Department of Cyber Security Engineering / en Student team wins first place, $60k from cyber warfare challenge  /news/2024-11/student-team-wins-first-place-60k-cyber-warfare-challenge <span>Student team wins first place, $60k from cyber warfare challenge </span> <span><span lang="" about="/user/1441" typeof="schema:Person" property="schema:name" datatype="" xml:lang="">Teresa Donnellan</span></span> <span>Fri, 11/01/2024 - 11:44</span> <div class="layout layout--gmu layout--twocol-section layout--twocol-section--70-30"> <div class="layout__region region-first"> <div data-block-plugin-id="field_block:node:news_release:body" class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodenews-releasebody"> <div class="field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-visually_hidden"> <div class="field__label visually-hidden">Body</div> <div class="field__item"><p><span class="intro-text">A student team from a research group in AV's <a href="https://csis.gmu.edu/" target="_blank">Center for Secure Information Systems</a>, led by <a href="/profiles/ksun3" target="_blank">Professor Kun Sun</a>, won first place in the <a href="https://www.navsea.navy.mil/Media/News/Article/3946699/nswcdd-hosts-collegiate-cyber-resiliency-and-measurement-challenge/" target="_blank">Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division (NSWCDD) Cyber Resiliency and Measurement Challenge</a>. The students were selected to compete in person from October 22–23 at the University of Mary Washington’s Dahlgren Campus. </span></p> <p>The team consisted of two undergraduates, Sam Best and Noah Korzak, majoring in computer science and cyber security engineering, respectively, and doctoral student Tommy Chin.  </p> <figure role="group" class="align-right"><div> <div class="field field--name-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img src="/sites/g/files/yyqcgq291/files/styles/medium/public/2024-11/image_3.jpeg?itok=8iCadDIl" width="560" height="455" alt="Samuel Best, Noah Korzak, and Tommy Chin at the NSWCDD CRAM" loading="lazy" typeof="foaf:Image" /></div> </div> <figcaption>Samuel Best, Noah Korzak, and Tommy Chin at the NSWCDD Cyber Resilience and Measurement Challenge</figcaption></figure><p>“I thought the competition was a great opportunity to learn from,” said Best, adding, “Although the prize is a great plus, the skills I learned are far more valuable to my career.” </p> <p lang="EN-US" xml:lang="EN-US" xml:lang="EN-US">Sun reflected on the experience: "Over the past two months, it has been a valuable opportunity for our students to apply their knowledge from the classroom to tackle real-world cyber warfare challenges.” </p> <p>“Eleven teams from colleges and universities across the nation competed in the challenge, aiming to address real-world cybersecurity problems faced by the Navy while gaining valuable knowledge and skills essential for tackling complex cyber threats in the future,” wrote <a href="https://www.navsea.navy.mil/Media/News/Article-View/Article/3946699/nswcdd-hosts-collegiate-cyber-resiliency-and-measurement-challenge/" target="_blank">Morgan Tabor of NSWCDD Corporate Communications</a>. </p> <p>“One of NSWCDD’s priorities is to develop innovative solutions that strengthen our nation’s cyber defenses and enhance system resiliency against cyber threats. By participating in this challenge, teams are helping us explore new ways to measure and improve tools that assess and improve cyber defensive capabilities,” said another NSWCDD representative. </p> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="layout__region region-second"> <div data-block-plugin-id="inline_block:call_to_action" data-inline-block-uuid="d44807f2-ee66-427d-a595-19ba574cc615"> <div class="cta"> <a class="cta__link" href="https://csis.gmu.edu/"> <h4 class="cta__title">Learn more about the Center for Secure Information Systems <i class="fas fa-arrow-circle-right"></i> </h4> <span class="cta__icon"></span> </a> </div> </div> <div data-block-plugin-id="inline_block:call_to_action" data-inline-block-uuid="cf7c4a2f-f5e9-4d0f-8e10-f048f3402d55"> <div class="cta"> <a class="cta__link" href="https://cybersecurity.gmu.edu/"> <h4 class="cta__title">Learn about Cyber Security at AV <i class="fas fa-arrow-circle-right"></i> </h4> <span class="cta__icon"></span> </a> </div> </div> <div data-block-plugin-id="field_block:node:news_release:field_associated_people" class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodenews-releasefield-associated-people"> <h2>In This Story</h2> <div class="field field--name-field-associated-people field--type-entity-reference field--label-visually_hidden"> <div class="field__label visually-hidden">People Mentioned in This Story</div> <div class="field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/profiles/ksun3" hreflang="und">Kun Sun</a></div> </div> </div> </div> <div data-block-plugin-id="inline_block:text" data-inline-block-uuid="7173545b-665d-40b2-8e95-61f2375899a8" class="block block-layout-builder block-inline-blocktext"> </div> <div data-block-plugin-id="inline_block:news_list" data-inline-block-uuid="6d106250-3580-472f-81dd-b9950215cc4a" class="block block-layout-builder block-inline-blocknews-list"> <h2>Related News</h2> <div class="views-element-container"><div class="view view-news view-id-news view-display-id-block_1 js-view-dom-id-7e66a47c44bfceaf8f305ae7f3f7f922a64cd8a345ab0ace278f92cb421bd42e"> <div class="view-content"> <div class="news-list-wrapper"> <ul class="news-list"><li class="news-item"><div class="views-field views-field-title"><span class="field-content"><a href="/news/2024-11/student-team-wins-first-place-60k-cyber-warfare-challenge" hreflang="en">Student team wins first place, $60k from cyber warfare challenge </a></span></div><div