Category Archives: awards and recognition

NSF SFS Student James Bonacci Presentation at NCEC

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James Bonacci, an NSF SFS student scholar in RMU’s accelerated BS/MS Cybersecurity program, was invited and funded by the national Information Security Research Education (INSuRE) program to present at the 2024 National Cybersecurity Education Colloquium (NCEC) in St. Louis, Missouri during October 7-10, 2024. The presentation was based on a guided team research project on AI/neural network models for security completed in the spring semester by 4 RMU NSF SFS student scholars (James Bonacci, Peyton Lutchkus, Reese Martin, and Rob Pava). Dr. Bradford Kline from the National Security Agency (NSA) served as the government mentor, and Dr. Ping Wang was the RMU faculty supervisor for the team. Thanks to RMU Provost Dr. Joseph Zimmer for his attendance at NCEC in support of RMU cybersecurity programs and students!

(Pictured above James Bonacci and Dr. Ping Wang)

CIS Students Medal in National Cyber League

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Several CIS students achieved medals in the National Cyber League (NCL) Spring 2024 season based on their individual and team performance.

Rob Pava, Diamond Medalist
Steven Zalenski and Reese Martin, Platinum Medalists
James Bonacci, Gold Medalist
Peyton Lutchkus, Jerry Cook and Darren Gray, Silver Medalists

Congratulations to all!

Dr. Ping Wang Receives ITNG 2024 Award

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Congratulations to Dr. Ping Wang, who is the recipient of the Distinguished Service in Research and Mentorship Award from the 21st International Conference on Information Technology: New Generations (ITNG 2024).

Dr. Wang also served on the program committee for ITNG 2024 and organized the Cybersecurity track for the conference.

2024 Center for Global Engagement Awards

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The 2024 Global Engagement Awards were presented on Tuesday, May 7, 2024 from the Center for Global Engagement. This year, three of the award recipients were from our school!

Lavanya Kusampudi (pictured left with Dr. Sushil Acharya) was the recipient of the 2024 International Student Global Engagement Award. Lavanya is a student in the MS Data Analytics program, and will be graduating this month. Congratulations, Lavanya, on this excellent achievement!

Congratulations to Michelle Yamada who won Staff Member of the Year (pictured left with Provost Zimmer) for her work in advising international graduate students, and her overall support of international students in CIS programs. Thank you for your hard work!

And finally, another round of congratulations to Dr. Sushma Mishra (pictured below with Provost Zimmer) who won Faculty Member of the Year for her efforts in teaching and advising international students in the CIS department. In addition, Dr. Mishra is the faculty advisor for the Indian Student Club at RMU. Thank you Dr. Mishra for all of your support for international students and global perspectives!

The Global Engagement Awards are designed to recognize globally engaged students, faculty, and staff members who have made significant contributions towards continued growth and sustainability of the university’s core value of a global perspective. Nominees are judged based on their contributions to internationally focused campus programming, research/teaching, or program development that promote(s) cultural understanding and/or a global perspective on the RMU campus.

Reese Martin and Robby Pava Present Research at the NESDI Conference

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Two NSF Scholarship for Service (NSF-SFS) students, Reese Martin and Robby Pava, presented their research project at the NEDSI conference this month. The Northeast Decision Sciences Institute (NEDSI) is one of five regions in the Americas Division of the professional society, the Decision Sciences Institute. This region encompasses the Northeastern United States. NEDSI holds an annual regional meeting each spring.

Their paper was presented in poster format and was titled, “Comparing Machine Learning Algorithms in the Context of Antiviruses: A Content Analysis of Decision Tree, Support Vector Machines and Neural Networks Research.” Authors were Reese Martin, Robby Pava, and Dr. Sushma Mishra (advisor).

Their paper presents a comparative study of three major machine learning algorithms and the impact they can have on antivirus detection and response. The three algorithms reviewed in this study were decision trees, support vector machines, and neural networks. They analyzed how these ML approaches effectively impact antivirus’s ability to locate and adequately block incoming malware. Implications are drawn, and future research directions are discussed.

Update: This poster won Second Place in the Undergraduate Poster Award competition at the Northeast Decision Sciences Institute (NEDSI) Conference.

Congratulations on this accomplishment!

