STEMfest brings 100 teens to Cyber Center in Augusta

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - The future of science lies in the hands of our next generation.

On Wednesday, STEMfest brought together 100 students at the Georgia Cyber Innovation and Training Center from schools across the river region to learn and engage in all things STEM and cyber.

The free event was for high school students, and one is planned in the spring for middle school students.

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“It’s a great, diverse group of students here all interested in the STEM area, and they want to go into cybersecurity. So, we thought we would bring them here today and to learn more about that,” said Todd Gay, director of outreach and engagement at the center.

Students participated in a “capture the flag” competition, heard from speakers at Fort Gordon and learned about different careers in science, technology, engineering and math.

“I just hope that I can develop the right mindset to get into new things and find the most optimal way on how to dive into coding,” Lincoln County student Nathanael Chiles said.

For him, it was an exciting day to learn about what the future could hold for his future career.

Students participated in a “capture the flag” competition, heard from speakers and learned about different careers in science, technology, engineering and math.

“It feels great,” he said. “This is actually my first time ever going to something like this. It just feels like a very great opportunity to learn about computer science and programming.”

As STEMfest grows and reaches more students, organizers hope to help fill gaps in the STEM workforce.

“There are so many jobs that are available,’ Gay said, “and these students are excited about cybersecurity.”

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