class="views-field views-field-field-publish-date"><div class="field-content">November 1, 2024</div></div></li> <li class="news-item"><div class="views-field views-field-title"><span class="field-content"><a href="/news/2024-10/military-5g-gets-security-boost-anti-jamming-research" hreflang="en">Military 5G gets a security boost with anti-jamming research </a></span></div><div class="views-field views-field-field-publish-date"><div class="field-content">October 21, 2024</div></div></li> <li class="news-item"><div class="views-field 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views-field-field-publish-date"><div class="field-content">June 22, 2023</div></div></li> </ul></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div data-block-plugin-id="field_block:node:news_release:field_content_topics" class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodenews-releasefield-content-topics"> <h2>Topics</h2> <div class="field field--name-field-content-topics field--type-entity-reference field--label-visually_hidden"> <div class="field__label visually-hidden">Topics</div> <div class="field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/3056" hreflang="en">Cybersecurity</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/18916" hreflang="en">cyber defense</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/6886" hreflang="en">Department of Cyber Security Engineering</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/2186" hreflang="en">computer science</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/336" hreflang="en">Students</a></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> Fri, 01 Nov 2024 15:44:34 +0000 Teresa Donnellan 114516 at Military 5G gets a security boost with anti-jamming research  /news/2024-10/military-5g-gets-security-boost-anti-jamming-research <span>Military 5G gets a security boost with anti-jamming research </span> <span><span lang="" about="/user/1441" typeof="schema:Person" property="schema:name" datatype="" xml:lang="">Teresa Donnellan</span></span> <span>Mon, 10/21/2024 - 15:01</span> <div class="layout layout--gmu layout--twocol-section layout--twocol-section--70-30"> <div class="layout__region region-first"> <div data-block-plugin-id="field_block:node:news_release:body" class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodenews-releasebody"> <div class="field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-visually_hidden"> <div class="field__label visually-hidden">Body</div> <div class="field__item"><p><span class="intro-text">As communication networks evolve, they present both opportunities and security challenges to military technicians. Over the past year, Assistant Professor <a href="/profiles/mhossa5" target="_blank">Moinul Hossain</a> from AV’s <a href="https://cybersecurity.gmu.edu/" target="_blank">Department of Cyber Security Engineering</a> has contributed to a research initiative aimed at ensuring the safety and integrity of 5G networks used by the United States military. Sponsored by the Army Research Laboratory (ARL) and led by the University of Maryland (UMD), the project focused on safeguarding military communications against potential threats such as jamming attacks. </span></p> <p>Hossain’s colleagues will present their work, a research paper titled “Phantom Guard: An MDP-Based Anti-Jamming Defense Strategy for Military 5G Networks,” at the end of this month at the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) <a href="https://milcom2024.ieee-milcom.org/" target="_blank">Military Communications Conference (MILCOM)</a>. As Hossain will be on leave during the conference, George Mason doctoral student Mahmudul Hassan Ashik, who contributed to the project, will join ARL’s Jeffrey Twigg and Fikadu Dagefu and UMD colleagues for the presentation. </p> <figure role="group" class="align-right"><div> <div class="field field--name-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img src="/sites/g/files/yyqcgq291/files/styles/small_content_image/public/2024-10/moinul_hossain_1080x1080.png?itok=Umts7OBv" width="350" height="350" alt="Moinul Hossain" loading="lazy" typeof="foaf:Image" /></div> </div> <figcaption>Moinul Hossain. Photo provided</figcaption></figure><p>"As 5G technology becomes a cornerstone of global communications, safeguarding its security within military applications is crucial,” said Ashik, who is working on a PhD in cyber security engineering. “Our research tackles these complex challenges of protecting sensitive data transmitted over 5G networks in high-risk, adversarial environments." </p> <p>While commercial 5G is already widely used for communication between devices, the military’s adoption of this technology necessitates additional measures to safeguard sensitive data and ensure secure communication, even in contested environments. Hossain’s project, which began in May 2023 and concluded in August 2024, centered on addressing this critical security concern. </p> <p>"5G is a major pillar of national security, alongside emerging technologies like artificial intelligence and quantum computing,” Hossain explained. “Its high throughput and low latency make it ideal for various applications, including the military. However, military use of 5G requires certain modifications to meet security standards, particularly to defend against adversarial threats like jamming." </p> <p>Jamming occurs when an adversary sends a disruptive signal to interfere with communication channels, making it difficult for a receiver to decode the intended message. While this threat is not normally a concern for commercial 5G users, it is a major risk in military settings, where communication must be maintained even in hostile environments. </p> <p>The research team focused on developing anti-jamming strategies to ensure military communications networks could withstand such attacks. Hossain likened this issue to bad actors compromising a secure office building (say, a headquarters) by infiltrating a less-protected satellite office. In military applications, particularly those involving unmanned vehicles or robots, compromising such resource-constrained devices could result in the loss of critical information at headquarters or even control over sensitive devices. </p> <p>As the military continues to integrate emerging technologies like 5G into its operations, safeguarding these networks from adversarial threats becomes increasingly important. The collaboration between George Mason, UMD, and ARL demonstrates the critical role academic research plays in fortifying national security.  </p> <p>At MILCOM, the team’s work will be shared with a wider audience of defense and communication experts, contributing to the ongoing efforts to secure military networks in a connected world. </p> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="layout__region region-second"> <div data-block-plugin-id="field_block:node:news_release:field_associated_people" class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodenews-releasefield-associated-people"> <h2>In This Story</h2> <div class="field field--name-field-associated-people field--type-entity-reference field--label-visually_hidden"> <div class="field__label visually-hidden">People Mentioned in This Story</div> <div class="field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/profiles/mhossa5" hreflang="en">Moinul Hossain</a></div> </div> </div> </div> <div data-block-plugin-id="inline_block:call_to_action" 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block-field-blocknodenews-releasefield-content-topics"> <h2>Topics</h2> <div class="field field--name-field-content-topics field--type-entity-reference field--label-visually_hidden"> <div class="field__label visually-hidden">Topics</div> <div class="field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/6886" hreflang="en">Department of Cyber Security Engineering</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/7181" hreflang="en">Department of Cyber Security Engineering faculty</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/8241" hreflang="en">5G/6G Wireless Communications</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/5481" hreflang="en">U.S. Army</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/271" hreflang="en">Research</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/20206" hreflang="en">Defense and Security</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/17356" hreflang="en">Strategic Direction</a></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> Mon, 21 Oct 2024 19:01:12 +0000 Teresa Donnellan 114341 at Mason Competitive Cyber scores multiple wins at CyberForge 2024  /news/2024-02/mason-competitive-cyber-scores-multiple-wins-cyberforge-2024 <span>Mason Competitive Cyber scores multiple wins at CyberForge 2024 </span> <span><span lang="" about="/user/326" typeof="schema:Person" property="schema:name" datatype="" xml:lang="">Martha Bushong</span></span> <span>Wed, 02/14/2024 - 12:50</span> <div class="layout layout--gmu layout--twocol-section layout--twocol-section--30-70"> <div class="layout__region region-first"> <div data-block-plugin-id="field_block:node:news_release:field_associated_people" class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodenews-releasefield-associated-people"> <h2>In This Story</h2> <div class="field field--name-field-associated-people field--type-entity-reference field--label-visually_hidden"> <div class="field__label visually-hidden">People Mentioned in This Story</div> <div class="field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/profiles/pcosta" hreflang="und">Paulo Costa</a></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="layout__region region-second"> <div data-block-plugin-id="field_block:node:news_release:body" class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodenews-releasebody"> <div class="field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-visually_hidden"> <div class="field__label visually-hidden">Body</div> <div class="field__item"><p><span class="intro-text">The AV team Mason Competitive Cyber scored first, second, and fourth place at the <a href="https://cyberforge.cvcsa-cyber.org/">Cyberforge 2024</a> competition held on February 11-12. During the two-day conference students heard from industry professionals and enhanced their cyberskills by competing in the Capture the Flag (CTF) competition. </span></p> <div class="align-right"> <div class="field field--name-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img src="/sites/g/files/yyqcgq291/files/styles/small_content_image/public/2024-02/masoncc_2024.png?itok=5hJvzoJx" width="350" height="350" alt="group shot from event" loading="lazy" typeof="foaf:Image" /></div> </div> <p>“Winning a Virginia-wide competition is pretty good news by itself,” said <a href="https://volgenau.gmu.edu/academics/cyber-security-engineering-department">Cyber Security Engineering Department</a> Chair <a href="https://volgenau.gmu.edu/profiles/pcosta">Paulo Costa</a>. “CyberForge is especially important due to the quality of the teams, the level of effort every team and associated organizations/universities put into it, and the impact it has in the Virginia cybersecurity space."</p> <p>Costa consider this one of the two most important competitions in the area. The other is Virginia Military Institute’s Cyber Fusion event happening later this month on February 23-24.