Ryley McGinnis

Mason students gain global experience with GEO internships abroad

Colleen Rich — Thu, 14 Sep 2023 14:35:14 +0000

Mason students gain global experience with GEO internships abroad Colleen Rich Thu, 09/14/2023 - 10:35

Gaining hands-on experience is an important part of ��AV students’ college years. Through the Global Education Office (GEO), students can learn much more by taking their internships abroad.

Mason biology major Andrea Johnson interned abroad in Cape Town, South Africa. Photo provided

The GEO global internship program allows undergraduate and graduate students to learn more about their field and earn course credits with travel, virtual, and hybrid options during the summer, fall, spring, and winter terms. Students are placed with companies that align with their field of study and spend the term absorbing knowledge and the country’s culture.

“Our existing programs cover 35 different career fields with many crossovers,” said Kelly McNulty, experiential programs manager for GEO. “Students also have the opportunity to create their own internship by finding and applying to an internship and working with our team to set it up for course credit.”

The top travel and virtual destinations this year were Japan, South Korea, Ireland, Spain, United Kingdom, Argentina, Czech Republic, Morocco, and South Africa.

Traveling abroad lets students gain valuable insight, but sometimes, the cost is a limiting factor. “Going abroad can be expensive, but we want to make it accessible,” says McNulty.

There are many affordable options, including some that are the same cost as in-state tuition. Many Mason-funded grants and scholarships are available to help cover the cost of the courses and travel—$43,000 worth were awarded last year, and McNulty and the GEO team help students find external funding for their programs as well.

Biology major Andrea Johnson didn’t know if going abroad was an option for her, but through the support of the GEO office, Johnson found and received a prestigious Gilman Scholarship for her summer abroad in Cape Town, South Africa.

“In my last year, I started to consider it. I wanted to be in a different area and experience more life than what I see in my day-to-day,” Johnson said.

Mason business major Adel Batterjee interned at the Riyali Foundation in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Photo provided

Johnson, who has a longtime interest in women’s health and aspires to become a gynecologist, worked with the Perinatal Mental Health Project, an organization that focused on women’s mental health around pregnancy. The internship showed her that mental health is an important part of women’s health, and she said she’s glad she took the leap across the Atlantic to learn more about this issue.

Adel Batterjee, a junior business major, participated in the build-your-own internship program that comes with a guaranteed travel grant. Batterjee found an internship at Riyali Foundation, an organization in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, owned by SEDCO Holding that aims to teach everyone about financial literacy. He worked on financial and technical proposals, communicated with vendors, and helped collect data when their website crashed.

“The worst part about this internship was that it ended,” Batterjee said. “It was a great environment. Riyali offered many engaging activities for employees.”

Batterjee’s grandparents live near the area, so he got to stay with them while completing the program, which was another benefit.

Batterjee and Johnson agree that everyone should consider going abroad and that Mason offers plenty of resources for each step in the journey.

Applications for the internship abroad program are now open, and McNulty and her team are here to help every step of the way. The GEO office seeks to support students throughout the application process, finding funding and housing, packing, and even planning ahead for a program later on in students' academic career. All GEO internship students take an online course abroad to earn credit through Mason, helping them get another step closer to graduation.

“We’ve seen a recent increase in people going abroad,” said McNulty, adding that there were 58% more students going abroad in 2022-23 than the previous year. She would like to see even more students take advantage of the opportunity study abroad provides. “Even if students are vaguely considering it, we want them to set up a meeting to learn how it’s possible.”

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Patriot Profile: Dinesh Karri

Colleen Rich — Mon, 24 Apr 2023 15:02:32 +0000

Patriot Profile: Dinesh Karri Colleen Rich Mon, 04/24/2023 - 11:02

Mason PhD student Dinesh Karri has been working with the student teams competing in the annual Defend the Republic LTA robotics competition, held this year at EagleBank Arena. Photo by DeRon Rockingham/Creative Services

Dinesh Karri
Year: PhD Student
Major: Electrical and Computer Engineering, Controls and Robotics
Hometown: Hyderabad, India

Many people dream of flying through the sky in a Quidditch game straight out of the world of Harry Potter. While Mason PhD student Dinesh Karri, MS Electrical Engineering ’19, isn’t personally reaching new heights in a Quidditch match, his team’s technology is.

