Monthly Archives: January 2015

2014 Master the Mainframe Contest – Wall of Fame

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IBM’s Master the Mainframe Contest is a rigorous academic contest that involves learning mainframe technologies.  The contest takes place in three parts – with each part getting significantly more difficult.  It is difficult to finish Part 2 of the contest and extremely difficult to finish Part 3.

During last year’s contest, RMU had 18 students complete both Parts 1 and 2, which is a tremendous accomplishment!  Three of those students went on to complete Part 3, the most rigorous part of the contest.  To put this amazing accomplishment into perspective, only 50 students received Part 3 Honorable Mentions for completing Part 3, out of 4,900 participants.

Out of 4,900 competitors in the U.S. and Canada, RMU had the following results (see here for complete contest results):

  • Part 3 Honorable Mentions:  3 of 50 Part 3 Honorable Mentions
  • Part 2 Finishers: 18 of 313 Part 2 Finishers

We are proud to announce the following RMU winners for 2014:

RMU Part 3 Honorable Mentions

  • David Conley
  • Torrie McLaughlin
  • Daniel Owiti

RMU Part 2 Finishers 

  • Ahmad Aljuryyed
  • Timothy Brown
  • Ashley Cain
  • David Conley
  • John Dummer
  • David Harouse
  • Kevin Kalan
  • Monica Kodali
  • Kory Kozlowski
  • Anthony Kupchick
  • Joan Lewis
  • John Marcavage
  • Torrie McLaughlin
  • Daniel Owiti
  • Samantha Reitz
  • Melissa Roman
  • Trapp Thompson
  • Brandon Zink

David Conley, one of the Part 3 Honorable Mention winners, described the experience as a positive one, saying, “Part 3 of the contest involved sorting files by use of JCL commands, access to a DB2 database, and the creation of reports using data contained in that database.  All are skills that will compliment what is learned in class , look good on a resume, and provide confidence in your new abilities.”  David is a graduate student in the MS Information Systems Management program.

Torrie McLaughlin, another of the Part 3 Honorable Mention winners, had the following advice for other students, “I entered the contest because I thought it would be fun, and I enjoy games that test my intelligence. I would definitely recommend the contest for CIS majors of any type, not just Mainframe specific. It was lots of fun and a great experience.” Torrie is a student in the Integrated Bachelor/Masters program working toward an BS in Information Sciences and an MS in Competitive Intelligence Systems.

Daniel Owiti, the final of the Part 3 Honorable Mention winners, had much to share about his positive experience with the contest.  He says, “When I joined Robert Morris University in 2012, a couple of my professors, in particular Dr. Kovacs, evangelized the growth and potential of IBM Mainframes and the increasing demand for Mainframe professionals. Despite having a misplaced notion of Mainframe being an old technology, my curiosity got the better of me and I enrolled in two enterprise classes in the Spring of 2014.”

He continues, “When asked to enter the IBM Master The Mainframe Contest, my first reaction was, ‘Will I have the time and energy to go through the rigors while working full time, attending classes and spare time for my family?’  But the constant encouragement of one Professor, Packy [Dr. Packy Laverty], led me to enter the ring and see what this contest was made of. My biggest motivation was just gaining knowledge rather than completing the contest. But once started all I said was ‘Aha!.. This is doable’ with each and every step I completed.  Dr. Zeanchock’s very structured and easy to follow class helped a lot.  I am very glad I took the contest and went on to be a Part 2 Finisher and a Part 3 Wall of Famer. Part 3 was most challenging but also the most practical and interesting to work on a real world business application.  I would highly encourage students and anybody with a tech-curiosity to take part.  I look forward to pursuing a career in IBM zEnterprise.”  Daniel is a graduate student pursuing an MS in Internet Information Systems.

We are extremely proud of all of our students for their achievements in this contest and hope that even more CIS students will be interested in the contest in 2015.  Great work, everyone!

LANtek Professional Information Technology Presentation – January 29

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Reminder:

LANTek will be giving a Professional Information Technology Presentation on campus on Thursday, January 29.

LANtek will discuss who All Lines/LANtek are and their current career opportunities, including a program at PPG.  They will also provide an introduction to “Interview Skill Building” aimed at information technology students.

The Information Technology Presentation will be held at the Wheatley Center Critique Room, and will follow this schedule:

  • 4:15 PM  – Registration and free pizza begins. Students attending will be provided credit towards the Student Engagement Transcript requirements.
  • 4:30 PM- 5:15 PM – Presentation
  • 5:15 PM to 5:45 PM – Q & A session and closing

Please come out to attend — you will not be overwhelmed or bored!

