Experiencing Discrete Mathematics for Cybersecurity and Resilience

Main Beneficiaries

The project engaged children, high-school students, university students, academics, researchers and interested citizens through interactive workshops, science festivals and international conferences. Across the timeline of this project, more than 200 school pupils, over 60 additional external participants and numerous academics and students from CIVIS partner universities directly interacted with the project.

Social Impact

Rather than communicating cybersecurity through abstract technical explanations, the project enabled participants to experience mathematical concepts through play, experimentation and discussion. The adaptable outreach materials (including board games) successfully addressed audiences with different levels of prior knowledge, helping participants better understand cybersecurity, disaster resilience and the societal relevance of mathematics. The collaboration also strengthened links between universities, schools, science communication initiatives and the wider public.

• Successfully translated advanced mathematical concepts into engaging public outreach activities.
• Reached more than two hundred participants through regional and international events.
• Demonstrated the value of interdisciplinary collaboration across computer science, mathematics, geoinformatics and educational psychology.
• Strengthened the visibility of CIVIS Open Labs through contributions to the 1^st African-European CIVIS Forum and major science outreach events.
• Produced reusable educational materials that will continue supporting future outreach activities beyond the project lifetime.

It was great to see how physical outreach materials (games, posters, puzzles) supported science promotion in real-world interactions with an interested next generation at various events.