It’s a…Shark Blimp: A lighter-than-air (LTA) robotic shark blimp, to be exact. Three years ago, Karri started working with his academic advisor, Mason engineering professor Cameron Nowzari, on an LTA project funded by the Office of Naval Research (ONR). The goal is to develop a minimally viable swarm of robots that can safely maneuver and achieve their mission in a unique environment. ONR supports this project at universities across the country, and teams all meet up at the biannual Defend the Republic game to test their new technology, learn from each other, and compete in a Quidditch-like tournament. “It’s a great chance to see what other people came up with. It’s always different than what your team thought of,” said Karri.

Back to Basics: To create minimally viable robots, Karri says it’s best to keep it simple and stick to the basics. “At one of the Defend the Republic matches, I learned about how a team uses basic timers in a clever way to achieve the objective. It was so interesting,” said Karri. It may seem counterintuitive to have dumb robots, but in the case of Karri and his LTA shark blimp team, the simpler, the better.

The Best Advice? Fail Fast: Nowzari gave Karri some of the best advice that he employs both inside and outside the research lab. “Learn first, test fast, fail fast, and get better,” says Karri. “I’m not sure if he meant it to be such impactful advice, but for me, it is.” In research, things rarely go as planned the first time around. But if you keep waiting for everything to be perfect, or you’re afraid to even try, you won’t be able to learn. “You can’t know what’s wrong until you test your work,” Karri said. Even if a test fails, he believes he is still that much closer to the solution.

Doing His Homework: Karri came to the United States from India in 2017 to attend graduate school. He said he applied to Mason because it offered robotics and was in the Washington, D.C., area., but his research did not stop there. “I reached out to a lot of alumni to get information on the educational prospects, and I got a very positive response, which pushed me toward choosing Mason.”

The Quality of the Question: Karri admits that his PhD has been a rollercoaster ride, and sometimes the lows outweigh the highs. However, through it all, his mentors have taught him that even when the ride seems to be going off track, you’re still learning. “You’re always learning how to ask quality questions and find new ways to answer them,” he said. “When I started my research, my professors let me ask some dumb questions, but they never saw them that way. They always gave me a chance to learn.”

Try Anything…Once: Karri thinks everyone should take the opportunity to try new things, and with the large number of student organizations available at Mason, he’s found a few of his hobbies by simply saying yes. Dancing, ping-pong, chess, and cricket are a few of his passions. “Try new things and stick with what you like,” he said.

Watch to learn more about how Dinesh Karri and the Mason team did at the Defend the Republic Game hosted this year by Mason.

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Mason bioengineering PhD achieves her dream of developing a technology that aids in cancer diagnoses

Colleen Rich — Fri, 09 Dec 2022 20:54:03 +0000

Mason bioengineering PhD achieves her dream of developing a technology that aids in cancer diagnoses Colleen Rich Fri, 12/09/2022 - 15:54

Although ��AV doctoral student Shrishti Singh may have faced setbacks, including a pandemic, during her time in the bioengineering PhD program, she didn’t let it get in the way of her dreams. With the support of her Mason mentors, she has achieved her goal of developing a promising new technology that would allow cancer to be visualized in deep tissue and perhaps diagnosed earlier.

Mason PhD grad Shrishti Singh. Photo provided

Using a combination of FDA-approved dyes and photoacoustic imaging, Singh has created an injectable dye that attaches to tumor cells and increases the contrast of those cells against the background tissue. Photoacoustic imaging, a new biomedical imaging technique, then illuminates the cancer cells, even in early stages and deep tissue areas of the body.

“This technology gives patients better diagnostics for colon cancer, pancreatic cancer, breast cancer, and more, and can improve their prognosis,” said Singh, who has a master’s degree in biomedical engineering from the University of Bridgeport in Connecticut and an engineering degree from Ramaiah Institute of Technology in Bangalore, India.

Singh said she credits her advisors, Mason bioengineering professor Remi Veneziano and mechanical engineering professor Jeffrey Moran, for her success and perseverance.

“After the first year of my PhD, I had almost given up on my degree,” said Singh. “When Professor Veneziano became my advisor, he lifted me up. He has given me the confidence to be where I am today.”

She added, “And Professor Moran has helped me with a lot of the logistics of my degree and directing me on how to achieve my goals.”

When Singh first started working with Veneziano, she told him her main goal was to work on translational technologies that “make it from the research bench to the bedside of the patient,” she said.

Bioengineering professor Remi Veneziano and Shrishti Singh in the lab. Photo by Evan Cantwell/Creative Services

Veneziano supported her vision, and Singh has spent her PhD not only developing the technology, but ensuring that it is simple and reproducible.

