Category Archives: cybersecurity

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. 

Joel Barnett from Howmet Aerospace to Present on April 14

Joel Barnett is a Cybersecurity Analyst at Howmet Aerospace, specializing in Data Loss Prevention and cyber investigations. He graduated from Penn State in 2023 with a degree in Security and Risk Analysis and is now pursuing a master’s degree at the University of Pittsburgh, focusing on Security and Intelligence Studies within the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs.

His current work centers on the evolving intersection of AI/ML and security across both the private and public sectors. In addition to his analyst role, he contributes to Howmet’s internship program and leads initiatives within the company’s cyber awareness efforts, helping develop the next generation of cybersecurity talent while strengthening organizational resilience.

He will be presenting on April 14th at 4:30 PM in Wheatley 110, covering:

  • An introduction to his career path so far
  • An overview of today’s IT and cybersecurity landscape
  • Key cybersecurity career paths and how to prepare for them
  • A live demo of any tool the audience wants to explore, including malware analysis, data loss prevention, ethics and compliance tools, email security, or network tools
  • Open Q&A

This presentation is sponsored by the Top Secret Colonials. RMU Ready credits will be awarded and pizza will be served. All students are welcome to attend!

Cybersecurity Intern Position at Maxim Crane Works

The Cybersecurity Intern supports the security team in strengthening endpoint, identity, and detection controls by assisting with EDR, SIEM, vulnerability management, and security awareness initiatives. This role provides hands-on exposure to real-world cybersecurity operations while building foundational skills in monitoring, investigation, and risk reduction. Candidates must be currently pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology, Cybersecurity, Computer Science, or a related field. For more information, see here.

Cybersecurity Analyst Position at Maxim Crane Works

Maxim Crane Works is seeking a Cybersecurity Analyst to join their team in Canonsburg, PA.

Minimum Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in information technology, Cybersecurity, Computer Science, or a related field preferred. Equivalent relevant work experience may be substituted.

Experience:

1–5+ years in cybersecurity or IT operations, or equivalent hands-on experience. Candidates are expected to be comfortable working directly in security tools; depth of responsibility will align with experience. Preferred hands-on experience in several of the following areas:

  • EDR policy management, investigations, and containment
  • Alert triage, query development, dashboards, and runbooks
  • Vulnerability scanning, prioritization, and remediation
  • Azure Entra ID / Active Directory with MFA, Conditional Access, and privilege hygiene
  • Cybersecurity awareness training and phishing campaigns with metrics reporting
  • PowerShell: ability to read and modify basic scripts; advanced scripting a plus.
  • Familiarity with ticketing and change management
  • Clear incident documentation and concise stakeholder updates
  • Experience supporting audits or security questionnaires

Skills/knowledge:

  • Security Tooling (transferable): SIEM (Microsoft Sentinel, Splunk, ConnectWise), EDR (CrowdStrike, SentinelOne, Microsoft Defender), vulnerability management (Tenable, Qualys), and security awareness platforms (KnowBe4)
  • Working knowledge of security frameworks (NIST CSF, 800-53/800-171, CIS Controls)
  • Azure and Microsoft 365 security fundamentals, detection tuning and automation using KQL and PowerShell
  • Comfortable learning new tools and techniques while working on real investigations.

Other:

  • Separates signal from noise and uses data to justify tuning and remediation
  • Drives incidents and vulnerabilities to closure with cross-functional teams
  • Balances security controls with user experience and operational impact
  • Translates technical risk for non-technical audiences

Language Skills:

Must be able to read and comprehend complex instructions, short correspondence and memos and the ability to write simple correspondence. Ability to effectively present information in one-on-one and small group situations to other employees of the organization.

For additional details see:
https://myjobs.adp.com/maximcranecareers/cx/job-details?reqId=5001184499806

2025 TRISS Scholarship Recipients from RMU

Front row (L to R): Darrin Fentress, Isabella Totino, Kelson Bowman Back row (L to R): Jonathan Eggie, Sean Miller, Ryan Himrod, Jadon Siuzdak

This year, nine RMU Cybersecurity students were selected to receive scholarship awards from the Three Rivers Information Security Symposium (TRISS), the second largest technology conference in the Pittsburgh region.

To be considered, students were required to be enrolled full‑time in cybersecurity or a related IT program and to submit a transcript (3.0 GPA or higher), letters of recommendation, and a personal statement. A total of 18 scholarships were awarded between all TRISS applicants, and we are proud to report that 9 of those scholarships were awarded to RMU students. All 9 recipients are members of Top Secret Colonials.

Scholarship recipients:

Kelson Bowman
Jonathan Eggie
Darrin Fentress
Ryan Himrod
Bryce Matthews
Sean Miller
Rebecca Ralph
Jadon Siuzdak
Isabella Totino

NCFTA Cybersecurity Workshop

On February 4, 2026, twenty-one RMU students got to travel to the National Cyber Forensics and Training Alliance (NCFTA) headquarters in Pittsburgh for a cybersecurity workshop. Students got to hear a presentation from FBI Special Agent Aaron Hays, and a Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) panel featuring John O’Rourke from PPG and Dr. Jim Mahony from RMU. Dr. Jamie Pinchot accompanied the students for the trip and served as the panel moderator.

Students also had a chance to tour the facility, including the Malware Analysis lab and participate in a cybersecurity capture-the-flag exercise led by Emily Kerry, Intelligence Analyst (RMU ’24). Special thanks to Phill Miller, RMU CIO, for setting up this experience for the students. RMU hopes to make this an annual event.

Cyber Security for Student Success (CS3) Club

Cyber Security for Student Success (CS3) has been established as a club at Robert Morris University. The purpose of the club is to create a community around peer-to-peer cybersecurity learning opportunities like workshops and competitions. The club is dedicated to empowering members through hands-on learning, professional development, and community outreach. CS3 meets every Monday and Thursday from 4:00pm – 6:00pm in Wheatley 120, so please stop by!

Join CS3 on February 2nd and February 5th from 4:00pm – 6:00pm for their first two labs: “Shodan – Exploiting Exposed Endpoints” and “Tenable Nessus – An Introduction to Vulnerability Scanning”.

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!

RMU Grad Students Present at INSuRE Showcase

(L to R) Dr. Ping Wang, Chloe Dzuba, and Peyton Lutchkus

RMU MS Cybersecurity students Peyton Lutchkus and Chloe Dzuba presented posters on their cybersecurity team projects at the national INSuRE (Information Security Research and Education) cybersecurity showcase event held at the Rayburn House Office building in Washington DC on December 3, 2025. Their projects and presentations were supervised by Dr. Ping Wang. 

Congratulations, Peyton and Chloe!