</p> <p>The Cyberforge event featured companies such as MITRE, CCI, G2OPS, HAK5, CompTIA, Virginia Cyber Range, WiCyS, TCM Security, and more. The Mason students competed against top collegiate teams and industry professionals from around Virginia. Students value competitions as these events allow them to meet talented students and industry professionals outside their home institution. </p> <p>The team won multiple different prizes, including but not limited to Canakit raspberry pi 5 kits, CompTIA vouchers, and HAK5 gift cards, but they are most proud of the winner’s plaque, which they hope to display in the department’s office. </p> <p>The event was hosted by the <a href="https://www.cvcsa-cyber.org/" target="_blank">Coastal Virginia Cybersecurity Student Association (CVCSA),</a> Coastal Virginia Commonwealth Cyber Initiative (COVA CCI), and a local college/university's cybersecurity club. </p> </div> </div> </div> <div data-block-plugin-id="field_block:node:news_release:field_content_topics" class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodenews-releasefield-content-topics"> <h2>Topics</h2> <div class="field field--name-field-content-topics field--type-entity-reference field--label-visually_hidden"> <div class="field__label visually-hidden">Topics</div> <div class="field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/3056" hreflang="en">Cybersecurity</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/6886" hreflang="en">Department of Cyber Security Engineering</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/10431" hreflang="en">Mason Competitive Cyber</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/336" hreflang="en">Students</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/7171" hreflang="en">Tech Talent Investment Pipeline (TTIP)</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/18541" hreflang="en">TTIP</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/19491" hreflang="en">Tech Talent Investment Program</a></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> Wed, 14 Feb 2024 17:50:37 +0000 Martha Bushong 110686 at Vijay Shah joins $2M NTIA-funded project on 5G cybersecurity /news/2024-02/vijay-shah-joins-2m-ntia-funded-project-5g-cybersecurity <span>Vijay Shah joins $2M NTIA-funded project on 5G cybersecurity</span> <span><span lang="" about="/user/1441" typeof="schema:Person" property="schema:name" datatype="" xml:lang="">Teresa Donnellan</span></span> <span>Thu, 02/08/2024 - 16:06</span> <div class="layout layout--gmu layout--twocol-section layout--twocol-section--30-70"> <div class="layout__region region-first"> </div> <div class="layout__region region-second"> <div data-block-plugin-id="field_block:node:news_release:body" class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodenews-releasebody"> <div class="field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-visually_hidden"> <div class="field__label visually-hidden">Body</div> <div class="field__item"><p><span class="intro-text">AV researcher <a href="/profiles/vshah22" target="_blank">Vijay Shah</a> has joined a $2 million project to develop a system to secure 5G Open Radio Access Network (O-RAN) architecture.</span></p> <p><span><span>Funded by the <a href="https://www.ntia.gov/press-release/2024/biden-harris-administration-awards-nearly-80m-wireless-innovation" target="_blank">National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA)</a>, the project "A Holistic Cybersecurity Testing Framework for 5G Radio Access Networks" is a collaboration with Virginia Tech, Penn State University, and Worcester Polytechnic Institute.</span></span></p> <p><span><span>Shah, who leads <a href="https://www.nextgwirelesslab.org/" target="_blank">Mason’s NextG Wireless Lab</a>, will be allocated nearly a quarter of the project’s budget and be working with Nishith Tripathi and Jeff Reed from Virginia Tech, Syed Rafiul Hussain from Penn State University, and Bo Tang from Worcester Polytechnic Institute.</span></span></p> <figure role="group" class="align-left"><div> <div class="field field--name-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img src="/sites/g/files/yyqcgq291/files/styles/small_content_image/public/2024-02/vijay_shah_insta.png?itok=UBR9iUrM" width="350" height="350" alt="Vijay Shah" loading="lazy" typeof="foaf:Image" /></div> </div> <figcaption>Vijay Shah</figcaption></figure><p lang="EN-US" xml:lang="EN-US" xml:lang="EN-US">Security vulnerabilities in O-RAN present a critical cybersecurity challenge in the era of 5G. The team aims to create “a holistic and automated cybersecurity testing framework for O-RAN,” per the project’s executive summary.  </p> <p lang="EN-US" xml:lang="EN-US" xml:lang="EN-US">Shah will also receive funding from the Commonwealth Cyber Initiative (CCI) to investigate fingerprinting technology for 5G/NextG O-RAN supply chain risk management, additional funding that highlights the multifaceted approach taken by the NextG Wireless Lab to address 5G networks cybersecurity challenges. </p> <p lang="EN-US" xml:lang="EN-US" xml:lang="EN-US">As part of these initiatives, the NextG Wireless Lab is actively growing its research team, with opportunities for postdoctoral researchers and PhD students interested in O-RAN cybersecurity, testing, and supply chain management.</p> <p lang="EN-US" xml:lang="EN-US" xml:lang="EN-US">Those interested in contributing to cutting-edge research in this field should <a href="mailto:vshah22@gmu.edu" target="_blank">email Shah</a>.