Author Archives: Tawnya Persohn

Red Chair Pittsburgh’s 2025 Annual Event

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The countdown is on! We are just two weeks away from Red Chair Pittsburgh’s 2025 Annual Event, and we can’t wait to celebrate with our incredible community of women in tech, allies, and changemakers.

This year’s theme, New Horizons: Empowering Women, Shaping What’s Next, is all about exploring bold ideas, sparking new connections, and celebrating the future we are building together.

Here’s what you can look forward to:
✨ VIP Experience for deeper networking and meaningful conversations
✨ Dynamic Keynote to inspire innovation and growth
✨ Powerful Panel of bold voices sharing real-world strategies and stories
✨ A Room Full of Trailblazers ready to elevate one another
 

📅 Date: October 23, 2025
⌚ Time: 6:00 PM
🧭 Location: UPMC Events Center


 

🎟️ Seats are limited, and the countdown is ticking. Secure your ticket today before they’re gone!
👉 Get Your Ticket Now 

We are a 100% volunteer organization. Your donations (big or small), sponsorships, and ticket purchases directly support the opportunities we are able to offer to future candidates.

RMU has a limited number of discounted tickets available for students. Please contact Dr. Paullet (paullet@rmu.edu) for more details.

We hope to see you soon for an unforgettable evening of empowerment, connection, and celebration.

Advanced Persistent Threat Presentation by Lucas Franklin

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Please join us for a speaker series presentation sponsored by the Top Secret Colonials. The presentation will be given by Lucas Franklin and will be focused on Advanced Persistent Threats.

  • Date: October 15th
  • Time: 4:30 pm – 5:30 pm
  • Place: Wheatley Atrium

Lucas Franklin will be sharing insights from a notable cyber incident he encountered involving suspected Russian advanced persistent threats (APTs) during his tenure at #1 Cochran. Prior to pursuing a graduate degree, Lucas served as the head of cybersecurity at #1 Cochran, where he led efforts to safeguard the organization’s digital infrastructure.

Lucas Franklin earned his Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science from IUP in 2022. Shortly after, he joined the IT department at #1 Cochran, where he rapidly took on key responsibilities including overseeing major acquisitions, leading technical training initiatives, and managing cybersecurity operations. In 2024, he departed the company to pursue a Master’s in Cybersecurity at WGU.

Dr. Jamie Pinchot Receives Ben Bauman Award for Excellence at IACIS 2025

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Dr. Jamie Pinchot received the Ben Bauman Award for Excellence at the International Association for Computer Information Systems (IACIS) 2025 Conference in Clearwater, FL, on October 3, 2025.  (conference link here)

The Ben Bauman Award for Excellence honors faculty members who have demonstrated significant contributions and dedication to the field of information systems, including service to their university and community.

Dr. Pinchot was recognized during the ceremony as a distinguished academic who has taught at the university level for over 20 years with a teaching portfolio that spans undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral courses. Her scholarly research has focused on the areas of information privacy and security, mobile technologies, social media and online human behavior, and human-centered design in software development. Further, she has chaired 15 doctoral dissertation committees and served on an additional 33 dissertation committees during her tenure at RMU. Dr. Pinchot has also served RMU as Director of the Ph.D. in Information Systems and Communications and currently serves as Department Head for the Computer and Information Systems department, where she oversees 5 undergraduate programs, 6 Master’s degree programs, and the Ph.D. program. She has also served as Co-PI on two NSF grants and has been RMU’s representative for the National Center for Women & Technology (NCWIT). Dr. Pinchot’s full bio can be found here.

(left to right, Evan Kinney, Dr. G. Alan Davis, Dr. Natalya Bromall, Dr. Sushma Mishra, Dr. Jamie Pinchot, Dr. John Stewart, Shadrack Oriaro, Dr. Karen Paullet, and Amy Kulikowski)

Please join us in congratulating Dr. Pinchot on this award, honoring her impressive record of service as a teacher, scholar, and administrator in the field of information systems.

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COBOL Job Opportunities with Corinth

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There are new COBOL job opportunities with Corinth Consulting Group. Read on for details on the two COBOL opportunities that could define your future.

Mid-Level COBOL Programmer: Are you an experienced COBOL programmer looking to apply your skills in a mission-driven environment? Join Corinth Consulting Group in supporting our Department of Defense client by maintaining and enhancing critical mainframe applications. This mid-level role offers the opportunity to work on meaningful projects while collaborating with a dedicated team of professionals. Job description and application link: Mid-Level COBOL Programmer

Mainframe Deployment Specialist: Are you a seasoned IT professional with a passion for operational excellence and deployment precision? Corinth Consulting Group is seeking a Mainframe Deployment Specialist to support our Department of Defense (DoD) client. In this mid-level role, you’ll ensure system stability, execute deployments, and troubleshoot incidents to keep mission-critical operations running smoothly.
This is your chance to make a real impact by minimizing downtime, supporting service
delivery, and collaborating across technical teams—all while working in a dynamic
client-facing environment. Job description and application link: Mainframe Deployment Specialist

Student Pricing for CompTIA Certifications

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CompTIA offers special student pricing for certification exams for RMU students. 

