IUP Cybersecurity Day Set for Oct. 29

Indiana University of Pennsylvania's Institute for Cyber Security, in collaboration with the PC4A Project and Information Technology Support Center, will host the seventeenth annual Cyber Security Day on October 29 from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the IUP Hadley Union Building Ohio Room.

This annual event features nationally recognized security experts as well as speakers from government, the security industry, and academia.

It is free and open to the community.

The event is organized by Waleed Farag, director of the IUP Institute for Cyber Security and professor of computer science.

"This year's event features a line-up of outstanding speakers representing US Air Force and Space Force, the National Security Agency, IUP's Information Technology Department, the Department of Defense, the US Naval Research Laboratory, and NR Labs," Farag said. "The presentations will address several essential and practical security aspects of our daily computer-dependent life."

Cyber Security Day at IUP is part of IUP's efforts to mark National Cyber Security Awareness Month in October and to bring awareness of the issue of cybersecurity. Persons can attend the full day or attend one or more specific sessions.

The event begins with welcome and opening remarks from Farag and IUP Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Lara Luetkehans. IUP President Michael Driscoll will speak in advance of the afternoon sessions and Farag will provide closing remarks.

Speakers and session titles for the day are:

9:20 to 10:05 a.m.

"The Convergence of Cyber, Information Warfare, and AI"

Bryant Wysocki, technical advisor for Command, Control, Computing, Communications, Cyber, Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance and Targeting (C5ISRT), US Air Force and Space Force

Wysocki, a senior-level executive, provides technical oversight of these areas for the department and advises senior leadership. He holds a PhD in electrical engineering from Cornell University.

10:15 to 11 a.m.

"The Software Reverse Engineering Skillset"

Damon Smith, technical director for Computer Network Operations, National Security Agency

Smith has been programming and reverse engineering software for the NSA since 2005. He has a master's in information security from Carnegie Mellon University and a bachelor's in computer science from Dartmouth College. Smith has worked for the NSA in Maryland and overseas, and since 2017, in Colorado.

11:10 to 11:55 a.m.

"The Evolution of Social Engineering in Cybersecurity"

Jon Roumfort, IUP senior security analyst in IUP's IT Services

Roumfort serves as a lead in the ITS Cybersecurity Leadership Team. He has been employed at IUP for over 25 years, where he has managed IT security, enterprise systems, and networking, and in his current role for almost 22 years. He is a member of IUP's Institute for Cyber Security steering committee, various security groups, and has been an ISC² certified information systems security professional since 2010.

1:10 to 1:55 p.m.

"Growing the Next Generation of Cyber Talent"

Matt Isnor, program lead, Department of Defense Cyber Workforce Development Branch

Isnor is an expert in the federal cyber workforce with the agency and is the former Cyber Mission Force program lead for training for US Cyber Command. He currently is the program lead for the development and refinement of standardizing the cyberspace workforce through work roles included in the Department of Defense Cyberspace Workforce Framework. He is also responsible for leading the effort to create the 8140 Policy Series, which sets the qualification program for all of the Department of Defense. He also is one of the cochairs with NSA and USCYBERCOM to lead the development of cyber institutes at each of the senior military colleges. Isnor holds a master of business administration with a concentration in information systems from Hawaii Pacific University and a master's of cybersecurity from Webster University.

2:05 to 2:50 p.m.

"Navy Cyber Science and Technology"

Joey Mathews, superintendent of the Information Technology Division, US Naval Research Laboratory

Mathews is the superintendent of the Information Technology Division at the US Naval Research Laboratory. He leads a broad-based program of research and development spanning artificial intelligence and autonomy, networking and communications, information operations, high-assurance systems and cyber warfare, knowledge management and decision support, and computational science.

3:05 to 3:50 p.m.

