Tag Archives: cybersecurity

Cyber Workshop for RMU @ National Cyber Forensics & Training Alliance (NCFTA)

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The CIS Department has organized a workshop for RMU students at the National Cyber Forensics & Training Alliance (NCFTA) in Pittsburgh.  The workshop will focus on areas of interest to cybersecurity students, but all computing students are welcome to attend.  However, the event will be limited to the first 20 students.  Transportation to/from the event and a light lunch will be provided by the CIS department.

Cyber Workshop for RMU @ National Cyber Forensics & Training Alliance (NCFTA)

Location: 2000 Technology Dr, Pittsburgh, PA 15219

Event Date: Wednesday, February 4th 2025

Event Time:  8:00 am – 2:00 pm

Agenda:
8:15 am Bus from Campus to NCFTA
9:00 am FBI Briefing on Current Events (unclassified) and Career Info
        Aaron Hays, FBI Special Agent 
9:45 am Industry CISO Panel
        John O'Rourke, Chief Information Security Officer, PPG
        Jim Mahony, Chief Information Security Officer, RMU
10:30 am Hands-On Cybersecurity Capture-the-Flag Exercise  
11:30 am NCFTA Facility Tour including Malware Lab
12:00 am Lunch with: 
        Emily Kerry, Intelligence Analyst at NCFTA; RMU Class of 2024
1:00 pm  Bus returns to Campus

Sign-up Below

If you are interested in attending this event, please fill out the application below and submit to indicate your interest. 

Click here: Cyber Workshop Application

You will be notified in January if you have been selected to attend the event (limited to the first 20 students), and asked to confirm your attendance at that time.  (If you have class on Wednesdays, you will need to miss class to attend this event on February 4th.  You will have time to discuss with your professor(s) to ensure that this will be OK before confirming your attendance.)  

Cybersecurity Engineer Position Available at Bayer

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Job Description:

As an Associate Cybersecurity Engineer within Bayer’s Medical Device Cybersecurity group, you play a crucial role in securing Bayer Radiology medical devices and software against potential cyber threats. Your responsibilities include reviewing cybersecurity vulnerabilities, assessing their likelihood of exploitation, and evaluating potential impacts on the safety and effectiveness of Bayer Radiology medical devices. You will also design and develop solutions to mitigate cybersecurity risks associated with Bayer Radiology medical devices, software, and IT products. This position operates on a global scale, ensuring the security of Bayer’s medical devices worldwide.

Tasks and Responsibilities:

  • Fulfill requirements defined by others;
  • Support the development of one design element at a time within a selected discipline;
  • Learn about the product and clinical applications;
  • Gain a guided understanding of direct interfaces (inputs/outputs) within relevant processes;
  • Participate in cybersecurity design reviews;
  • Receive clearly defined objectives and instructions from a more experienced lead engineer, cybersecurity engineer, or supervisor;
  • Accurately follow directions;
  • Communicate work activities effectively;
  • Contact and gather information from suppliers;
  • Communicate work activities effectively.
  • The primary location for this role is Indianola, PA (Pittsburgh, PA area).

For more information or to submit an application, click here: Cybersecurity Engineer

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.

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

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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!

Department of Defense Scholarship Winners

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Larry Luther and Jesse Marks are the latest RMU cybersecurity students who received a generous scholarship as part of a competitive grant award to RMU from the US Department of Defense Cyber Service Academy (DoD CSA) program. Dr. Ping Wang is the Faculty PI (Principal Investigator) of the grant. The DoD CSA scholarship provides full tuition, a stipend, book and laptop allowances, travel support, and future DoD employment for selected students to complete a cybersecurity-related degree at designated National Centers of Academic Excellence in Cybersecurity (NCAE-C) institutions like RMU.

Larry and Jesse are among only 50 DoD CSA Scholars selected nationally this year. They both attended this year’s DoD CSA boot camp with PI Dr. Wang in Washington, DC, in July, participating in a realistic multi-challenge cyber competition.

Congratulations, Larry and Jesse! We are very proud of your amazing accomplishment!

Jesse (left) and Larry (right), with PI Dr. Wang (center), attended this year’s DoD CSA boot camp in Washington DC

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!

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Dr. Kassa Wins Best Paper Award at ACMSE

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Dr. Yonas Kassa has been honored with the Best Full Paper Award at the 2025 ACM Southeast (ACMSE) Conference, which took place from April 24-26, 2025, at Southeast Missouri State University. As the oldest continuously running annual conference of the ACM, ACMSE serves as a vital platform for students, faculty, researchers, and industry professionals to share their latest research across all facets of computer science.

Dr. Kassa’s award-winning paper, a collaborative effort with four other researchers, is titled “Secure Edge Computing Reference Architecture for Data-driven Structural Health Monitoring: Lessons Learned from Implementation and Benchmarking.” You can access the paper here.

Congratulations to Dr. Kassa and his co-authors on this significant achievement!

Jason Haddox and Blake Gabriel will hold Security Lecture – February 27th

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Jason Haddox from Dick’s Sporting Goods and Blake Gabriel of Proofpoint will be holding a lecture on Wednesday, February 27th from 4:30 – 5:30 pm in the Wheatley Atrium. This is a Top Secret Colonials sponsored event. Students will receive one (1) hour of SET credit for attending. Pizza and drinks will be provided. Please read below for information about the presenters.

Jason Haddox – Senior Security Analyst, Dick’s Sporting Goods
RMU Graduate Class of 2003 – Bachelor’s in MIS

Jason got his start in IT working as a student tech at the RMU computer center in 1999 – he worked all 4 years while going to school. He has 15 years of full time IT experience and currently works as a Sr. Security Analyst in the SOC at Dick’s Sporting Goods.

Blake Gabriel – Director Field Sales, Proofpoint
RMU Graduate Class of 1992 – Bachelors’ Degree in Marketing

Landed an internship with Haamco, a paper supplier that had a partnership with RMU. He sold papers to small business, 7-11 and retail stores. Back then it was all about point of sale. Went into the IT space upon graduation and he has been selling software for over 27 years in various roles and forms. He has prior experience working at IBM, Computer Associates, Intellect Design Arena, SEEC, Oracle, and now as a Director at Proofpoint leading the Mid-Atlantic Region.

U.S. Steel seeking Summer 2019 Interns

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U.S. Steel is encouraging highly motivated students interested in IT and Computer Science to join our Summer 2019 intern cohort.

U.S. Steel is one of the largest steel sheet and tubular products manufactures in the world. They produce steel used to create the everyday products used in the automotive, appliance, container, industrial machinery, construction, and oil and gas industries.

U.S. Steel’s internship program provides meaningful, hands-on work experience while helping students develop career-related skills. Students can participate in the program as either a full-time summer intern or a part-time co-op working during the school year.

Below are direct links to the open roles in the Pittsburgh area:

9718BR: U.S. Steel Cyber Security Internship

9455BR: U.S. Steel Programming Research Engineering Internship