Students can login directly to their website without any special code to take advantage of the discount pricing.  You just need to use your RMU email address when signing into the CompTIA site – this will verify you as an RMU student.  Student Purchasing: How-to

The current pricing (subject to change in the future) is provided in the attached document.  Current Pricing Guide

Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition

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We are recruiting students to participate in the 2025-26 RMU team for CCDC (Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition).

See more information at https://maccdc.org/ and https://www.nationalccdc.org/

If you are interested in participating in this cyber competition, please contact the team faculty coach Dr. Nader Kesserwan by email at kesserwan@rmu.edu no later than this Thursday, September 18 , and attach a brief 1-2 page resume including any technical background and cyber competition experience for consideration. Team size is limited. 

Fall 2025 Career & Internship Fair

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We’re taking RMU’s Career & Internship Fair to the next level on the Arena Floor of the UPMC Events Center. This dynamic setting is your chance to explore opportunities, make connections, and launch your career!

Whether you’re seeking an internship, part-time job, or full-time role, this is a must-attend event for students and alumni. With 90+ employers across diverse industries, you’ll have the chance to showcase your skills, build valuable connections, and even earn Golden Tickets by making a strong impression on employers. Don’t miss the chance to get a FREE professional headshot to refresh your LinkedIn and Handshake profiles.

Attend the “Prepare for the Fair” Event

Join us at the Career Center to get fair-ready with top employers. You can:

  • Get your resume reviewed
  • Practice your elevator pitch
  • Ask career-related questions
  • Explore the Colonial Closet to find professional attire options for the fair

Meet with an employer & get FREE Kona Ice!

REGISTER FOR THE FAIR!

The Career & Internship Fair is your chance to build confidence, grow your career readiness, and take the next step toward success!

Prepare and Maximize Your Success

Take charge of your future success by using the resources designed to help you feel confident and career-ready.

Fair Details

  • Date: Tuesday, September 30, 2025
  • Time: 1:00 – 4:00 PM
  • Location: UPMC Events Center (Arena Floor), Robert Morris University

Shine Bright with the Golden Ticket Campaign

Make a lasting impression at the fair by being engaging, professional, and authentic! Stand out to employers to earn Golden Tickets – there’s no limit to how many you can collect. Each ticket you earn gives you one entry into our raffle for a reMarkable 2 tablet!

Huge thanks to K&L Gates, our Golden Ticket Partner, for supporting our students’ career readiness!

REGISTER FOR THE FAIR!

Fall 2025 Case Competition: Trusted AI for Banking

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Sponsored by PNC Bank and hosted by Carnegie Mellon University, Corporate Startup Lab is proud to announce its Fall 2025 Case Competition! 

The theme for the Competition is Trusted AI for Banking.  You will attempt to provide a solution through transformative innovation ideas, products, or services.  

Registration closes September 20th: Registration Link for CSL Case Competition

Registered teams will receive the full prompt on September 21st, with the first round of submissions due on October 4th at 11:59PM. 

Finalists will be announced on October 9th, with Final Presentations given on CMU’s campus on October 23rd. 

Following a celebratory lunch and a brief ceremony, the top three teams will be publicly recognized and will receive cash prizes totaling $20,000, including $12,000 for the first-place team.

The competition is open to all Graduate and PhD students at any U.S. based college or university. You must have a team consisting of 3-4 students to enter.

For more

AI in Action Hack-a-Thon

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The Massey Center is launching the  AI in Action Hackathon: Solutions for Small Business Success! Students from RMU and other universities will team up with local businesses and industry leaders to build real-world, AI-powered solutions. the deadline is September 22!

Friday, September 26th – Virtual Launch Day

Saturday, October 18th – Pitch Day at Field Day Co-working space in Lawrenceville

This initiative invites students of all academic backgrounds and schools to develop AI-enabled solutions for 4 founders in the region.  Adopting a human-centered approach, teams meet with founders and mentors during the innovation process. The Grand Prize is $1000 for the winning team,  with additional recognition categories.

Special thanks to visionary, Data Science Major William Fullerton, in partnership with Duquesne student, Benjamin Irwin,  and Faculty Champion and Massey Center Advisory Board Member, Dr. Albena Ivanova, for your energy and big thinking! 

Content provided by The Massey Center.

To register, visit: https://apicspgh.starchapter.com/meetinginfo.php?id=76&ts=1757623402