Activities will include password-cracking exercises, creating 3D-printed cipher wheels, analyzing phishing attacks, and participating in team-based cyber challenges.

Bhatia said the program addresses a gap in cybersecurity exposure among high school students.

“Cybersecurity increasingly affects nearly every profession and every aspect of our digital lives, yet many high school students have limited opportunities to experience cybersecurity in a structured, hands-on environment,” he said. “PioneerGuard addresses that gap by building cybersecurity awareness early and showing students that cybersecurity can provide an exciting pathway to college and a wide range of future careers.”

PioneerGuard extends the expertise and resources of Sacred Heart's cybersecurity and technology programs into the K-12 community, drawing on the University's National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense designation.

“The award is an important recognition of SHU's growing strength in cybersecurity education and outreach,” Bhatia said. “It provides another opportunity to leverage our faculty expertise, facilities, and partnerships to develop the technology workforce pipeline, starting with high school students.”

Bhatia continued, “One of PioneerGuard's greatest strengths is that it is not being created in isolation. The program combines SHU's cybersecurity expertise and specialized technology facilities with the established student-support infrastructure of TRIO Upward Bound.”

Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Security Agency.