When Singh encountered roadblocks in her research, she said Moran and Veneziano offered two different research perspectives to help her find the best solution. And what was most important to Singh, when things got hard, they supported her.

“In my PhD, I’ve struggled so much with who I am,” she said. “I’ve had people tell me that my kindness and empathy will not get me where I want to be in science, and that was really hard for me.”

Both Veneziano and Moran have since taught her that those people were wrong.

“Working with a new professor takes courage and trust, and I am honored that she put her trust in me,” said Moran. “Shrishti is one of the most resilient, self-motivated, and caring people I have ever met. She is an inspiration to us all.”

“Professor Moran’s greatest advice has been that no matter what is happening around you or what people say, take the opportunity for growth, but don’t change who you are inherently as a person,” said Singh.

And when rejection gets overwhelming, Veneziano advised Singh to take it one day at a time and ask herself “what did I achieve today?”

“Shrishti has an extremely high work ethic,” said Veneziano. “She is dedicated and has a passion for science, and she wants to work on projects that have a positive impact on our society.”

The technology Singh has created also has many other uses that she hopes to explore in the future. For example, it could also be used for surgeons to better visualize the margins of a tumor during surgery.

After graduation in December, Singh hopes to turn her technology into a successful company. With support from her advisors and Amy Adams, executive director of the Institute for Biohealth Innovation, Singh will seek funding for a post-doctoral program and apply for grants to fund more research on her project.

“This experience has shown me the true power of Mason,” says Singh. “I look forward to building more confidence in my work to inspire others on what I do and why I do it.”

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Mechanical engineering faculty appointed to ABET executive committee

Anonymous — Thu, 03 Feb 2022 17:07:58 +0000

Mechanical engineering faculty appointed to ABET executive committee Anonymous (not verified) Thu, 02/03/2022 - 12:07

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Nathan Kathir

��AV’s College of Engineering and Computing associate professor Nathan Kathir has racked up many accomplishments over his career. This July, Kathir will add another as he starts his three-year term as a member of the executive committee for the Engineering Accreditation Commission (EAC) of ABET.

ABET is a non-profit, non-governmental organization that independently accredits engineering, engineering technology, computer science, and applied and natural science programs at universities in the United States and internationally. It is widely recognized as the educational standard for STEM programs.

Kathir, a member of the Department of Mechanical Engineering and a Professional Engineer (PE), has been a part of ABET since 2000. “When I was a member of the American Society for Civil Engineers (ASCE), they mentioned they were looking for PE’s to be program evaluators for ABET, so I joined and was an evaluator for 16 years,” says Kathir.

Kathir evaluated numerous engineering programs in the U.S. and abroad, and in 2016 he became a commissioner, a role he held for the full five-year term that ended in July 2021. Executive committee members make up an even smaller group of the ABET leadership team, and the appointment recognizes successful prior leadership as a commissioner or team chair.

“This year, ABET nominated seven people for the executive committee of EAC. Usually, on the executive committee, you find deans and department chairs. I’m very honored to be serving ABET at this level,” says Kathir. “Since my bachelor’s degree is from a foreign country and wasn’t ABET accredited, it was a bit of a handicap at first. But I set my bar high, and I reached it.”

Currently, Ken Ball, dean of the College of Engineering and Computing, serves on the executive committee of ABET EAC, and his term will end in July 2022. David Binning from Mason’s Civil, Environmental, and Infrastructure Engineering Department previously served as chair of EAC, and he currently serves as the past chair.

“I look forward to continuing the tradition and keeping Mason proud. Thank you to the college leadership for allowing me to continue my support to ABET,” says Kathir.

In October 2021, Kathir was also appointed as chair of ASCE’s Committee on Accreditation (COA). COA leads ASCE’s accreditation efforts to include administering strategic accreditation priorities, policies, and programs.

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New lab closes the loop on water sustainability

Anonymous — Mon, 06 Dec 2021 18:47:56 +0000

New lab closes the loop on water sustainability Anonymous (not verified) Mon, 12/06/2021 - 13:47

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Kirin Emlet Furst

The water that pours out from your kitchen faucet goes through a lot to make it to your home. Assistant Professor Kirin Emlet Furst wants to use her new high-tech Water Systems Chemistry Lab at the Potomac Science Center to close the loop on water and increase the efficiency of those processes by taking a systems approach.

Kirin Furst (pictured) says that the new equipment in her lab makes their work studying water from different angles possible and accurate. Photo by Evan Cantwell.

