UIS computer science students among best in The National Cyber League competition

The University of Illinois Springfield Cyber League team named the 404 Society placed in the top two percent in The National Cyber League competition held remotely in April.

The annual cybersecurity competition hosted by Cyber Skyline enables students to prepare and test themselves against practical cybersecurity challenges they will likely face in the workforce, such as identifying hackers from forensic data, penetration testing and audit vulnerable websites and recovering ransomware attacks.

The team was made up of UIS computer science students who hailed from different cities across Illinois. "These teammates didn't know each other before the competition, but they came together fully motivated from the start to be a winning team” said Janis Rose, the team’s faculty advisor and
UIS computer science instructor. “I've never seen a team so totally in support of each other. I stood back in awe as they worked through one challenge after another. They competed with intellect, character and heart. I couldn't be prouder."

Team members include Nolan Bogumill from Palos Hills, Brandon Brant from Dwight, Kenneth Stroup from Chicago, Michael Weinberg from Mokena, Connor Alisson from Bloomington, John Scully from Springfield and Nicholas Ferraz de Oliveira from Champaign.

The UIS team is ranked in the Cyber Power top ten for the central region of the nation and in top 20 nationally. The team also ranked 10th in the nation among the Center of Academic Excellence schools.

UIS’s computer science program is certified by both the National Security Agency and Department of Homeland Security.

UIS students finish in top 10 percent during National Cyber League regular season competitions

Three University of Illinois Springfield students finished in the top ten percent of individuals nationwide during the National Cyber League (NCL) spring 2018 regular season competitions.

UIS students competed against 3,123 individuals from colleges and universities across the United States. Team captain Austin Bransky of Marengo, Illinois finished 76th overall, Steve Berryman of Louisville, Kentucky finished 100th overall and David Tighe of Austin, Texas finished 199th overall.

Bransky, a senior information systems security major, ranked nationally in 18th place for log analysis, 7th place for scanning and reconnaissance and 21st for wireless exploitation. Berryman, a graduate computer science major, ranked nationally in 13th place for scanning and reconnaissance and 19th for wireless exploitation.

During the postseason NCL competition, held in April 2018, a team of UIS students finished in the top 25 percent of teams nationwide. The UIS team, made up of five students placed 63 out of 264 teams nationwide.

The UIS team finished in 5th place nationally in log analysis, 26th in wireless access exploitation and 45th in scanning/reconnaissance.

Students who participated in the postseason competition include Austin Bransky; Steve Berryman; David Tighe; JR Gomoll of Richmond, Illinois; and Dishant Malik of Delhi, India.

The NCL was founded in May 2011 to provide an ongoing virtual training ground for participants to develop, practice and validate their cybersecurity knowledge and skills using next-generation high-fidelity simulation environments.

The competition utilizes certified ethical hacker objectives, such as open source intelligence, traffic and log analysis and wireless security.

The NCL 2018 Spring Season was designed to develop and validate player knowledge and skills in preparation for further learning, career readiness, industry certifications and other cybersecurity competitions.

For more information, contact Brian-Thomas Rogers, UIS computer science instructor, at 217/206-8165 or broge2@uis.edu.

Leadership lived: International student lands full-time job thanks to UIS Graduate Public Service Internship Program

International computer science graduate student Vincent Joseph from Mumbai, India, calls his educational experience at the University of Illinois Springfield “fantabulous”.

Joseph has spent the past four semesters interning at the Office of the Illinois Auditor General where he’s been helping with state audits and learning about state and federal laws. The internship was made possible by the Graduate Public Service Internship (GPSI) Program at UIS.

“The GPSI Program is a very unique program that most universities don’t have,” he said. “It’s a phenomenal program, which enables graduate students to continue gaining their professional experience, while they complete their master’s degree.”

Supervisors at the Auditor General’s Office were so impressed by Joseph that they decided to hire him on as a full-time employee after he graduates from UIS on May 12, 2018.

As UIS, Joseph has been very involved on campus as a Student Government Association graduate student senator, vice president of the GPSI Student Association and president of University Bible Fellowship. He is the former president of the International Student Association, a STARS mentor, an executive member of the Student Organization Funding Association (SOFA) and acted in the UIS Theatre production of “Macbeth”.

“I have gotten immense opportunities, which I did not get at my undergraduate school back in India,” he said. “The best part about UIS is not only that it provides you technical opportunities to learn and grow, but it also provides platforms for you to practice your soft (life) skills.”

