{"id":67449,"date":"2020-06-26T14:12:01","date_gmt":"2020-06-26T18:12:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsroom.carleton.ca\/?post_type=cu_story&p=67449"},"modified":"2025-10-17T18:21:00","modified_gmt":"2025-10-17T22:21:00","slug":"post-doc-children-cybersecurity","status":"publish","type":"cu_story","link":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/story\/post-doc-children-cybersecurity\/","title":{"rendered":"Carleton Post-doc Educates Children about Cybersecurity"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\n
\n\n \n \n \n \n
\n\n
<\/div>\n \n
\n
\n\n

\n Carleton Post-doc Educates Children about Cybersecurity\n <\/h1>\n \n <\/header>\n <\/div>\n\n \n <\/path>\n <\/path>\n <\/svg>\n <\/div>\n\n \n\n <\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n

With children spending even more time online these days due to coronavirus-related restrictions, keeping them entertained safely is a pressing need for parents and educators.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Carleton postdoctoral researcher Sana Maqsood has spent years studying how to keep students safe, including by leading a Carleton collaboration with MediaSmarts that upgraded a popular educational video game. The new iteration is called A Day in the Life of the Jos<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Sana
Sana Maqsood<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n
\n
\n

\u201cI\u2019m interested in working with children, and designing tools for security and privacy. Those two things were the focus of my research,\u201d said Maqsood, who finished three degrees at Carleton.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n\n

\"Screenshot<\/figure>\n\n\n

Collaborating with MediaSmarts<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The MediaSmarts collaboration was a key part of Maqsood\u2019s PhD research, which she defended successfully in January 2020. MediaSmarts<\/a> is a Canadian not-for-profit charitable organization that has been developing digital and media literacy programs and resources for Canadian homes, schools and communities since 1996.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Grad<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The Jos<\/em> is a \u201cday in the life\u201d game that virtually follows two fictional students \u2014 Jo and Josie \u2014 and the choices they make in difficult moral situations. Their choices are publicized on a virtual social network, allowing gamers to see the real-time consequences in a social group of making one choice over another.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jos<\/em> was inspired by a previous MediaSmarts resource \u2013 Jo Cool or Jo Fool<\/em>, still a popular game after 15 years \u2013 but the new game has a completely revamped storyline and visuals. The refreshed version was used in 300 classrooms across the country by early 2020.<\/p>\n\n\n

\"A<\/figure>\n\n\n

Research with Real Impact<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Maqsood received $90,000 over three years under the Mitacs-Accelerate PhD fellowship<\/a> and was supervised by Sonia Chiasson, associate professor<\/a> in the School of Computer Science<\/a>, also a long-time mentor. Chiasson said Maqsood\u2019s financial support and reach is a stellar example among young Carleton researchers.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\n

\u201cOftentimes a doctoral research project will result in a publication or a couple of talks, so it was a welcome opportunity to see Sana\u2019s research output reach school districts across the country where it can have a real impact,\u201d Chiasson said.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

\u201cWorking with MediaSmarts was fantastic, as that provided a network of people who can recommend resources to us and spread the word among interested teachers.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Carleton-MediaSmarts collaboration first gathered steam in 2015, when former Carleton master\u2019s student Christine Mekhail (also supervised by Chiasson) examined updating Jos<\/em> as part of her master\u2019s research. As the project grew in scope, Chiasson felt it would be helpful to bring a PhD student on, which was when Maqsood took the reins.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAll of the students in my group work on digital security and privacy,\u201d Chiasson said. \u201cEach student takes on a piece of that subject that is of interest to them. In essence, working in our lab allows them to spread their wings and go in the direction they want.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n

\"Grad<\/figure>\n\n\n

A Natural Fit<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The collaboration was a benefit to MediaSmarts, which pointed to Carleton\u2019s research as key to the game\u2019s success.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n