Underserved students from the city of Rochester with a strong interest in cryptocurrency and blockchain technology recently participated in an immersive, weeklong course at RIT to learn the latest about digital currency.
A mystery to many people, cryptocurrency is a type of currency that’s stored exclusively in a digital format—not issued or maintained by a central authority like a government or bank. It’s “issued with cryptography, distributed consensus mechanisms, and economic incentive alignment,” according to Jonathan S. Weissman, a senior lecturer in computing security in RIT’s Golisano College of Computing and Information Services and teacher of the class.
“Digital currency is interesting to me because it’s fun learning about how it was created and all aspects related to it,” said Teresa Spivey, a Rochester, N.Y., resident who participated in Weissman’s class inside Eastman Hall. “My future plans are to learn everything I can and really find my passion for what I want to do forever. I will figure that out by learning and experiencing other classes and opportunities like this one.”
That’s exactly the mission of RIT Certified, which launched in June and aims to provide a wide range of alternative education courses, certificate programs, and skill-based learning experiences targeting people beginning their careers, changing roles, maintaining their existing job, or advancing in the workplace. RIT Certified offered the class collaboratively with Foundry, a Rochester, N.Y.-headquartered and wholly-owned subsidiary of Digital Currency Group (DCG) focused on digital asset mining and staking.
The class was the outcome of discussions between RIT Certified, Foundry, and University Advancement on how they might partner in supporting alternative pathways to training in the space of cryptocurrency and mining. The Foundry Scholars program resulted in a gift by the company to support seven underserved students this summer and 13 more next year to experience weeklong, industry-focused classes focused on the field of cryptocurrency and blockchain.
Both Foundry and RIT Certified are actively invested in career and technical education, not only for K-12 students, but for traditionally underserved populations—for whom the scholarships are targeted.
“We believe that employer-driven educational experiences for high school students will only improve their ability to be successful,” said Dennis Di Lorenzo, chief business officer for RIT Certified. “A program like this brings students from communities with limited opportunities to a college campus, provides them with a college experience, and industry exposure. It’s about changing their perspective on the future of work.”
Foundry Academy Executive Director Craig Ross ’06 (telecommunications engineering technology) said the class fit “Foundry CEO Mike Colyer’s vision of Western New York becoming the center for innovation in blockchain technology.” Ross heads up the company’s new initiative to train and develop top technicians for the fast-growing bitcoin mining industry.
“Considering RIT’s reputation of academic excellence and prominence in Western New York, Foundry and RIT are a natural partnership,” Ross said. “The goal of this course was to provide an overview of bitcoin mining and cryptocurrencies to historically marginalized groups in Rochester, ultimately working to break down barriers to employment in the industry.”
“We believe that the Bitcoin and cryptocurrency industry is a hotbed for innovation, just like the Internet and mobile revolutions,” he added. “It is Foundry’s goal to ensure that all interested members of our community—no matter their socioeconomic status—can capitalize on this exciting technology and be contributing members of the blockchain revolution.”
Weissman said his course’s objectives included “students walking …….
Source: https://www.rit.edu/news/rit-certified-and-foundry-collaborate-cryptocurrency-course