2024 Student Recognition Awards

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This month, SIHSS held the annual Student Recognition Awards ceremony. A number of students in the CIS department were honored at this ceremony with award, including:

Dean’s Scholar Award
Austin Martin

School of Informatics, Humanities, and Social Sciences Endowment Award
Kelson Bowman

Outstanding Student in Computer Information Systems Award
William Challingsworth

Outstanding Student in Cybersecurity Award
Evan Brooks
Anthony Guerrero
Megan Ledgerwood
Austin Martin

Outstanding Student in Data Analytics Award
Joshua Knapp

Outstanding Graduate Student in Computer Information Systems Award
Allena Carmody
Austin Martin
Alexander Morrison

Congratulations to all of these students on their excellent academic achievements!

Alpha Iota Mu Inducts 2024 Class

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The Alpha Iota Mu honor society inducted its newest members for 2024 this past weekend. The induction ceremony was held in the Wheatley Center on Sunday, April 21, 2024. Dr. G. Alan Davis, advisor for the honor society, presided over the ceremony. Alpha Iota Mu is the honor society specifically for Information Systems majors and minors who meet a high level GPA requirement, in the top 10% of their class.

Three Professors Emeriti participated in the ceremony, Dr. David Wood, Dr. Robert Skovira, and Dr. Paul Kovacs, to help welcome the newest members of the chapter. The guest speaker for the event was Dr. Parul Yadav, Rooney Scholar, who was also inducted as an honorary member.

Twenty students were honored at the event, including:

Sai Kiran Yadav Battula
Cyrus Bruce
William Challingsworth
Warren Corbett
Shawn Donnelly
Ivan Stephen D’Souza
Catherine Allgeier Eck
Colin Glynn
Curtis M. Haschak
Emily Grace Kerry
Lavanya Kusampudi
Brian Muchwing’i Makhulo
Reese Martin
Rylie Milanovich
Jesse Powers
Olivia Schultheis
Jasmine Arabasomua Thompson
Liji Varghese
Xinh Vu

Congratulations to all of the new members of Alpha Iota Mu! They will be wearing their white and blue honor cords at graduation with pride.

Dr. Karen Paullet Receives 2024 CVMF Legacy Award

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Dr. Karen Paullet is the recipient of the 2024 Legacy Award for the Center for Veterans and Military Families (CVMF). All candidates for this award must be student-nominated, and Dr. Paullet was nominated for the CVMF Legacy Award by Lauren Holswade, senior CIS major. The award is given to recognize lasting impact on RMU’s military-connected students.

In Lauren’s speech at the award ceremony, she noted that she nominated Dr. Paullet “due to her unwavering support and understanding of our military-connected students at RMU. Dr. Paullet’s dedication to accommodating the unique challenges faced by military personnel balancing both their service commitments and academic responsibilities is truly commendable.”

She went on to say, “I vividly recall instances where Dr. Paullet’s support went above and beyond expectations. Her efforts to ensure military students are not overlooked, such as announcing their temporary absence from class and recognizing their service publicly, highlight her dedication to our community.”

Congratulations, Dr. Paullet! This award showcases your outstanding commitment to student success and support of our military-connected students.

Professor Matt Rosenberg Recognized as a Top-Ranked Mobile Device Forensic Examiner in the Country

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Matt Rosenberg, an Allegheny County Mobile Device Forensic Examiner ranked second out of nearly 4,000 digital forensic examiners in the United States. The U.S. Secret Service’s National Computer Forensics Institute recognized the top digital forensic examiners and Allegheny County’s Matt Rosenberg rose to the top. This ranking took into consideration an investigator’s ability to extract data in three areas: mobile devices, digital media, and hard drives.

In addition to his full-time job as an Allegheny County Mobile Device Forensic Examiner, Professor Rosenberg also teaches part-time at RMU, instructing students in several courses including Intro to Digital Forensics, Fundamentals of Cyber Forensics, and Mobile Forensics. Congratulations, Professor Rosenberg, on this prestigious ranking!

To read more about this accomplishment, see:
WPXI news: Allegheny County Mobile Device Forensic Examiner recognized as 2nd best in country

National Cyber League Student Medalists

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The mission of the National Cyber League (NCL) is to prepare the next generation of cybersecurity professionals through real-world cybersecurity challenges. More than 13,000 students from over 600 institutions across the U.S. participate in in NCL each year. Dr. Ping Wang serves as the faculty coach for RMU student participation in NCL, and this year, eight RMU Cybersecurity students received Platinum, Gold, or Silver medals based on their individual and team performance scores.

Congratulations to the medalists!