Category Archives: competitions

RMU Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition Team Competes at 2026 MACCDC

Our RMU Team of 8 students participated in the 2026 MACCDC (Mid-Atlantic Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition) Regional Finals in Maryland during March 27-28. Students gained in-depth professional experience in the intensive 2-day hands-on activities of detecting and defending against cyber attacks on critical assets such as email, web, DNS, and other network services. The RMU Team achieved excellent results with the Overall Score and Performance in the upper half or top 4 out of 8 finalist teams, including University of Virginia, Virginia Tech, Penn State, and UMBC. The 8 students on RMU’s Team are:

  • Larry Luther (Captain)
  • Connor Quinn (Co-Captain) 
  • James Bonacci 
  • William Rebello
  • Mintas Ivaska
  • Max Barnes
  • Harlon Baker
  • Dylan Gollinger 

Dr. Ping Wang and Dr. Nader Kesserwan served as Co-coaches for the RMU Team. 

Hacking4Humanity 2026: Challenging AI Injustice, Building Ethical Futures

Hacking4Humanity (H4H) is a tech and policy hackathon that offers students a new way to engage with real-world social problems that can be improved with novel technical and policy solutions. This year’s theme is Challenging AI Injustice, Building Ethical Futures.

H4H 2026 kicks off on Zoom on Friday, February 6 and culminates in an in-person competition consisting of student presentations of their tech and policy solutions onFriday, February 20. The hackathon is open to all undergraduate and graduate students from any college or university in the Pittsburgh area, and students can register to participate as individuals or teams.

Hacking4Humanity is a tech and policy hackathon, so students from all disciplinary backgrounds can participate! In addition to the theory-, skills-, and relationship-building opportunities that this event provides, winners of the in-person competition will be awarded cash prizes ($1,000 for first place in each track) and will have the opportunity to meet and work with students from across the region, as well as network with academic and industry professionals. Register now!

National Cyber League Awards for Fall 2025

RMU Fall 2025 National Cyber League Team Members and Coach

The following 8 students from the RMU National Cyber League (NCL) Team received performance medals from the National Cyber League (NCL) Fall 2025 season competitions held August to November 2025).

Larry Luther (Diamond)
Connor Quinn (Diamond)
Jesse Marks (Platinum)
Peyton Lutchkus (Gold)
Grant Carvender (Gold)
Chloe Dzuba (Gold)
Will Rebello (Silver)
Jorge Pinzon (Bronze)

Dr. Ping Wang served as the RMU NCL faculty coach.

Congratulations, team!

Dr. Parul Yadav Receives the Woman in Research Excellence – Global Woman of Science Award

Congratulations to Dr. Parul Yadav!

The “Woman in Research Excellence – Global Woman of Science Award” is an ElevateX Award given at the International Conference on Artificial Intelligence and Networking (ICAIN). Dr. Parul Yadav received this award at ICAIN 2025, held in Dubai this October, for her contributions to research and innovation. The award celebrates women’s achievements in research, focusing on merit-based evaluation of innovation, impact, and leadership, especially in AI and related fields.

The ICAIN conference brings together scientists, researchers, and industry experts to discuss advancements in computing and networking. The ICAIN 2025 event was organized by BITS Pilani, Dubai Campus, in association with the Universal Innovators and the Indian Institute of Information Technology, Allahabad.

  • Award Goal: The ElevateX Awards, which included the “Woman in Research Excellence” category, were created to recognize individuals and institutions for outstanding contributions in research, academia, and industry.
  • Selection Process: The awards used a merit-based selection process with multiple stages of evaluation, including a call for nominations, an initial screening, and a final review by an expert committee. 

Congratulations again to Dr. Parul Yadav!

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 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

SteelHacks XII Hackathon

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Unleash Your Inner Innovator at Steelhacks XII!

Get ready to dive into a world of innovation, problem-solving, and collaboration at Steelhacks XII, happening on September 20-21, 2025, at the University of Pittsburgh.

Steelhacks is more than just a coding competition; it’s an opportunity to challenge yourself, learn new skills, and connect with like-minded individuals.

  • 24 hours of coding, creativity, and collaboration
  • Speed Friending with various companies (networking opportunities) and Guest Speakers
  • Prizes for several different tracks
  • Free food and fun activities to keep the energy high

Mark your calendars and get ready to turn your ideas into reality.

Register now: at the Steelhacks website for registration and updates on all the exciting activities and more details as the event approaches!

DataFest 2025: Registration Closes March 21st

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The Robert Morris University Analytics Club is excited to announce that there is still time to register for the fifth annual ASA DataFest™ at RMU the weekend of April 11 – 13!

The American Statistical Association (ASA) DataFest™ is a celebration of data in which student teams of 2 to 5 work over a weekend to find and share meaning in a large, rich, and complex dataset.

The event format this year is hybrid (in-person/virtual), and industry professionals will be available throughout the weekend to act as mentors and help you as you work through the data. On Sunday afternoon, teams will present their findings, and $100 cash prizes and medals will be awarded to winning teams for each category.

Registration will close on March 21st, and is limited to the first 75 people.

All students are encouraged to participate in this exciting event! See the attached flyer and the RMU DataFest 2025 website for more information and the registration link: https://www.rmu.edu/academics/schools/sems/datafest. 

Questions? Contact Morgan Hooker at (mehst504@mail.rmu.edu).

We hope to see you at DataFest 2025!

Cyber Sentinel Skills Challenge for RMU Students

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Correlation One, a NYC-based workforce development company is reaching out to share an exciting opportunity. They are hosting the Cyber Sentinel Skills Challenge, a cybersecurity competition sponsored by the Department of Defense (DoD).

This one-day virtual event is designed to help students and alumni:

  • Connect to valuable job opportunities within the US DoD.
  • Apply and showcase their cybersecurity skills in real-world challenges.
  • Compete for a $15,000 cash prize pool.
  • Apply technical skills to a unique set of challenges that represent real-world, on-the-job tasks.
  • Gain insights into how the DoD can help them accelerate their careers, both within the military and in the civilian sector.  

Winners of the competition will also be eligible for a share of a $15,000 cash prize pool.

  • When: June 14, 2025
  • Where: Online
  • Cost: Free
  • Who: US citizens and permanent residents over the age of 18
  • Prizes: $15,000 prize pool + career opportunities with the DoD

See flyer on how to register.