Institute of Computing and Cybersystems (ICC) Blog

Category: Students

Virtual Poster Session at the 2021 Alumni Reunion

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by Graduate Student Government

The Graduate Student Government (GSG) is pleased to announce a hybrid poster presentation session at Alumni Reunion 2021, which will be held Aug. 6.

Due to the ongoing pandemic, GSG has decided to combine physical posters with prerecorded presentations from participants. This has been decided to keep in mind the health and safety of everyone who is going to be a part of this event, since the COVID-19 pandemic is still ongoing.

The Alumni Reunion poster presentation session is a continued tradition designed to increase interaction between graduate students and MTU alumni. It is a unique opportunity for graduate students to share their research work and expand network connections. This event is also a great opportunity for students to work on their presentation skills and prepare for upcoming conferences. Alumni will be able to give valuable insight and feedback on the videos that appeal to them.

Participation is open to graduate students from all departments. The event will consist of elevator-pitch-style poster presentations, with physical posters and prerecorded presentations by participants. This hybrid setup will allow alumni to take a closer look at the physical posters and everyone to view the video presentations for the respective posters. Registration closes on July 16 at 11:59 p.m. Limited seats only. Don’t wait — register today.

Detailed instructions and guidelines for recording your presentation will be sent out to you once you have registered. Alternatively, you will also be able to find the instructions on the GSG website. The deadline for participants to submit their presentation videos is July 30.

For more information, please contact Shreya Joshi at gsg-research@mtu.edu.

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NERC Seeking Cybersecurity Specialist

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The North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) is hiring a Bulk Power System Cybersecurity Specialist to join a team working with industry to help advance the concepts of a cyber-physical system and integration of cyber and physical security into conventional grid planning, operations, design, and restoration activities.

The position requires a bachelor’s degree from an accredited four-year college or university.

Download more information about the position here.

Visit the NERC Career Opportunities webpage here.

Position Summary

The Bulk Power System Cybersecurity Specialist is responsible for providing cyber and physical security subject matter expertise in support of the Electric Reliability Organization (ERO) Enterprise evaluation and management of risks to reliability, security, and resilience of the bulk power system (BPS). This role will assist, lead, and manage various projects related to supporting industry integration of cyber and physical security into all aspects of system planning, operations, and restoration. It will also help industry with integrating new technologies and addressing emerging reliability and security issues. The role will coordinate with other departments within NERC as well as with the E-ISAC. This position reports to the Senior Manager of Bulk Power System Security and Grid Transformation.

The North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) is a not-for-profit international regulatory authority whose mission is to assure the effective and efficient reduction of risks to the reliability and security of the grid. NERC develops and enforces Reliability Standards; annually assesses seasonal and long‐term reliability; monitors the bulk power system through system awareness; and educates, trains, and certifies industry personnel.

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SnP Lab Student Research Assistant Position

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The Security and Privacy Lab is looking for an hourly-paid Research Assistant. The student will work on IoT security, mobile security, or cloud computing security.

The student is expected to be:

  • 1) Eager to solve problems
  • 2) Familiar with operating systems
  • 3) Familiar with system programming (C is preferred)

If you are interested, please send your resume to Professor Bo Chen (bchen@mtu.edu), Assistant Professor, Department of Computer Science.

Dr. Chen’s website: https://cs.mtu.edu/~bchen
SnP Lab website: https://snp.cs.mtu.edu

Dr. Bo Chen and students in the SnP lab
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Volunteers Sought: Remote Augmented Reality Data Collection

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by Computer Science

We are looking for volunteers to take part in a study exploring how people may interact with future augmented reality (AR) interfaces.

During the study, you will record videos of yourself tapping on a printed keyboard. The study takes approximately one hour, and you will be paid $15 for your time. You will complete the study at your home.

To participate, you must meet the following requirements:

  • You must have access to an Android mobile phone.
  • You must have access to a printer.
  • You must be a fluent speaker of English.
  • You must be 18 years of age or older.
  • You must live in the United States.

If you would like to take part, please contact Reza Habibi at rhabibi@mtu.edu. 

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Special Recognition for Applied Computing Class of ’21 B.S. Graduates

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Applied Computing: Class of 2021 Special Recognition

Link to the Computer Science Special Recognition awards.

