Student News - [ Departmental Newsletter :: Spring 2008 ]
Jonathan Pittman was among the first twenty-three people to earn the new Global Information Assurance Certification (GIAC) Secure Software Programmers certification from the SANS Institute in August 2007. Individuals who have completed this certification have demonstrated the ability to identify security flaws in C programs and how to avoid those problems. The SANS Institute provides training for system and network administrators, security professionals, and chief information security officers.
Jonathan Pittman
Nan Wang was the recipient of a scholarship for a female graduate student in computer science. This scholarship is made possible through funding provided by an anonymous donor who is a graduate of the computer science program. Nan is a Ph.D. student who works on bioinformatics research under the direction of Dr. Susan Bridges. She holds a Master of Science degree in computer engineering from MSU and a Bachelor of Science degree in computer science from Xidian University in China.
Nan Wang
Jared Brock has been selected as the recipient of this year's Hilton Hotels Corporation Information Technology Award, which is a one-year scholarship award. Jared is a junior software engineering major from Hamilton, MS. The Hilton Hotels Corporation awards this one-year scholarship each year to a student in the CSE Department who is in good standing academically and displays leadership qualities. Jared was formally presented with this award at Hilton Hotels Corporation in Memphis, TN, by Ms. Lashell Vaughn, Vice President of Global Infrastructure & America's Support for Hilton. Ms. Vaughn, who is a graduate of this department, is also a member of the department's Advisory Board.
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A Capture the Flag exercise was held on November 29 as part of Dr. Rayford Vaughn's CSE 4243/6243 Information and Computer Security class. The winning team consisted of Bill Michaels, David Ferguson, Logan Aube, and Khanh Bui.
Sitting: Bill Michaels and Logan Aube, Standing: David Ferguson and Khanh Bui
Another team participating in the Capture the Flag exercise was composed of Yagneshwara Lanka, Terrence Shannon, Narendra Kumar Puppala, Etienne David-Marie Capgras, Justin Pace, and Ridzky Anugerah Riyadi.
Sitting: Yagneshwara Lanka, Terrence Shannon Standing: Narendra Kumar Puppala, Etienne David-Marie Capgras, Justin Pace, Ridzky Anugerah Riyadi
Another Capture the Flag team was composed of Steven Allen Austin, Peter Rush, Andrew Keith Bracy, Joel Criger, and Christopher Bupp.
Steven Allen Austin, Peter Rush, Andrew Keith Bracy, Joel Criger, Christopher Bupp
Students who received Software Engineering Certificates in December 2007 were Lora Johnson, Patrick McNally, and Antwan Foster.
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Students who received Information Assurance Certificates in December 2007 were Darryl Johnson, Tom Mason, Laura Hall, Alan Gay, Justin Pace, Patrick McNally, Trey Clark, Bill Michaels, Michael King, Antwan Foster, and Paul Davis. Students who received Information Assurance Certificates in May 2008 were Craig McRae, David Wilson, Logan Aube, James Sakalaukus, Matt Kolb, Terrence Shannon, Terry Bullen, Sivakumar Ayeegoundanpalayam Kulasekaran, Christopher Bupp, David Ferguson, Ryan Pressley, and Thomas Souther.
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Students receiving Computational Biology Certificates in May 2008 were Carol Pregonero Gamez (Ph.D. student in biological engineering), Divya Peddinti (Ph.D. student in veterinary medicine), Chamali Thanthiriwatte (M.S. student in computer science), Robert Morris (Ph.D. student in biological engineering), John Erik Mylroie (Ph.D. student in biochemistry and molecular biology, Bharath Bolla (Ph.D. student in biochemistry and molecular biology), Jixianw Wu (postdoctoral fellow with the USDA ARS), Tammy Malachowski (M.S. student in biological sciences), and Teresia Buza (Ph.D. student in veterinary medicine).
Chamali Thanthiriwatte
In January, the Bagley College of Engineering announced the 2008 inductees into the college's Student Hall of Fame. According to Dr. Donna Reese, the Associate Dean for Academics and Administration, this award "recognizes students who have made outstanding contributions to their departments, the college and Mississippi State during their time at MSU." Included among the six new inductees was Nashlie Sephus, a December 2007 computer engineering graduate from Jackson, MS. Nashlie was an active member of the Society of Women Engineers, the National Society of Black engineers, Increasing Minority Access to Graduate Education, and the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority. She served as a camp counselor for Bagley College of Engineering summer outreach camps and a volunteer mentor/tutor at Sudduth Elementary School in Starkville. Nashlie participated in the Summer Undergraduate Program for Engineering Research at Berkeley and IBM's Extreme Blue Program in Raleigh, NC. She also participated in two study abroad trips, one to France and one to Korea. Through the cooperative education program, she gained work experience at Miller Transporters.
Nashlie Sephus
Students who will receive SFS scholarships beginning in the Fall 2008 semester are Cody Tankersley (software engineering major), Philip Moore (computer science major), and Bill Michaels (M.S. student in computer science). Terrence Shannon (M.S. student in computer science) will receive an SFS scholarship beginning in the Spring 2009 semester.
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An end-of-year dinner to celebrate students' completion of the two-semester Software Engineering Senior Project (CSE 3213 and CSE 3223) was held on April 20. Mr. Mike Rackley, director of Information Technology Services on campus, served as the guest speaker for the evening. Dr. Edward Allen was the instructor for these courses during the fall and spring semesters. New scholarship recipients in the Department of Defense Information Assurance Scholarship Program (IASP) scholarship program for the coming year are Peter Curtis, Shane Fry, Blake Wall, Austin Lee, and Justin Pace. In addition, Marc Parisi, Gary Weasel, and Trey Clark will receive scholarships from this program for the second year. The IASP scholarships are administered nationally by the National Science Foundation and the Office of Personnel Management. These are full-ride scholarships that include tuition, fees, books, supplies, and a monthly stipend. Following graduation, the scholarship students will be placed in computer security-related jobs. The scholarship program on our campus is administered through the Center for Computer Security Research.
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Upsilon Pi Epsilon inducted 11 new members at its initiation ceremony in April. This year's initiates included CSE faculty members Dr. Changhe Yuan and Dr. Song Zhang. The student initiates were Jonathan Pittman, Jibonananda Sanyal, Amritanshu Thakur, David Wilson, Chad Steed, Peter Rush, Logan Aube, Jeremy Davis, and Joseph Maclean. The 2007-08 officers of the MSU chapter were Monika Jankun-Kelly, president; Byron Williams, vice president; Peter Sroga, secretary; and Jerry Howell, treasurer. Newly elected officers for 2008-09 are Travis Atkison, president; Sivakumar Kulasekaran, vice president; Gurjot Singh, secretary; and Lulu He, treasurer. Upsilon Pi Epsilon is the only international honor society for the computing sciences. Membership is limited to those individuals who have demonstrated talent and scholarship in the computing sciences and maintain high standards.
Front row: David Wilson, Jonathan Pittman, Joseph Maclean, Logan Aube, Monika Jankun-Kelly, Dr. Changhe Yuan, Sivakumar Aveegoundanpalayam Kulasekaran Back row: Travis Atkison, Gurjot Singh, Jibonananda Sanyal, Jeremy Davis, Dr. Song Zhang
