Programming
Give computers clear instructions and turn ideas into working systems.
UCNJ’s Computer Science && Cybersecurity Club.
ΓΛΑΥΞ // MISSION 0 ORIENTATIONWELCOME // START HEREUnderstand the club first.
Understand the club first.
Then enter the mission.
No experience is required. We will explain the technology, the story language, the support paths, and the rewards before Mission 0 switches into character.
FICTIONAL EDUCATIONAL SIMULATION
ΓΛΑΥΞ, PALLAS, STRIX, the compromise, the mole, and all story evidence are fictional. They do not accuse UCNJ, another school, an advisor, an officer, or any real person of wrongdoing. Owl’s Space is the official source for real dates, locations, requirements, and event updates.
01 // THE FIELD
What is computer science?
Computer science is the study of computation, information, and problem solving. Coding is one important tool, but the field also includes systems, data, security, design, theory, and the way people use technology.
Artificial intelligence
Study how models use data, where they fail, and how to verify their output.
Minecraft creations
Create custom things in Minecraft across two meetings: start your idea, then continue, test, and improve it.
Websites & apps
Create interfaces that help people use information and software.
Cybersecurity
Protect systems, investigate evidence, and practice only in authorized environments.
Data
Collect, organize, visualize, and question information before drawing conclusions.
Problem solving
Break large problems into smaller steps, test ideas, and improve the result.
02 // THIS SEMESTER
What you will actually practice
The current mission plan emphasizes the skills below. Full website/app builds and external hackathons are possibilities only when officers announce them on Owl’s Space; they are not being promised as required Mission 0 outcomes.
Ciphers & evidence
Decode messages, trace credentials, and separate evidence from assumptions.
Python & debugging
Write code, reproduce failures, repair problems, and test the fix.
Linux & systems
Navigate files, permissions, processes, logs, and command-line tools.
AI & data verification
Examine model limits, probabilities, hallucinations, provenance, and responsible use.
Networking & IoT
Follow packets, devices, ports, client/server paths, and connected sensors.
Circuits & embedded systems
Work with voltage, GPIO, microcontrollers, sensors, and hardware troubleshooting.
Robotics & control
Connect inputs, decisions, states, and outputs in dependable systems.
Minecraft custom creations
Use two connected meetings to plan, create, test, and share a custom Minecraft project.
Team challenges
Practice collaborative problem solving, authorized CTF-style tasks, and shared projects.
BEGINNER-SAFE BY DESIGN
Choose the support level that helps you learn.
The mission teaches the same core idea through three routes. Weekly pin percentages are calculated inside the route you choose, so beginners are not compared against a different maximum simply for asking for structure.
Step-by-step instruction and visible tools.
Manual pattern finding with optional clues.
Build the solution in code with teaching available.
03 // THE PEOPLE
Advisors & club officers
These are real club leadership names, presented separately from fictional callsigns and story roles.
Hover over a name or select it to see the person’s profile.
Club Advisors
Club Officers
04 // STORY LANGUAGE
The words you will see
These are simple club pronunciation guides, not a full course in reconstructed ancient pronunciation. The mission meaning is fictional; the language and cultural references below are explained so the two do not blur together.
ΓΛΑΥΞ
GLAUX
PRONOUNCEDglowks
Ancient Greek
- IN OUR MISSION
- The club’s mission framework and watchful owl identity.
- MYTHOLOGY / HISTORY
- The ancient Greek word for a little owl, closely associated with Athena and seen on Athenian coins.
- WHY WE CHOSE IT
- An owl fits careful observation, learning, and seeing what others overlook.
ΠΑΛΛΑΣ
PALLAS
PRONOUNCEDPAL-las
Ancient Greek
- IN OUR MISSION
- The fictional guardian-intelligence system that briefs operatives and checks evidence.
- MYTHOLOGY / HISTORY
- Pallas is a name or epithet strongly associated with Athena, the Greek goddess of wisdom and strategy.
- WHY WE CHOSE IT
- It represents thoughtful strategy and protection instead of impulsive conclusions.
ΑΙΓΙΣ
AEGIS
PRONOUNCEDEYE-gees (English: EE-jis)
Ancient Greek
- IN OUR MISSION
- The fictional defensive layer protecting systems, evidence, and access.
- MYTHOLOGY / HISTORY
- The aegis is the protective cloak or shield associated in Greek mythology with Zeus and Athena.
- WHY WE CHOSE IT
- It is a natural name for defense, resilience, and responsible cybersecurity.