Furst, a faculty member in the Sid and Reva Dewberry Department of Civil, Environmental, and Infrastructure Engineering, believes a systems approach is the best way to solve the world’s safe water problems. “Our research lab is primarily focused on removing organic contaminants in drinking water systems and potable reuse systems,” says Furst.

The water treatment process has many steps: source water protection, water treatment, the distribution of the water, and what people are actually exposed to in their homes. “A lot of researchers and research labs focus on one of these processes, but we have projects that touch each part of the water system,” Furst says.

Furst’s main research interest is in reducing disinfection byproducts caused by reactions between dissolved organic materials and water disinfectants. The disinfectants used in water are essential to preventing water-borne pathogens, but when they react with materials that remain in the water, they can create toxins that have numerous health effects.

“To solve the disinfection byproducts problem, we have to look at the bigger picture. It’s hard to test their effects, and there are dozens of opportunities for these toxins to be introduced, so we can’t look at one stage in the process,” she says.

Furst and the graduate and undergraduate students in her lab are also working on ways to increase affordable water treatment methods for low-income areas and increase the treatment and reuse of wastewater. In addition, some of her graduate students are looking into creating new types of filters, others at reducing phthalates.

The advanced equipment in her lab gives her and her students the ability to tackle numerous parts of the water treatment systems, says Furst. And she is looking forward to the new and innovative projects her undergraduate and graduate students will take on.

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AI aids those with ADD in construction

Anonymous — Tue, 16 Nov 2021 18:39:05 +0000

AI aids those with ADD in construction Anonymous (not verified) Tue, 11/16/2021 - 13:39

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Craig Yu

Maurice Kugler

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Using virtual reality (VR) and artificial intelligence (AI), a team of researchers at ��AV is taking a wrecking ball to barriers faced by neurodiverse individuals in construction.

The Mason team partnered with researchers at Purdue University on a $2 million National Science Foundation project. The project will explore the future of construction and identify ways to use human-robot teaming to open the field of construction to neurodiverse individuals, specifically those with attention deficit disorder (ADD) or attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

People with ADD or ADHD have more variable attention than those without it, which includes great strengths and weaknesses. Their strengths include incredible problem-solving skills and creativity. Their tendency to be disorganized, have a wandering mind, and take part in more high-risk behaviors can limit their ability to succeed in specific fields, like construction. But the research team believes that with the help of new technology, we will better understand this condition.

“As the future of construction is moving toward technological coupling, workers and machines have to team up to accomplish project goals. Using AI, robots can learn to understand, react, and predict human behaviors. This collaboration could make it possible for us to bring neurodiverse people into construction,” says Behzad Esmaeili, assistant professor of civil, environmental, and infrastructure engineering, and the principal investigator (PI) of the Mason team.

Robots, or cobots, could learn to spot inattention, riskier behaviors, and mistakes while their human partners can be trained to work with these robots to improve their collaboration.

At least 5 percent of the population has been diagnosed with ADD and ADHD. Still, many are undiagnosed, says Brenda Bannan, professor of learning design and technology in the College of Education and Human Development and co-PI on the grant.

For AI robots to learn human behavior, they have to gather data, which has limitations on construction sites. “We cannot safely collect data from actual construction sites because it exposes people to potential injuries. Additionally, this is for a futuristic construction site, where humans and robots are working together,” says Esmaeili.

Craig Yu, assistant professor of computer science and co-PI, uses VR and works with the research team to develop a virtual environment to simulate different scenarios on construction sites, including risky and accidental situations. “We can run various simulations and collect plenty of data that AI robots and systems can learn from, without posing any risks,” says Yu.

The team can also use the virtual environment to train people and construction teams to work with these robots. “Using VR lowers costs and risks, and it can be used to further improve efficiency and productivity on construction sites,” says Yu.

Yu, Esmaeili, Bannan, and their co-PI Maurice Kugler, professor of public policy in the Schar School of Policy and Government, will employ the observations and data from numerous variable sensors, like eye trackers, cognitive brain monitoring, and other psychophysiological and biomechanical metrics to better understand the behavior of people with ADD and ADHD on construction sites and teach robots about how this population uniquely works.

“This innovative technology can give access to people with ADD to completely new employment opportunities and therefore substantially benefit workers, employers in the construction industry, and society at large,” added Kugler, who will conduct the cost-benefit analysis of the research project.

Their collaboration came from conversations at meetings for the Center for Advancing Human Machine Partnerships (CAHMP). “This is the purpose of CAHMP. It was designed to strike these transdisciplinary collaborations and projects,” says Bannan, one of the center’s founders.