Opening for a Web Content Specialist at The Empyrean Group

The Empyrean Group provides employees to workplaces in the greater Pittsburgh area. Empyrean focuses on staffing positions in government agencies and the energy industry. In addition to their staffing duties, Empyrean provides human resource consulting and providing services pertaining to organizational development (e.g. employee training).

The Empyrean Group is currently searching for a temporary Web Content Specialist working with a client, located in downtown Pittsburgh, on a website redesign project.  This will be a 3 month temporary assignment until the project is completed.  They are considering Entry Level candidates for this project, so if you are a recent graduate with Web Design and HTML experience, this may be a good stepping stone for you.

Responsibilities for the position will include:

  • Assisting in the implementation of content on organization website.
  • Integrate work of writers and designers to produce a final layout compatible with organization standards.
  • Enter and/or edit predefined content within acceptable time limits and quality standards.

Qualifications:

  • Relevant Education or Experience in Web Content Design or related field REQUIRED.
  • Knowledge of HTML is REQUIRED.
  • Strong attention to detail and high quality standards are a MUST.
  • Time management skills and ability to work under deadlines is needed for success in this role.

The beginning pay rate for the position is $18/hour and the hours are 8:00-5:00 Monday through Friday. The workday includes a one hour unpaid lunch. The assignment is temporary and estimated to have about a three month life cycle.

If you are interested in applying for this position, it is available on ColonialTRAK.

IT Resume Writing Lecture on February 6

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IT Resume Writing Lecture – Al Wong from The MITRE Corporation
Sponsored by The Top Secret Colonials

Friday, February 6th
2:00 pm – 3:30 pm in the Critique Space in Wheatley

Al Wong from The MITRE Corporation will be giving a lecture on how to write a winning IT resume. He will be showcasing before and after resumes from several CIS students. Did you know that when applying for an IT job  they are looking for a minimum of a 3-page resume?  The old 1-page resume standard does not apply to most IT positions. Join us to learn how to write a resume to impress.

Light refreshments will be served. 

Al Wong is a Lead Inter-disciplinary Systems Engineer at The MITRE Corporation, a non-profit organization operating 6 Federally Funded Research and Development Centers for the United States Government. He has 30 years of experience providing strategic guidance to the Federal Government with 10 of these years as a trusted advisor to United States Government Executives.

Mr. Wong holds a BS in Internetworking Technologies with a minor in Information Assurance and a MS in Management of Information Systems. In addition to formal education, Mr. Wong has held the following industry certifications.

  • International Information Systems Security Certification Consortium (ISC)2 – Certified Information Systems Security Professional – CISSP (2003 – 2011),
  • Microsoft Certifies Systems Engineer – MSCE (1999 – 2009), and
  • Cisco Internetworking Expert – CCIE (1995 – 2000).

Mr. Wong is also HR Certification Institute (HRCI) trained and certified (2009 – present) in behavioral interviewing and resume assessment techniques. As one of two certified behavioral interviewers at the MITRE Corporation, he has reviewed thousands of resumes and recommended candidates for hire. Mr. Wong has assessed resumes and interviewed candidates for the following positions:

Software Developers
Network Engineer
SOC Staff
System Administrators
Incident Response Engineers
Enterprise Architects
SOA Engineers
Cyber Security Tech
HIPAA Compliance Auditors
Security Analysts
IDS Engineers
Business Analyst
Forensic Engineer
Program Managers
Hardware Technician
QA Engineers
Technical Trainers

Dr. Karen Paullet receives Faculty Distinguished Service Award for 2013-14

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IMG_8701We are proud to announce that Dr. Karen Paullet, Assistant Professor of Computer and Information Systems, is the recipient of this year’s Faculty Distinguished Achievement Award for Service to RMU in 2013-14!

Dr. Paullet was recognized for her exceptional work in serving the University and our students in engaged learning.  In 2013-14, Dr. Paullet formed and served as advisor to the student organization Top Secret Colonials, one of the most visible and successful student groups to organize in many years at RMU.  She organized the Top Secret Colonials and other CIS students, for two years in a row, to participate in the Washington Center’s National Security academic seminar that focuses on cyber security.  She led fundraising activities, helped the students prepare resumes, coached their presentations, and prepared them for the top-level encounters with government officials that are part of the academic seminar.  Her efforts were instrumental in RMU’s being named the Washington Center’s Academic Seminar Institution of the Year in 2014.

In addition, Dr. Paullet served the University by her frequent presentations to government, corporate, and non-profit groups on cyber forensics and information security, and by her extensive recruiting efforts aimed at high school students.

Congratulations, Dr. Paullet!

