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High School Students Invited to Play 'Code IT Up Challenge' Through Nov.30
October 19, 2016
Upgraded interactive game teaches high school students to code, offers scholarship
Can you hack it?
That’s the question the LSU College of Engineering is posing to high school students
nationwide with the launch of the upgraded “Code IT Up Challenge.” The popular capture
the flag-style interactive coding game launched Wednesday, and registered players
will have until Nov. 30 to compete for a cash prize.
The challenge—created by a group of alumni as a way to cultivate interest in computer
science as a major—invites players to use hints to code their way through various
levels to capture an encrypted flag. The flag will then give them a code for a password
that unlocks the next level. As players accomplish each level, they will earn badges
they can share on social media. They can keep track of their progress, as well as
that of other players, on the game’s leaderboard.
While the challenge serves a fun gaming purpose, it also serves an educational purpose.
Players have the opportunity to interact with Git, an open source system. The game
also teaches filesystem and dotfiles functions. Players with skills ranging from computer
novice to seasoned hacker can enjoy the game and learn something along the way.
In the spring, 182 students from 22 states took on the first Code IT Up Challenge.
Players agreed the game was an interesting way to capture attention and teach them
new coding skills.
“The best thing about taking part in the Code IT Up Challenge was using the skills
I had learned from my computer science classes and applying them to an interesting
and unique challenge that tested my skills,” said Joshua Duke, one of last year’s
winners.
The College of Engineering predicts an even bigger competition this year. Players
can expect exciting challenges with the addition of new levels, and the top three
players will win a one-time scholarship to study computer science at LSU.
About the LSU Division of Computer Science and Engineering
The Division of Computer Science and Engineering resides in the School of Electrical
and Computer Science in the College of Engineering. The Division is actively involved
in research encompassing theoretical foundations, systems and architecture, databases
and data analytics, software, computational science and digital media. In 2013, the
LSU College of Engineering, Louisiana Economic Development and IBM partnered to increase
interest in computer science throughout the state by expanding recruiting, course
offerings, and internship and job opportunities.
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For more information, visit www.codeitup.lsu.edu/challenge, or contact Caroline Byrne at cbyrne4@lsu.edu or (225) 578-4630