The team has already screened nearly 300 participants, and they plan to start running VR simulations and collecting data in February.

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Bioengineering student pursues career in lab research

Anonymous — Wed, 03 Nov 2021 15:47:54 +0000

Bioengineering student pursues career in lab research Anonymous (not verified) Wed, 11/03/2021 - 11:47

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Juan Cebral

Parag Chitnis

In early high school, the chance to solve world problems in a lab appealed to junior bioengineering student Medhini Sosale. Since then, she’s known that a combination of field and lab work is what she wants to do for her career, and her time at Mason has given her endless opportunities to explore it further.

Raised in Ashburn, Virginia, Sosale is currently working in bioengineering associate professor Parag Chitnis’ lab, where he is experimenting with ultrasound technology to deliver drugs. Her project is sponsored by the Office of Student Scholarship, Creative Activities, and Research and the Undergraduate Research Scholars Program.

“This semester, I am working on creating a 3D model of the blood-brain barrier of a rat’s brain,” says Sosale. In rats and humans, the blood-brain barrier is a protective boundary that keeps bacteria, fungi, parasites, and other organisms from penetrating the brain. It is an important part of the body’s immune system.

“The barrier is very effective, but if we could find a way to access it to deliver targeted medications through ultrasound, we could limit invasiveness and target specific illnesses,” says Sosale.

In her freshman year at Mason, she started working with bioengineering professor Juan Cebral. Her work with Cebral introduced her to new areas of bioengineering and computational research. “Professor Cebral was running a computational model on how to optimize the treatment of strokes. I was running tests on the model, and I learned that I enjoyed the computational side of bioengineering too,” says Sosale.

“For both of these projects, I learned a lot about neuroscience, and that is something I definitely want to pursue,” says Sosale.

Sosale grew up dancing and playing music and was curious about climate change. She hopes to combine some of her interests in her career and possibly look at the neuroscience and genetic implications of surviving a climate disaster.

Sosale hopes to pursue a PhD in a field like conservation biology. She knows her engineering mindset and skills will prepare her for whatever field she chooses.

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Faculty member evaluates efficacy of 2020 U.S. Census

Anonymous — Tue, 26 Oct 2021 15:53:32 +0000

Faculty member evaluates efficacy of 2020 U.S. Census Anonymous (not verified) Tue, 10/26/2021 - 11:53

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Jonathan L. Auerbach

Today, we count on data and data-based systems in our daily lives. The United States census is the backbone of most of these data sets that we rely on, so it is important to ensure its accuracy.

Jonathan Auerbach joined the Department of Statistics at Mason in August, 2021. Photo provided

The American Statistical Association (ASA) Census Quality Indicators Taskforce selected assistant professor of statistics Jonathan Auerbach to independently review the 2020 census as part of a three-person research team. The team released their findings in September.

In 2020, the pandemic, accusations of political interference, and many other factors created doubt that the census wouldn’t be accurate, says Auerbach.

Traditionally, the ASA and the statistics community spend the ten years between censuses looking over the data and offering improvements for the next census. However, because of the efficacy questions of the 2020 census, Auerbach’s research team investigated it in half a year.

“The ASA has historically been involved in advocating for the best census since 1840, right before the Civil War, which was a very formative census, and it became highly politicized. And partially because of that, the ASA as we know it today was born,” says Auerbach.

Auerbach was one of three researchers on the independent review team. He and his fellow researchers, including Paul Biemer and Joseph Salvo, had access to all census data to see how it was collected and what errors could have been introduced.

“Our major finding is what we didn’t find. We didn’t find evidence of malfeasance or politicking or any direct evidence of wrongdoing. However, we did find that largely because of the pandemic, the ways people were counted were of higher risk than previous censuses,” says Auerbach.

For example, in the 2010 census, if someone hadn’t reported their household information, the U.S. Census Bureau would send a worker to follow up. In 2020, because of COVID-19, that was not always a safe option. Instead, the Census Bureau relied more heavily on administrative records, like tax documents. “These practices could lead to more errors than the methods used in the 2010 census,” he says.

Reporting college students was another area they noticed might lead to some potential errors. “Typically, colleges will report the number of students in dorms to the census bureau, but since many students left their dorms halfway through the semester, it was unclear whether students were counted properly.”