Heather Harris: Outstanding Graduating Senior

Heather has been an outstanding student ever since she has started at Michigan Tech. She was punctual, rarely missed a class, was a very active participant in class, and never missed an assignment in her EET courses. She also played a major role in the EET Senior Design swingset project. She spent a lot of time on developing the swing and addressing all the comments that were received regarding safety of the final product.

Charles Warren: Outstanding Graduating Senior

Charles was an undergraduate studying Computer Network and System Administration and a graduate student pursuing an MS in Cybersecurity. He graduated with a cumulative GPA of 3.90 and a departmental GPA of 4.0.

During his time at Michigan Tech he co-founded a student organization that focused on student-led instruction and research in networking and computing topics. It has grown into an undergraduate, graduate, and alumni organization focused on providing cloud and education services at low to no cost as a Non-profit Organization.

Charles has also been an instructor with Dr. Guy Hembroff’s State of Michigan’s Career Technical Education (CTE) funding (2018-2021), which provides local high-school students a cybersecurity curriculum at Michigan Tech.

He is currently working in Palo Alto as a Resident Engineer for security automation. He is a lifelong learner who is always looking to push the boundaries of his industry and to further his own and others’ understanding of topics in computing. His research interests include: cybersecurity, secure design, network security, public key infrastructure (PKI), and Internet of Things (IoT).

Joseph Barbercheck: Outstanding Undergraduate Teaching Assistant

Joe has been a trustworthy and responsible teaching assistant. He has been extremely flexible and has tried his best to help everyone even outside of the scheduled lab times. If a student or a faculty needed extra help, he volunteered his time to make things work.

Besides being an excellent teaching assistant, he also took good care of equipment in the lab and performed routine maintenance tasks such as changing fuses, ordering parts, and stocking the lab with all the necessary components.

Stuart Hoxie: Outstanding Undergraduate Teaching Assistant

Stuart provided teaching and lab assistance during the Spring 2021 semester for our CNSA and Cybersecurity students in three classes: Microsoft System Administration, Scripting for Automation, Administration, and Security, and Cybersecurity II.

While Stuart has already proven to be a valuable team member working in groups, the Spring semester was his time to exhibit his strong work ethic while operating independently to assist students with both classroom and laboratory questions and issues.

The semester was challenging dealing with COVID and remote work, but Stuart took it in stride – remotely assisting students using the virtual cluster for labs, managing emails and the Canvas course sites, making himself available by attending Zoom meetings, all while reviewing and grading student submissions.

Stuart turned a challenging situation into one of the best semesters for both students and faculty.

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Special Recognition for Computer Science Class of ’21 B.S. Graduates

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Computer Science:
Class of 2021 Special Recognition

Link to the Applied Computing Special Recognition awards.

Vic Felton, Excellence in Teaching

Vic was a standout Lab Assistant in the CS1121 Introduction to Programming course, helping first-time programming students one-on-one in a lab setting that was made even more challenging by COVID-related restrictions.

CS1121 instructor Prof. Briana Bettin describes Vic as “patient and persistent” and adds that his teaching style “has consistently led students to discover the answers to their own questions.”

Sarah Larkin: Excellence in Research and Teaching

Sarah was supported by the National Science Foundation, through a Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) grant, on a project with Prof. Soner Onder to develop a new processor design.

Sarah was also a dedicated and effective Lab Assistant for CS1121, and a longtime contributor to K-12 computer science teaching through WiCS (Women in Computer Science), NCWIT-sponsored Aspire-IT workshops, and Copper Country Coders.

Prof. Briana Bettin says that Sarah “blends curiosity, passion, leadership, and dedication to perfection.” From prospective students and undergraduates she mentors to graduate students and faculty she works alongside, her ethics and devotion are unparalleled and unforgettable.

Alec Rospierski: Excellence in Leadership

Alec led a Senior Design team in developing the Micro:bit app, allowing middle and high school students to conduct science experiments online. This project was a collaboration between Michigan Tech and Washington University in St. Louis.

He also served as team leader in the User Interface course in developing an app allowing middle and high school students to conduct simulation of the spread of COVID and other infectious diseases.

Katie Schmidt: Excellence in Leadership

Katie served as President of the Copper Country Coders student organization. This group works with local middle and high school students, providing small-group courses in computer science and programming.

Under her leadership, Coders made great strides in developing a sustainable organizational structure, recruiting new members, and creating an engaged community of student instructors through reflection meetings and social events.

Prof. Charles Wallace, faculty co-advisor of Copper Country Coders praises “Katie’s ability to lead in an inclusive and compassionate way that inspires others.”

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