ΠΑΛΛΑΔΙΟΝ
PALLADION
PRONOUNCEDpal-LA-dee-on
Ancient Greek
- IN OUR MISSION
- A protected core artifact or archive whose integrity matters to the investigation.
- MYTHOLOGY / HISTORY
- A palladion was a sacred image of Pallas Athena believed to protect the city that possessed it.
- WHY WE CHOSE IT
- It represents something valuable that must be preserved, verified, and defended.
ΣΚΙΑ
SKIA
PRONOUNCEDSKEE-ah
Greek
- IN OUR MISSION
- A shadowed signal or hidden presence inside the fictional story.
- MYTHOLOGY / HISTORY
- Skia means shadow; it is an ordinary Greek word rather than a specific mythological figure.
- WHY WE CHOSE IT
- It suggests incomplete visibility—the exact condition that requires investigation.
ΑΡΧΩΝ
ARCHON
PRONOUNCEDAR-khon
Ancient Greek
- IN OUR MISSION
- A command callsign used for leadership inside the fictional briefing.
- MYTHOLOGY / HISTORY
- Archon was an ancient Greek title for a ruler or magistrate, not the name of a god or monster.
- WHY WE CHOSE IT
- It communicates responsibility and command without using a real person’s identity as a story clue.
STRIX
STRIX
PRONOUNCEDstriks
Latin — not Greek
- IN OUR MISSION
- The fictional adversarial force that changes files and pressures operatives to make assumptions.
- MYTHOLOGY / HISTORY
- In Roman-era lore, strix referred to a nocturnal owl-like bird associated with ominous stories.
- WHY WE CHOSE IT
- It gives the story an unsettling owl counterpart while remaining clearly fictional.
05 // PROGRESS & REWARDS
Three rankings. Three different meanings.
The labels stay separate so a student can understand learning progress, one week’s achievement, and attendance without treating them as the same score.
Career rank
Cumulative verified Intel across missions. It never resets during the semester.
Mission pin tier
Your verified percentage for that mission and chosen support path. It resets each mission.
Meeting ranking
The number of meetings an officer verifies you attended. It does not replace Intel or a weekly pin.
OVERALL INTEL // NEVER RESETS
Career rank ladder
- 01RECRUIT0+ Intel
- 02OBSERVER250+ Intel
- 03ANALYST700+ Intel
- 04TECHNICIAN1,200+ Intel
- 05SPECIALIST1,800+ Intel
- 06OPERATIVE2,500+ Intel
- 07ELITE OPERATIVE3,500+ Intel
PHYSICAL PIN PREVIEW // COLLECT + COMPETE
Build your collection
Earn one diamond at a time as your career Intel grows. Officers also award weekly mission top-score pins, all-time top-score pins and attendance pins. Tied scores share the same place.
One diamond at a time
One per 250 career Intel; 16 visible diamonds. View your collection in your operative record.
Weekly mission leader
Top student scores within each mission; officers verify final totals.
All-time leader
Career scores accumulate. Replays count only score improvements.
Show up. Stay connected.
Attendance milestones: 1, 5, 10 and 15 verified meetings.
Bronze
0–54% of the available points in your selected path
Silver
55–69% of the available points in your selected path
Gold
70–79% of the available points in your selected path
Platinum
80–94% of the available points in your selected path
Asking for a clue can lower the points still available; an incorrect attempt does not remove Intel already earned. Officers will explain collection and distribution at the meeting.
06 // CURRENT MISSION MAP
Where the semester is heading
This is the current learning map, not a substitute for official event information. Dates, rooms, preparation requirements, and changes will be posted on Owl’s Space.
- MISSION 0Orientation + evidence basics
- MISSION 1Ciphers + codebreaking // open
- MISSION 2Cybersecurity + breach investigation // open
- MISSION 3Minecraft with Amanda // Nov 10 & 17 // in person
- MISSION 4Website repair activity // Nov 24 // TBD
- MISSION 5ESP32 Christmas tree // Dec 1 & 8 // in person
These five missions can be opened in any order. Amanda’s Minecraft workshop takes place outside the website. Additional missions will continue next semester.
STORY SCOPE // IMPORTANT
The case is about changing files—not one permanent file.
Mission 0 introduces the first known forged robotics plan. Across the semester, STRIX keeps moving, replacing, or changing mission files, robotics plans, instructions, and evidence records. Operatives must verify the current source and version every time instead of trusting a familiar filename.
The actual briefing begins now.
From the next screen forward, the site speaks as an emergency ΓΛΑΥΞ debriefing. Remember: stay in character for fun, but verify real event information on Owl’s Space.