</p> </div> </div> </div> <div data-block-plugin-id="field_block:node:news_release:field_content_topics" class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodenews-releasefield-content-topics"> <h2>Topics</h2> <div class="field field--name-field-content-topics field--type-entity-reference field--label-visually_hidden"> <div class="field__label visually-hidden">Topics</div> <div class="field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/6886" hreflang="en">Department of Cyber Security Engineering</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/7181" hreflang="en">Department of Cyber Security Engineering faculty</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/4186" hreflang="en">Commonwealth Cyber Initiative (CCI)</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/8241" hreflang="en">5G/6G Wireless Communications</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/3056" hreflang="en">Cybersecurity</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/3776" hreflang="en">cyber infrastructure</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/271" hreflang="en">Research</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/19211" hreflang="en">WCC</a></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> Thu, 08 Feb 2024 21:06:24 +0000 Teresa Donnellan 110681 at Mason teams shine at three major hackathons /news/2023-06/mason-teams-shine-three-major-hackathons <span>Mason teams shine at three major hackathons</span> <span><span lang="" about="/user/1441" typeof="schema:Person" property="schema:name" datatype="" xml:lang="">Teresa Donnellan</span></span> <span>Thu, 06/22/2023 - 09:46</span> <div class="layout layout--gmu layout--twocol-section layout--twocol-section--30-70"> <div class="layout__region region-first"> </div> <div class="layout__region region-second"> <div data-block-plugin-id="field_block:node:news_release:body" class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodenews-releasebody"> <div class="field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-visually_hidden"> <div class="field__label visually-hidden">Body</div> <div class="field__item"><p lang="EN-US" xml:lang="EN-US" xml:lang="EN-US"><span class="intro-text">The Mason Nation’s strength was undeniable at several hackathons in spring 2023. AV computer science, cybersecurity engineering, information technology, and mechanical engineering students won challenges on March 25 at the University of Virginia (UVA), on April 7-9 at the University of Maryland (UMD), and on April 29-30 at Drexel University.</span></p> <h3 lang="EN-US" xml:lang="EN-US" xml:lang="EN-US">What’s a hackathon? </h3> <p lang="EN-US" xml:lang="EN-US" xml:lang="EN-US">Hackathons take place over a limited span of time, usually 24 hours. Teams comprising several students choose which “tracks” they want to compete in, with each track delineating a different challenge. Hackathons are generally free for participants, with travel, accommodation, and food provided, making them a relatively equitable opportunity for students.  </p> <p lang="EN-US" xml:lang="EN-US" xml:lang="EN-US">At the outset of a hackathon, sponsoring or organizing bodies present on the different tracks and offer workshops on relevant tools for the challenges at hand. The events are thus valuable networking opportunities where participants meet not only industry professionals, but also like-minded entrepreneurial peers.  </p> <p lang="EN-US" xml:lang="EN-US" xml:lang="EN-US">Over the course of the event, teams build a minimum viable product, submit their project through GitHub, and create a DevPost page to display their project before presenting to a panel of judges during an exhibition period. At the end of the event, prizes are awarded for many of the tracks.</p> <h3 lang="EN-US" xml:lang="EN-US" xml:lang="EN-US">HooHacks 2023 at the University of Virginia </h3> <figure role="group" class="align-right"><div> <div class="field field--name-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img src="/sites/g/files/yyqcgq291/files/2023-07/hoohacks%20fanny%20mae_0.jpeg" width="448" height="541" alt="hoohacks winning team" loading="lazy" typeof="foaf:Image" /></div> </div> <figcaption>HooHacks team. Photo provided</figcaption></figure><p lang="EN-US" xml:lang="EN-US" xml:lang="EN-US">HooHacks, put on by a student group at the University of Virginia of the same name, comprises six levels of challenges and includes a special element sponsored by Fannie Mae. The event took place over 24 hours, starting at noon on March 25. </p> <p lang="EN-US" xml:lang="EN-US" xml:lang="EN-US">Two Mason teams, one comprising upperclassmen and one comprising freshmen, brought home wins including at least $500, respectively.  </p> <p lang="EN-US" xml:lang="EN-US" xml:lang="EN-US">Seniors Jhonn Cardozo and Ronald Santos Garcia and junior Maya Crosby took home $500 and the pride of winning the primary challenge in one of the 50 biggest hackathons in the country. After being announced as winners, the team was approached by Fannie Mae staffers, who told them they were extremely impressed with their performance. </p> <p lang="EN-US" xml:lang="EN-US" xml:lang="EN-US">Snagging Best Overall prize at HooHacks was a team of Mason freshmen. Anthony Perry, Daniel Horvath, and Marco Zamora brought home more than $500 in prizes and an invitation to compete at Pinnacle, perhaps the most competitive collegiate hackathon worldwide. The team had been encouraged to participate in the event by their fellow Mason participants. Although only freshmen, the teammates had an existing relationship, as they had all been on a robotics team in high school.  </p> <p lang="EN-US" xml:lang="EN-US" xml:lang="EN-US">The team’s project, Dangerous Audio Detection (DAD), is an Alarm System Network that uses machine learning algorithms to accurately identify the sound of gunshots and alerts community members. </p> <p lang="EN-US" xml:lang="EN-US" xml:lang="EN-US">“The idea for our project, DAD, stemmed from our desire to answer [Mason President] Gregory Washington’s call to solve the grand challenges in our world,” the team said. </p> <p lang="EN-US" xml:lang="EN-US" xml:lang="EN-US">“We are especially excited about participating in Pinnacle, often referred to as the Olympics of collegiate-level hackathons, as we have received a prestigious invitation. This experience has solidified our commitment to continuous learning and participation in hackathons as a means to push our boundaries and contribute to our community’s grand challenges,” the team said.