Joseph recommends the University of Illinois Springfield to both international and domestic students looking for a right-sized campus with an abundance of opportunities.

“I love being at UIS,” he said. “I’m both excited and a bit sad that I’ll be leaving UIS, but I’m sure I’ll stay in touch with UIS.”

Joseph, who previously worked for Accenture, a global consulting company, in India before coming to UIS plans to continue to pursue his education while working.

“My ultimate goal is to pursue my doctorate,” he said. “In the meantime, I plan to complete my full-time experience.”

Leadership lived: UIS student educates peers about gender and sexuality

 
Mel Clark admits to having “grown up a lot as a person” since enrolling at the University of Illinois Springfield. As a freshman, Clark got involved with the Gender and Sexuality Student Services Office, formerly the LGBTQA Resource Center. Now, as a senior on campus, Clark is helping to education fellow students.

Clark is a member of the InQueery peer education team and works for Gender and Sexuality Student Services helping to plan events. The InQueery team provides workshops and other activities to classes and student groups in order to combat homophobia, transphobia and heterosexism.

“Having your peers come in and talk is a little more relaxed, it’s a little less stressful, you feel like you can talk to somebody,” said Clark. “You can know that they’re not giving you crap about anything, so it’s all genuine. We share our stories and everything, so I think it’s just an easier way for people to digest it, especially if they’ve never been exposed to things like that.”

Clark, an information systems security major, chose the University of Illinois Springfield because the academic programs were recommended by a teacher. Clark grew up in Riverton, Illinois, only about 15 minutes from campus.

“I used to always go to the Sangamon Auditorium when I was a kid,” said Clark. “My grandma and I always got season tickets, so we would come through this campus a lot when I was younger.”

Clark says the University of Illinois Springfield has come to feel like a second home. Clark regularly participates in events, such as LGBTea, a weekly social on campus where LGBTQ+ students can come together, share stories, support each other and have fun.

“I mean, I have my house over in Riverton, but here is also my home,” said Clark. “It’s nice to have people you can talk to and things you can get off your chest and ask people about all kinds of issues you’re having.”

Following graduation from UIS, Clark plans to earn a master’s degree in computer science at UIS. The student hopes to one day work for the FBI and help fight cyber-crimes.

“A lot of people have said I’ve changed so much since I was a freshman,” said Clark. I used to be really shy and wouldn’t speak up about anything, but now, since I’ve been in this role, in InQueery and everything I’ve really blossomed as a person.”

Leadership lived: International student helps improve UIS’ web presence

Graduate computer science major Bhavyanshu Parasher says he chose the University of Illinois Springfield because of its outstanding cyber security courses.

At UIS, Parasher works as a student web associate for the UIS Office of Web Services, is vice president of the UIS Computer Science Club and recently helped to redesign the UIS Computer Science Department website.

“UIS has provided me with a lot of opportunities to grow as a full-stack engineer,” he said. “It has certainly prepared me for the professional field and the projects I’ve worked on at UIS will certainly help me stand out in the job market.”

One of the projects he recently worked on for UIS Web Services was developing the skill that allows Amazon’s Alexa, an intelligent personal assistant, to answer questions about UIS. Alexa can now answer admissions questions or tell you today’s lunch menu.

As part of the Computer Science Club, Parasher recently finished in the top one percent of competitors in the United States in the National Cyber League (NCL) competitions. He finished 37th against more than 2,400 competitors. The UIS team finished 18th out of 182 teams nationally.

“There was log analysis, there was network security analysis. Basically, we just had to go in and solve a number of challenges that were given to us,” said Parasher.

Parasher, a native of Gurgaon, Haryana, India, says he feels that he made the right decision in attending the University of Illinois Springfield.

“I would recommend to students that they go and look at the cyber security-related courses that are offered at UIS,” he said.

Following graduation from UIS, Parasher plans to begin his career as a full-stack engineer, someone who works on both the front-end and back-end of developing applications.

“My experience at UIS has been amazing and it has offered me a lot of opportunities to grow in my field,” he said.

UIS students earn first place category win during National Cyber League competitions

University of Illinois Springfield Computer Science and Information Systems Security majors earned a first place win the Log Analysis category and finished in the top 10 percent of teams nationwide during the annual National Cyber League (NCL) competitions.

During the regular season, several UIS students ranked highly in the national challenge where they faced more than 2,400 competitors. Steve Berryman of Louisville, Kentucky finished 31st and Bhavyanshu Parasher of Gurgaon, Haryana, India finished 37th placing them both in the top one percent of competitors in the United States.