"From Campus to Career: Making Moves, Not Mistakes"

NR Labs' Jon David, managing director and cofounder, and Logan Zellem, security director

David, a former director at Mandiant, has more than 15 years of extensive experience in both private and Department of Defense cybersecurity sectors. His expertise lies in enabling organizations to comprehend their threat landscape, strategically prioritize defenses, and effectively mitigate exposure to malicious threats. Throughout his career, David has played a pivotal role in aiding numerous enterprises across diverse industries in identifying and addressing vulnerabilities within complex environments. Drawing from this wealth of experience, he intimately understands the unique challenges each industry encounters when safeguarding its digital ecosystems.

Zellem is a security director with more than eight years of experience. He has provided guidance and expertise to hundreds of federal clients, nonprofit organizations, and Fortune 500 companies. He specializes in privileged access management, designing and architecting secure systems that ensure compliance, streamline automation, and bolster overall security efficiency with a focus on mitigating risk.

IUP's Institute for Cyber Security at IUP was founded in 2005 to further encourage and promote cybersecurity at IUP and the surrounding community.

IUP is one of the first institutions in the nation to receive the Center for Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense designation by the National Security Agency. The university has held that designation since 2002 and is one of only 16 universities in Pennsylvania with this designation.

The IUP cybersecurity program has more than 130 students enrolled, and about 25 students annually complete the program and receive their bachelor's degree in the Computer Science/Cybersecurity track. IUP's program also focuses on cybercrime detection, loss prevention, and how to collect the evidence to prosecute cybersecurity offenders.

Over the last six years, Farag has secured nearly $4 million through a Department of Defense program that has provided 63 full scholarships to students in IUP's cybersecurity bachelor's degree program. Part of the scholarship opportunity is a guaranteed position with the Department of Defense after graduation.

In 2023, he secured $996,350 from the Department of Defense to establish a pilot summer immersion program for cybersecurity students to develop language foundations and proficiency in Chinese; IUP is the only school in the nation chosen to develop the program. Farag is the project director.

With the 2023 Chinese Language Pilot Summer Program, IUP's Institute for Cyber Security has secured more than $17 million in federal funding for IUP-sponsored initiatives and programs since 2016.

In December 2023, Farag served as an invited participant for a roundtable discussion with Jake Braun, acting principal deputy national cyber director in the Office of the National Cyber Director, on cybersecurity and workforce development. The event was cohosted by the Pittsburgh Technology Council, Partner4Work, and Pitt Cyber.

This $17 million in funding includes $4.98 million from the Department of Defense for the first three years of a novel project to enhance cybersecurity and STEM education in Pennsylvania (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics), received in September 2022, the largest single grant that has ever been awarded to IUP. The project period of performance is expected to be six years with a total funding of about $11 million.

This $17 million in funding also includes more than $1 million in federal funding for IUP to enhance cybersecurity training for middle school students and teachers through the GenCyber program. More than 550 middle school students and teachers have completed GenCyber camps since 2016.

In October 2022, IUP received $203,130 from the National Center of Academic Excellence in Cybersecurity program that is managed by the National Security Agency to support a qualified student seeking a doctoral degree (PhD) in cybersecurity.

The initiative, spanning September 2022 through September 2024, is designed to address the national shortage of qualified cybersecurity instructors at National Centers of Academic Excellence in cybersecurity colleges and universities, "to bridge the gap of qualified cybersecurity instructors at NCAE-C institutions," Farag said.

In 2017, a team of faculty at IUP led by Farag received a grant of $212,000 from the National Security Agency to enhance cybersecurity education in western Pennsylvania. The team included faculty from the departments of Computer Science, English, Professional Studies in Education, and Political Science and from students at IUP.

Farag is the 2023 recipient of the University Senate Distinguished Faculty Award for Research.

IUP has a longstanding commitment to research on all levels and in all disciplines. In 2021, IUP was one of only two public universities in Pennsylvania and one of only 93 public universities in the United States selected for the "High Research Activity" designation by the Carnegie Classification of Higher Institutions of Higher Education.

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