</p> <h3 lang="EN-US" xml:lang="EN-US" xml:lang="EN-US">Bitcamp at the University of Maryland </h3> <figure role="group" class="align-right"><div> <div class="field field--name-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img src="/sites/g/files/yyqcgq291/files/2023-07/BitTales.jpg" width="450" height="423" alt="team posing after winning" loading="lazy" typeof="foaf:Image" /></div> </div> <figcaption>The BitTales team. Photo provided</figcaption></figure><p lang="EN-US" xml:lang="EN-US" xml:lang="EN-US">An undergraduate and a graduate team garnered acclaim at the University of Maryland’s Bitcamp hackathon, the largest collegiate hackathon on the east coast. The event had five primary tracks, varying from machine learning to quantum computing, and included more than 1,000 students, packed into the Xfinity Center on the College Park campus. </p> <p lang="EN-US" xml:lang="EN-US" xml:lang="EN-US">The upperclassmen team from HooHacks—with the addition of Mason alum Katherine Horvath, a information technology graduate and freshman Daniel’s sister—was one of two teams to win awards in two different challenges, including taking first in the Bloomberg Industry Group challenge. The Bloomberg project involved using any public/government data to showcase a specific application highlighting data insights and intelligence. The team’s solution elicited praise from Bloomberg representatives, with the sponsors noting how impressed they were with the product. </p> <p lang="EN-US" xml:lang="EN-US" xml:lang="EN-US">A team of international graduate students studying computer science also won two tracks with their project BitTales, a natural language processing-based web application that turns meaningful conversations into personalized bedtime stories. Master’s students Janit Bidhan and Aabha Bothera and doctoral candidate Saurabh Srivastava won both the Best Use of CockroachDB Serverless and the Best Machine Learning Hack awards at the event, bringing home more than $400 in prize money.</p> <h3 lang="EN-US" xml:lang="EN-US" xml:lang="EN-US">DragonHacks 2023 at Drexel University. </h3> <figure role="group" class="align-right"><div> <div class="field field--name-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img src="/sites/g/files/yyqcgq291/files/2023-07/PAPA%20team.jpeg" width="450" height="453" alt="three team member pose outside" loading="lazy" typeof="foaf:Image" /></div> </div> <figcaption>Perfect Application for Plant Assistance (PAPA) team. Photo provided</figcaption></figure><p lang="EN-US" xml:lang="EN-US" xml:lang="EN-US">Two members of the victorious HooHacks 2023 freshmen team, Daniel Horvath and Anthony Perry, joined a member of the successful upperclassmen team from the same event, Jhonn Dalton Cardozo, to participate in DragonHacks 2023 at Drexel University. The hybrid team won Best Environmental Hack for their project Perfect Application for Plant Assistance (PAPA). The project “aimed to help solve food insecurities through encouraging sustainable botany practices,” said Horvath and Perry. Mason’s Patriot Pantry inspired the team to use competition as a means of incentivizing efforts to end food insecurity, the team wrote in the project description.  </p> <p lang="EN-US" xml:lang="EN-US" xml:lang="EN-US">“Our decision to pursue the best environmental hack track at Dragon Hacks stemmed from a desire to explore new territories, engage in a hardware–software integration project, and the enticing prospect of winning some TVs,” Cardozo recalled. “But beyond the prizes, our team was fueled by a genuine commitment to make a difference and create a solution that would contribute to the well-being of the environment.”</p> <h3 lang="EN-US" xml:lang="EN-US" xml:lang="EN-US">Reflections on Three Hackathons </h3> <p lang="EN-US" xml:lang="EN-US" xml:lang="EN-US">Jhonn Dalton Cardozo gleaned lessons from his experience in each of these hackathons. </p> <p lang="EN-US" xml:lang="EN-US" xml:lang="EN-US">“During the UVA hackathon, I discovered that teamwork is the backbone of any successful project,” he noted.  </p> <p lang="EN-US" xml:lang="EN-US" xml:lang="EN-US">“At Bitcamp, I realized that commitment and dedication to a project can take you far,” he added. </p> <p lang="EN-US" xml:lang="EN-US" xml:lang="EN-US">“At Dragon Hacks, the importance of team management became even more apparent,” he said. “Having a talented team is fantastic, but knowing how to leverage their strengths and expertise is the real key to success. Recognizing the value of different perspectives, interests, and potential within each team member was a crucial aspect of creating our final project. While this might sound like common knowledge, I never fully appreciated the challenge and gratification of managing a team while doing the actual work. I am truly grateful for the exceptional group of individuals in my team and deeply appreciate their efforts in bringing our collective vision to life.” </p> </div> </div> </div> <div data-block-plugin-id="field_block:node:news_release:field_content_topics" class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodenews-releasefield-content-topics"> <h2>Topics</h2> <div class="field field--name-field-content-topics field--type-entity-reference field--label-visually_hidden"> <div class="field__label visually-hidden">Topics</div> <div class="field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/2186" hreflang="en">computer