Team captain Austin Bransky of Marengo, Illinois finished 79th and in the top three percent nationwide.

Overall, the UIS team finished 18th out of 182 teams nationally during the NCL’s postseason tournament. This is the second year that a UIS team has competed in the competition.

“This NCL Season was a huge success and there was improvement across the board for most of our returning members,” said team captain Austin Bransky. “It seems like the competition got a lot tougher compared to past years, which is great as it will force us to improve and innovate the way we compete both as individuals and as a team.”

The NCL was founded in May 2011 to provide an ongoing virtual training ground for participants to develop, practice, and validate their cybersecurity knowledge and skills using next-generation high-fidelity simulation environments.

The competition utilizes certified ethical hacker objectives, such as open source intelligence, traffic and log analysis and wireless security.

For more information, contact Brian-Thomas Rogers at 217/206-8165 or broge2@uis.edu.

Leadership lived: Student helps manage UIS Brookens Library

As a student manager at Brookens Library, Andrew Koontz, a senior University of Illinois Springfield computer science major, makes sure that patrons find the resources they need. He also trains new student workers and is responsible for special projects.

“The most rewarding part about working at the library is the feeling you get after helping someone, whether it be a patron that comes in, a student or a fellow worker,” he said. “It’s just a really great feeling helping someone achieve what they want to do.”

Koontz, who is from Belleville, Illinois, has worked at the library for the past year and a half and worked his way up to the student manager position. It’s the first time he’s ever held a management position.

“If a student worker needs help with a patron or gets asked something they don’t know they’ll come to me or another supervisor for help,” he said.

As a computer science major, Koontz likes to point out that Brookens Library not only offers books, but online databases for students to take advantage of while doing research.

After he graduates from UIS, Koontz wants to continue to work with computers and possibly become a software engineer.

“As long as it involves my major and I get to work with computers I’ll be happy,” he said.

Koontz chose the University of Illinois Springfield because of the right-sized supportive community. He says he came from a smaller higher school and didn’t want to attend a large university.

“UIS has many services and opportunities for students that really helps them feel welcomed into the school. I think this is a great school,” he said.

Two UIS Computer Science students finish in the top 25 in a national cyber security competition

Two University of Illinois Springfield computer science majors have finished in the top 25 out of 2,077 competitors in the National Cyber League (NCL) competition. The virtual event was held April 21-23, 2017.

Team captain Austin Bransky of Marengo, Illinois, an information systems security double major, finished 18th and Bhavyanshu Parasher of Gurgaon, Haryana, India finished 21st.

During a second competition, held April 28-30, 2017, a team of UIS students finished 6th out of 138 teams nationwide.

During the competition, students defend systems from network attacks, learning how to find the attacks in system logs, traffic captures and much more. The students use NCL-sanctioned gymnasiums, virtual learning environments located throughout the U.S. that are comprised of systems-integrated software and hardware, to practice and develop their skills.

“Overall the NCL season was extremely successful, and was a great learning experience for everyone involved, old and new,” said Bransky.

The games are performance based to measure a player’s strengths and weakness among learning objectives. The competition utilizes certified ethical hacker objectives, such as open source intelligence, traffic and log analysis and wireless security.

The National Cyber League was founded in May 2011 to provide an ongoing virtual training ground for collegiate students to develop, practice, and validate their cybersecurity skills.

For more information, contact Brian-Thomas Rogers, visiting instructor of computer science, at 217/206-8165 or broge2@uis.edu.

Three UIS Computer Science students finish strong in national cyber security competition

Three University of Illinois Springfield Computer Science majors have finished in the top 20 percent of 3,070 competitors in the first of three National Cyber League (NCL) annual competitions.

Austin Bransky of Marengo, Illinois; Paula Kawal of Black Diamond, Washington and Dennis McDonald of Payson, Illinois are competing against other students from across the country.

During the competition, students defend systems from real-time network attacks, learning how to find the attacks in system logs, traffic captures and much more. The students use NCL-sanctioned gymnasiums, virtual learning environments located throughout the U.S. that are comprised of systems-integrated software and hardware, to practice and develop their skills.

“Our students have one more individual game to go before they engage in a final, team-based competition at the end of the season,” said Janis Rose, a UIS Computer Science instructor. “They’re off to a great start!”

The games are performance based to measure a player’s strengths and weakness among learning objectives. The competition utilizes certified ethical hacker objectives, such as open source intelligence, traffic and log analysis and wireless security.