 

Support TSC at Buffalo Wild Wings on February 3

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Top Secret Colonials (TSC) will be hosting a fundraising event on February 3, 2015 at 4:00pm.

Come out to Buffalo Wild Wings in Robinson Township that Tuesday night for some great food and a great time!  If you present the ticket below (either in printout form or on your mobile phone), 10% of your net sales will be donated to TSC!

We hope to see you there!

Buffalo Wild Wings Flyer_2015

CPA Summer Leadership Program Presentation

Although accounting is not likely your specialty, you may be interested in a position with an accounting firm, as they are certainly interested in students with IT skills. If this interests you at all, feel free to attend the following event.

CPA Summer Leadership Program Presentation
1/22/2015 4:00 PM – 1/22/2015 6:00 PM
International Suite, 3rd Floor Sewall Center
Deloitte, KPMG, EY, PwC, SchneiderDowns, BDO and BKD will present about their summer leadership programs targeted primarily to Freshmen, Sophomores and Juniors.  Some of these programs are generally shorter than an internship (some are just 1 or 2 days), but provide students with an overview of the organization and opportunities later available to them in terms of internships and full-time positions.  Also, many times these CPA firms make their first selection of interns from students who have attended these summer leadership programs.Sign up on ColonialTRAK (under the EVENTS tab) by Friday, January 16, 2015.

Because of the employer presence, we recommend business casual or business professional dress.

 

NOTE:  Some of these firms have these positions currently posted on ColonialTRAK.  You may want to review them before the presentation in case you have some questions to ask.

Grant Thornton Professional Information Technology Presentation – January 22

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Reminder:

Grant Thornton will be coming to RMU on Thursday, January 22nd to present on computing trends in their area, internships, and job opportunities.

Grant Thornton is the 5th largest CPA firm in the world, with over 6,000 employees, and has named RMU as an Academic Affiliate.  They are looking for “Competitive Intelligence” interns and new graduates for their Pittsburgh office.  Also, they will be looking for “Information Security” interns and recent grads for their Philadelphia office.  For both areas, they are looking at undergraduates and Masters students.

The Information Technology Presentation will be held at the Wheatley Center Critique Room, and will follow this schedule:

  • 4:15 PM  – Registration and free pizza begins. Students attending will be provided credit towards the Student Engagement Transcript requirements.
  • 4:30 PM- 5:15 PM – Presentation
  • 5:15 PM to 5:45 PM – Q & A session and closing

Please come out to attend — you will not be overwhelmed or bored!

2015 Data Privacy Day sponsored by CMU

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dpdOn Wednesday, January 28, 2015 Carnegie Mellon University is sponsoring an event celebrating National Data Privacy Day.

Data Privacy Day (DPD) is an international effort centered on Respecting Privacy, Safeguarding Data and Enabling Trust. Data Privacy Day is an international effort to empower and educate people to protect their privacy and control their digital footprint. For more information, please visit StaySafeOnline.org

Don’t miss the opportunity to attend an exciting seminar on Data Privacy. An event will take place at the Jared L. Cohon University Center on the Carnegie Mellon campus. For more information, please visit http://cups.cs.cmu.edu/privacy-day/2015/#schedule

P.S. RMU students can always earn SET credit for attending 😉

Job Search Program

The RMU career center will be holding a job search seminar in the coming weeks. The seminar will be held two times between January and February. If you are an upcoming graduate, you may be interested in some tips to help you with your job search!

This program will focus on the following:

* Do you know what ColonialTRAK is and how to use it?

* Can you find companies in your field within 10 miles of your zip code in under a minute?

* Do you know how to answer the “What is your greatest weakness” interview question?

* Do you know what the most successful job search strategy is?

* Do you know how to answer questions about salary expectations?

If you answered NO to any of these questions, please plan on attending ONE of the following programs:

JUMP-START YOUR JOB SEARCH

Thursday, January 29th, Noon – 2:00 pm; Sewall Center, Dining Room C

OR

Wednesday, March 18, 4:00 – 6:00 pm; Sewall Center, Dining Rooms A&B

Registration for the program is requested. Please email Beth Miller at millerb@rmu.edu the following information:

* Your name

* Your major

* Your class level (junior, senior, graduate student, etc.)

* Which program/date you plan to attend

This “not quite mandatory but strongly encouraged” program is geared toward graduating students. The program emphasizes how to conduct a successful job search for full-time professional positions. A demonstration of ColonialTRAK, the Career Center’s job posting system, is included to provide students with the information needed to participate in the on-campus and off-campus recruiting programs.

Additional Topics:

* Employment letters

* Resumes

* Interviewing

Sponsored by the Career Center. Any questions, please contact the Career Center at 412-397-6333 or careers@rmu.edu.