UIS Computer Science majors place 4th in Cisco International Networking Competition

University of Illinois Springfield students Albert Kennis and Ryan Stalets won fourth place in the Theater Finale of Cisco’s NetRiders Networking Competition on Wednesday, December 8, 2010. Nearly 50 teams from the United States and Canada competed in this final round, with almost 500 teams competing overall.

The competition, which is only open to students of Cisco’s Networking Academy program, took place in an online environment and consisted of a 100 question, 60 minute, theoretical exam and a 20 question, 90 minute hands-on, practical exam. To earn a spot in the Theater Finale, Kennis and Stalets placed first in each of the earlier two rounds, which pitted them against other academies throughout Illinois and the Midwest.

Kennis and Stalets are both Computer Science majors with an emphasis in System Security and Information Assurance. The UIS Computer Science Department is a partner in the National Science Foundation/Advance Technology Education funded grant for the National Resource Center for Systems Security and Information Assurance (CSSIA).