The National Cyber League was founded in May 2011 to provide an ongoing virtual training ground for collegiate students to develop, practice, and validate their cybersecurity skills.

For more information, contact Janis Rose at 217/206-8246 or jrose2@uis.edu.

UIS Computer Science instructor Janis Rose honored with national award for efforts

Janis Rose, a Computer Science instructor at the University of Illinois Springfield, has been selected by the InfraGard National Members Alliance (INMA) as this year’s recipient of The Ties that Bind Award.

The award was presented by FBI Supervisory Special Agent Larry Karl and Assistant Special Agent in Charge Emmerson Buie during a nationwide video teleconference on September 4, 2013. It is one of only three major awards presented annually by the INMA and recognizes those that have spearheaded or substantially contributed to ongoing sharing and collaboration among InfraGard members and partners.

InfraGard is an information sharing and analysis effort between the FBI, academic institutions, businesses, and other partners. Rose founded the Springfield InfraGard Members Alliance (IMA) over ten years ago and is one of the longest serving presidents in the history of the program.

“Janis’ efforts have been integral to the success of the Springfield IMA. She is responsible for personally recruiting a large portion of our members, creating the excellent communication network we have in place today,” said her nominator.

Rose has played a major role in organizing the annual Cyber Defense and Disaster Recovery Conference on the UIS campus. The one-day conference teaches those in the public and private sectors about growing cyber threats facing critical infrastructure sectors.

“Janis takes great care to hand-select our speakers each year, so that each key critical infrastructure sector can expect to walk away at the end of the day having learned vital information specifically pertaining to their sector,” said the nominator.

In 2012, Rose was honored by FBI Director Robert Mueller with an “Award for Exceptional Service in the Public Interest”. The award recognized her 10 years of service to InfraGard and the FBI.

For more information, contact Ted Mims, chair of the UIS Computer Science Department at 217/206-7326 or tmims1@uis.edu.

Leadership lived: Vicente Valtierra brings Hispanic Grassroots Leadership Development Program to UIS

University of Illinois Springfield graduate student Vicente Valtierra has a passion for helping other people. It’s that passion which led him to bring a national Hispanic Grassroots Leadership Development Program to UIS.

Valtierra attended the United States Hispanic Leadership Institute (USHLI) Conference in Chicago where he heard about the national program model, which is designed to bridge the widening gap between citizens and elected officials. He knew the program was something that was needed at UIS and was determined to make it happen.

“I got the students together, talked to both sides, the officials and students, got everything going and here we are,” said Valtierra.

His efforts have resulted in a series of meetings with Springfield city leaders, Sangamon County officials, and UIS campus leaders throughout the fall semester. During their first meeting, the group of Hispanic students met with Springfield Mayor Michael Houston and other leaders.

“They’ve been there and done that,” said Valtierra. “They were here before us, so they know the ropes. We can definitely learn from them.”

Valtierra grew up in Gary, Indiana and made a few stops at other colleges before transferring to UIS. For him, it was the Computer Science program and the right-sized, supportive community that UIS offered which brought him to Springfield. He earned his bachelor’s degree from UIS and is now working to finish his master’s in Computer Science.

“(At UIS) you get more personal attention versus an auditorium setting with 300 students where you’re just a number,” said Valtierra. “You actually feel more like a person at UIS and you get a lot more attention and help.”

He says that UIS is a great place to learn about leadership because of the abundance of opportunities available to motivated students.

“UIS is great training grounds, mostly with small groups,” he said. “You have to start small. It’s hard to be a leader and stand up in front of a crowd of 300, so you get to start here with 10-20. It’s a good training ground for leadership.”

Valtierra was also instrumental in planning a student leadership fair at UIS for nearly 300 high school students. The event featured nationally prominent motivational speakers, workshops on preparing for college, financial aid/literacy information, and leadership development.

Amanda Wilczynski honored with Student Laureate Award from the Lincoln Academy of Illinois

University of Illinois Springfield senior Amanda Wilczynski was honored with the Student Laureate Awards from the Lincoln Academy of Illinois during a ceremony on Saturday, Nov. 5, at the Old State Capitol in Springfield.

Wilczynski, a Compton, Ill. native, is majoring in Computer Science at UIS with a minor in Accountancy. She holds a 3.56 GPA at UIS and plans to enter the work force after graduation and earn her master’s degree.

“I am extremely honored to win this award and be among so many other outstanding students from other institutions around Illinois,” said Wilczynski.

