In search of a missing person. Using Osint techniques on the web
Iris Stein [fictitious name and person], founder of the renowned Stein Station and a leading figure in the new technologies sector, has disappeared under mysterious circumstances.
Apparently indifferent, sometimes a million miles away from the present they are experiencing and then, faced with a new challenge, interested, involved, enthusiastic... A snapshot that perfectly captures the young people involved in the Coding Girls Osint challenge yesterday morning at the Palestra dell'Innovazione in Via del Quadraro, Rome. They are only sixteen years old, but day after day they make important choices for their future [see the news item Young people become 007 on the web].
Yesterday, the International Day of Women and Girls in Science and Safer Internet Day, the second National STEM Week ended and the ninth edition of Internet Safety Month began.
‘I found it rather difficult to convince my female students to come’, confesses Elena Maria Brachetti, computer science teacher at the Emanuela Loi Institute in Nettuno. “Ironically, the girls say they feel on an equal footing with their male colleagues but they move even further away from technical-scientific paths to get closer to areas they consider more comfortable”. This is why it is essential to ‘get’ these young people out of the classroom and show them a different perspective for the future: ‘This challenge was an opportunity, it could give us ideas about our future, an experience I would recommend’, says Micaella, a third-year student at the Leopoldo Pirelli high school in Rome, initially shy but then decidedly enthusiastic about her morning as a “web 007”. ‘It would be interesting to explore these topics in more depth beyond today’, comments Massimo, a third-year student at Emanuela Loi. “It's very stimulating to learn more about the virtual world in order to use technologies in an increasingly informed way”, adds Orietta Lulli, business economics teacher at Pirelli.
After training by Valentina Gelsomini and Lara Forgione, the 56 students set about searching for, collecting and analysing data and news to find information that would help them answer questions about finding Iris Stein, who disappeared under mysterious circumstances. In the end, team 3 won, which was a real surprise for these young people who are still not fully aware of their value and the resources they can draw on when necessary. Well done Filippo, Alessio and Martina (third year Loi), Giulia (Giorgi-Woolf), Martina (3ª B Pirelli).
On to the next challenge!
By Onelia Onorati, press office of the Fondazione Mondo Digitale