science</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/7686" hreflang="en">information sciences and technology</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/4706" hreflang="en">mechanical engineering</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/6886" hreflang="en">Department of Cyber Security Engineering</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/8986" hreflang="en">Hackathon</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/336" hreflang="en">Students</a></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> Thu, 22 Jun 2023 13:46:19 +0000 Teresa Donnellan 106166 at Firefighters get an assist from 5G-equipped drones developed at Mason /news/2022-10/firefighters-get-assist-5g-equipped-drones-developed-mason <span>Firefighters get an assist from 5G-equipped drones developed at Mason</span> <span><span lang="" about="/user/1011" typeof="schema:Person" property="schema:name" datatype="" xml:lang="">Tama Moni</span></span> <span>Tue, 10/18/2022 - 16:34</span> <div class="layout layout--gmu layout--twocol-section layout--twocol-section--70-30"> <div class="layout__region region-first"> <div data-block-plugin-id="field_block:node:news_release:body" class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodenews-releasebody"> <div class="field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-visually_hidden"> <div class="field__label visually-hidden">Body</div> <div class="field__item"><p><span class="intro-text">A team of firefighters ascend the stairs in a high-rise engulfed in flames. The team disperses to put out the fire and search for survivors. Drones hover around the burning building and identify with pinpoint accuracy the location of each firefighter, who is wearing a sensor, sending this information back to a commander who has an “eye in the sky” vantage point. </span></p> <p>The commander communicates with the firefighters, directing their movements, keeping them safe, and helping them extinguish the flames. If one member of the team hasn’t moved in several minutes, the system sends an alert to check on that person’s status. </p> <figure role="group" class="align-right"><div> <div class="field field--name-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img src="/sites/g/files/yyqcgq291/files/styles/small_content_image/public/2022-10/CEC-CYS-firefighters-thumbnail_600x600.jpg?itok=AWXyIkW3" width="350" height="350" alt="showing someone driving a drone" loading="lazy" typeof="foaf:Image" /></div> </div> <figcaption>Photo by iStock</figcaption></figure><p><span><span><span><span><span>You can imagine this scenario in a big-budget movie, but Vijay Shah, an assistant professor in the Cyber Security Engineering Department in the College of Engineering and Computing at AV is working to make it a reality. If all goes well, firefighters will have a new, important tool like this within five years.   </span></span></span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><span><span>Funded by the <a href="https://www.nist.gov/">National Institute of Standards and Technology</a>, Shah is collaborating with colleagues at Virginia Tech and the Arlington, Virginia, County Fire Department on a 5G Indoor Positioning System that may someday be used by fire departments nationwide. Firefighters in Arlington will be testing the technology in a facility starting in 2025. </span></span></span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><span><span>Advances in 5G network technology allow for this research because compared to other legacy wireless communications, 5G provides much greater accuracy and does not rely on equipment within the building, which may be damaged during a fire. A key development Shah and colleagues are exploiting is called “network slicing,” sending certain pieces of information over portions of the 5G network. </span></span></span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><span><span>“The critical information, such as location of the firefighter, is sent in one ‘slice’ and in a much smaller packet, allowing for virtually no delay in information relay," says Shah. "Transmitting audio/video information requires more data, but any information lost there simply reduces the quality of the audio/video, which is not as important as losing someone’s location. That information would be put in another slice.”   </span></span></span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><span><span>Shah notes that 5G has key capabilities, such as support for various timing and angle-based techniques, device-to-device communication, and edge computing, which can be leveraged to locate users precisely and enable reliable communication infrastructure. Together this allows for much greater situational awareness of firefighters—and victims—by knowing their precise location and allowing for seamless communication among the firefighting team.</span></span></span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><span><span>The drones add another level of complexity, and at least three will be needed around a building to guarantee high levels of accuracy. The team is working to ensure drone communications are synchronized precisely, as even delays as short as milliseconds may result in improper readings. Shah says that getting the independently flying drones synced up is one of the project’s biggest challenges.