Category Archives: CIS

Red Chair Pittsburgh’s 2025 Annual Event

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.

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


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

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

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

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 Case Competition: Trusted AI for Banking

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

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

CIS Department Receives U.S. DoD Cyber Service Academy Program Grant

The Computer Information Systems (CIS) Department in the School of Data Intelligence and Technology has received another grant from the U.S. Department of Defense Cyber Service Academy Program (DoD CSA). This grant, titled “Comprehensive Mentoring for DoD Cyber Talent Development,” aims to recruit eligible RMU and transfer students to develop cyber talent for the DoD cyber workforce and enhance the national pipeline for qualified cyber professionals.

For the 2025-26 academic year, this grant will support two selected DoD CSA student scholars and the research of the Principal Investigator on cybersecurity education and mentoring. Each DoD CSA student scholar will receive comprehensive support, including full tuition and fees, a living stipend, a laptop computer, and a textbook allowance. Scholars are also eligible to take up to the maximum number of credits allowed per semester at RMU. Additionally, the DoD CSA students will have paid summer internships and will be placed in professional cybersecurity positions within DoD agencies.

This marks the fourth time RMU has received the DoD CSA grant, demonstrating the university’s ongoing success in maintaining its designation as a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense Education (NCAE-CDE) by NSA/DHS. This designation must remain in good standing to qualify for this competitive grant.

Dr. Ping Wang (CIS) serves as the Principal Investigator (PI) for this grant project, which is set to run from September 2025 to December 2026, with the possibility of renewal for an additional year with new funding. R&GA appreciates the support provided by Julianne Michalenko (Director, Office of Scholar Development) for this grant application. The grant is valued at $165,554 for the 2025-2026+ academic year.

Please join me in congratulating Dr. Wang!

Internship Opportunity: US Department of Energy/Oak Ridge National Laboratory

Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) is now accepting applications for two dynamic internship programs, both open to current students and recent graduates.

Research Student Internships (RSI):
Work alongside world-class scientists and engineers tackling major challenges in energy, environment, national security, and more. Areas include biology, supercomputing, nuclear science, and beyond.

Technical and Professional Internships (TPI):
Gain hands-on experience supporting the lab’s mission through roles in IT, communications, finance, HR, cybersecurity, legal counsel, and other key operational areas.

Both programs offer unparalleled access to ORNL’s premier facilities and expert mentors.

Apply or learn more:
RSI: https://lnkd.in/es8_7bzV
TPI: https://lnkd.in/eqm6rSTe

Pathways to Computing Program:

  • Summer: full-time 10 weeks
  • Stipend of $750 per week (paid bi-weekly)
  • Housing allowance of $250 per week (paid bi-weekly)
  • Students may be eligible for up to $1,000 towards reimbursement of expenses related to travel to Oak Ridge, TN for the appointment period
  • Open to both international and domestic students

Pathways to Computing Program:

  • Summer: full-time 10 weeks
  • Stipend of $750 per week (paid bi-weekly)
  • Housing allowance of $250 per week (paid bi-weekly)
  • Students may be eligible for up to $1,000 towards reimbursement of expenses related to travel to Oak Ridge, TN for the appointment period
  • Open to both international and domestic students

For questions or more information, please email Josh Cunningham cunninghamjs@ornl.gov

Healthcare IT: Workplace Day

Interested in Healthcare IT? Just curious? Check out the UPMC Women in Information Technology for their in-person Healthcare IT Workplace Day!

Be sure to pre-register by August 29 by scanning the QR code above. You do not want to miss it!

  • Who: College students interested in technology careers
  • Where: US Steel Tower; floor 31; 600 Grant Street, Pittsburgh, 15219
  • When: September 12, 2025, 9:00 am – 1:00 pm; Arrival/registration 8:30 – 9:00 am