Each year an outstanding senior from each of the four-year degree-granting institutions of higher learning in Illinois is awarded the Student Lincoln Academy Medallion and thereby becomes a Student Laureate of the Lincoln Academy of Illinois. Student Laureates are honored for their overall excellence in curricular and extracurricular activities.

Wilczynski is a ministry leader in the Christian Student Fellowship (CSF) group at UIS. She takes part in the planning, execution, and review of all the CSF events. She also volunteers by leading a weekly bible study group. Wilczynski serves as a peer mentor for the Capital Scholars Honors Program and is employed as a student worker in the UIS Chancellor’s Office.

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).

Professor Keith Miller studies computer ethics and robots

University of Illinois Springfield Computer Science Professor Keith Miller started his career in software testing, never expecting he’d one day be an internationally recognized authority in computer ethics.

Miller used mathematics to test the probability of computer programs crashing, but kept running into the question “How good is good enough?” He realized mathematics alone couldn’t help answer that question. He needed to apply human values to answer the question and turned to philosophy.

“We want the people who are working on (computer) artifacts to care about the human impact, the consequences of what they do. That, to me, is computer ethics,” said Miller.

Miller was named the Louise Hartman Schewe and Karl Schewe Professor in Liberal Arts and Sciences in 2009. He serves as editor of Technology and Society, a journal of “IEEE,” the world’s largest professional association for the advancement of technology. He also played a major role in the development of an international code of ethics for software engineering.

“I’m dealing with robots and other artificial agents and trying to decide how humans are going to live together with these intelligent beings that aren’t carbon based like us,” said Miller.

He recently attended a conference in Canada with computer manufacturers developing military technology capable of taking a human life.

“There are killer robots,” he said. “Many of them... have the ability to pull the trigger. If we have machines on their own killing people, you can just see the terminator kind of implications”.

Miller says manufacturers have so far been reluctant to let the machines take a shot on their own, but the trend is one of the areas of computer ethics that interests him the most.

“What we’re trying to do in computer ethics is to both educate the general public about how important these issues are and also educate computer professionals and our students about how they can make these decisions more wisely,” he said.

He is also working with a group of colleagues on what's known as e-trust, when humans are interacting with a computer or two computers are talking to each other. His goal is to answer the question “What does trust mean between programs or pieces of software?”

Miller has published numerous journal articles and conference papers on computer ethics.

UIS team places in Cisco NetRiders competition

University of Illinois Springfield students Steve Fischer and Ryan Stalets competed in the 2009 Cisco NetRiders Skills Challenge in Chicago, Illinois on Wednesday, November 4, 2009. They advanced from the Statewide Qualifier placing first in the top 10 highest-scoring teams from across the state of Illinois.

Fischer and Stalets were invited to the Stage Two Competition at the Cisco Systems office where they placed third. Ken Gaines, Cisco Area Vice President, presented the awards as well as an invitation for both Fischer and Stalets to spend a day with a Cisco Systems Engineer.

The Stage Two competition held at Cisco included a theoretical session, answering 100 questions in 60 minutes, followed by a hands-on session, troubleshooting a five router network scenario.

Fischer is a senior from Springfield, Illinois majoring in Computer Science at UIS and is completing an Internship at Archer Daniels Midland. Team Captain Ryan Stalets from Riverton, Illinois is currently a UIS freshman majoring in Computer Science and is employed by the Ball-Chatham School District.

“This is an exciting opportunity to visit a leading-edge global industry leader with state-of-the-art technology, meet with IT professionals, and compete with peers in an interactive environment,” said Janis Rose, instructor of Computer Science at UIS.

Cisco is playing a critical role in the US economic recovery by preparing students for the sustainable jobs that government, education and industry all agree will fuel America’s ability to innovate and compete, not just today, but in the future. As the focus turns to infrastructure, Cisco’s Networking Academy provides students with critical networking skills to design, build and maintain the infrastructure highway that both the public and private sector now depend on for sustainability.

For more information about the awards contact Janis Rose, instructor of Computer Science at rose.janis@uis.edu or 217/206-8246.

Professor to give presentations in Michigan

Dr. Keith Miller, professor of Computer Science at UIS, is giving three invited talks at Grand Valley State University in Allendale, Michigan on Tuesday, February 17.

One talk is to the computer science faculty on the assessing students' progress in computer ethics. A second talk is to a student group on the ethical analysis of case studies.

The third and final talk is open to the public, and entitled "Kiss, kiss, kill, kill: the ethics of robots, sex and war."

For more information, go to the Grand Valley State University's events page here.