Auerbach says that he and the research team found no evidence suggesting the 2020 Census is unreliable despite riskier counting methods. Another group at the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, which includes other ASA members, will continue to help the Census Bureau improve the census and process the data, but Auerbach’s work is finished for now.

“Our census is a historical document. We really don’t have too many of them in our lifetime, so it was very rewarding to be a part of it,” he says.

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Mechanical engineering student seeks ways to make an impact

Anonymous — Tue, 19 Oct 2021 12:46:50 +0000

Mechanical engineering student seeks ways to make an impact Anonymous (not verified) Tue, 10/19/2021 - 08:46

Mechanical engineering major Chigozie Erondu may have always been passionate about robotics, but in his time at Mason, he’s developed a new passion for helping the Mason community stay sustainable.

Erondu spent his junior year on the Patriot Green Fund (PGF) committee, a $100,000 a year fund within Mason’s Office of Sustainability that enables students to conduct research, reduce Mason’s environmental impact, and improve awareness and support of building a sustainable campus culture.

“I applied to be a part of the board because I felt it could give me a new perspective,” says Erondu, who is a leader in other Mason supported student organizations like the National Society for Black Engineers and the Society of American Military Engineers that have sought funding or support from Mason before. He knew that joining the PGF would show him how stakeholders made these decisions.

“I enjoyed the thought process of starting with X amount of money and making hard decisions on where that money should go, what will make the most impact,” says Erondu.

Current students, faculty, staff members, and student groups with research or infrastructure projects can apply for funds from the PGF, and Erondu says he saw many great projects but not all of them could be approved.

“As a committee, we saw a lot of great ideas, but we had to make some tough decisions on what could be funded,” he says.

One project Erondu oversaw was called the “Mason Pond Bathymetry” project. This team was seeking funding to build a robot designed to collect surface floor data from the Mason Pond for their senior design project.

The committee was made up of students and faculty members from different disciplines, which gave a diverse perspective to the decision-making process. “After going through each proposal, we had a discussion together about the impact of the project. Sometimes, we go back to the people who submitted the proposal and asked more questions to get an in-depth look at the project so we can make an informed decision,” says Erondu.

“Being a part of the PGF taught me to think long-term, not just for these projects, but for the impact I will make on the world,” says Erondu.

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Office of Sustainability

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Cyber security engineering major competes at Deloitte CCI Cyber Camp

Anonymous — Tue, 05 Oct 2021 12:35:37 +0000

Cyber security engineering major competes at Deloitte CCI Cyber Camp Anonymous (not verified) Tue, 10/05/2021 - 08:35

Sophomore cyber security engineering major Samantha Barry takes every chance she can get to expand and hone her cyber security and computer science skills.

So when she heard about Deloitte’s partnership with the Commonwealth Cyber Initiative (CCI) for the Deloitte CCI Cyber Camp, she jumped at the chance to compete, and she won third place for her efforts.

The Cyber Camp spanned across three Saturdays in July and August. “I heard about it from Professor Peggy Brouse,” says Barry. “I figured it would be a good opportunity to learn about different fields in cyber security over the summer.”

Participants worked on 42 challenges that taught and tested skills in cyber analytics, network traffic analysis, reverse engineering, and cryptography. They also participated in resume workshops and mock interviews.

“The professional development workshops were very valuable and gave me a leg up before I start applying to internships,” says Barry.

Barry’s favorite part of the entire camp was the cryptography challenges. CCI set up the challenges in a capture-the-flag format, and for the cryptography ones, students had to decipher codes at different levels of difficulty.

Barry finds cryptography interesting because of its ability to help people. Ever since she found an interest in programming and cyber security, she’s always wanted to use her skills to work in criminal justice. “Working for the FBI is my dream job, one that I hope I can achieve after Mason,” she says.

The other challenges in networking and cyber analytics were more challenging to Barry since she hadn’t been exposed to them as much. But she credits the Cyber Camp for showing her different possibilities in cyber security.

Fellow participants were from schools across the Commonwealth of Virginia like Northern Virginia Community college, Old Dominion University, Virginia Commonwealth University, Virginia Tech, and more.

The first and second place winners were both seniors; Jason Jabbour from the University of Virginia received first place, and Christian Jackson from Old Dominion University won second place.

“It was an honor to place in the Cyber Camp. There were a lot of great competitors,” says Barry. She says she is also interested in possibly participating again in the Cyber Camp.

The Commonwealth Cyber Initiative works to establish Virginia as a global leader in autonomous systems, security, and data. ��AV is the leader of the Northern Virginia Node of CCI.

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