</span></span></span></span></span></p> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="layout__region region-second"> <div data-block-plugin-id="inline_block:call_to_action" data-inline-block-uuid="a0ec68af-0ee8-4bef-b7c8-66f5c61c3019"> <div class="cta"> <a class="cta__link" href="https://cybersecurity.gmu.edu/"> <h4 class="cta__title">Cybersecurity at Mason <i class="fas fa-arrow-circle-right"></i> </h4> <span class="cta__icon"></span> </a> </div> </div> <div data-block-plugin-id="inline_block:text" data-inline-block-uuid="f675172b-88b8-4a07-9bc9-91f8a5b8823e" class="block block-layout-builder block-inline-blocktext"> <div class="field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p> </p> <p> </p> </div> </div> <div data-block-plugin-id="inline_block:news_list" data-inline-block-uuid="e0890703-c80b-4de4-921c-4b8d529809d3" class="block 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href="/news/2023-06/mason-teams-shine-three-major-hackathons" hreflang="en">Mason teams shine at three major hackathons</a></span></div><div class="views-field views-field-field-publish-date"><div class="field-content">June 22, 2023</div></div></li> </ul></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div data-block-plugin-id="field_block:node:news_release:field_content_topics" class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodenews-releasefield-content-topics"> <h2>Topics</h2> <div class="field field--name-field-content-topics field--type-entity-reference field--label-visually_hidden"> <div class="field__label visually-hidden">Topics</div> <div class="field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/4846" hreflang="en">firefighters</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/16751" hreflang="en">Drones</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/7011" hreflang="en">5G</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/3071" hreflang="en">College of Engineering and Computing</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/3051" hreflang="en">Cyber Security Research</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/8241" hreflang="en">5G/6G Wireless Communications</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/6886" hreflang="en">Department of Cyber Security Engineering</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/271" hreflang="en">Research</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/17476" hreflang="en">Spirit Magazine</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/17481" hreflang="en">Spirit Spring 2023</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/17521" hreflang="en">Inquiring Minds</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/19146" hreflang="en">CEC faculty research</a></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="layout layout--gmu layout--twocol-section layout--twocol-section--30-70"> <div> </div> <div> </div> </div> Tue, 18 Oct 2022 20:34:23 +0000 Tama Moni 101011 at Mason students build drones as part of Commonwealth Cyber Initiative /news/2022-05/mason-students-build-drones-part-commonwealth-cyber-initiative <span>Mason students build drones as part of Commonwealth Cyber Initiative </span> <span><span lang="" about="/user/231" typeof="schema:Person" property="schema:name" datatype="" xml:lang="">Colleen Rich</span></span> <span>Tue, 05/31/2022 - 10:11</span> <div class="layout layout--gmu layout--twocol-section layout--twocol-section--30-70"> <div class="layout__region region-first"> <div data-block-plugin-id="field_block:node:news_release:field_associated_people" class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodenews-releasefield-associated-people"> <h2>In This Story</h2> <div class="field field--name-field-associated-people field--type-entity-reference field--label-visually_hidden"> <div class="field__label visually-hidden">People Mentioned in This Story</div> <div class="field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/profiles/mgebril" hreflang="und">Mohamed Gebril</a></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="layout__region region-second"> <div data-block-plugin-id="inline_block:text" data-inline-block-uuid="c7744d06-b960-496f-88a9-1ccf03710edd" class="block block-layout-builder block-inline-blocktext"> <div class="field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p><span class="intro-text">AV Cybersecurity Engineering associate professor Mohamed Gebril led a team of students to the first-ever BattleDrone competition, an exercise coordinated through the Commonwealth Cyber Initiative. </span></p> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="layout layout--gmu layout--twocol-section layout--twocol-section--30-70"> <div class="layout__region region-first"> <div data-block-plugin-id="inline_block:call_to_action" data-inline-block-uuid="d3bb67dc-1664-49c6-88b5-4eb7c039f46f"> <div class="cta"> <a class="cta__link" href="https://cybersecurity.gmu.edu/academics/bachelor-science-cyber-security-engineering"> <h4 class="cta__title">Learn about Mason's Cybersecurity Engineering Bachelor's <i class="fas fa-arrow-circle-right"></i> </h4> <span class="cta__icon"></span> </a> </div> </div> </div> <div class="layout__region region-second"> <div data-block-plugin-id="field_block:node:news_release:body" class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodenews-releasebody"> <div class="field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-visually_hidden"> <div class="field__label visually-hidden">Body</div> <div class="field__item"><figure role="group"><div> <div class="field field--name-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img src="/sites/g/files/yyqcgq291/files/2022-05/20220415%20-%20Drone%20Battle%20-%20Drone%20Cage%20-%20By%20Peter%20Means-1721%282%29.jpg" width="1200" height="800" alt="group outside around a drone" loading="lazy" typeof="foaf:Image" /></div> </div> <figcaption>In April, Mason professor Mohamed Gebril (center in green) took a team of students to Commonwealth Cyber Initiative's BattleDrones Competition at Virginia Tech’s Drone Park. Photo by Peter Means/Virginia Tech</figcaption></figure><p><span><span><span><span><span><span>In April, <a>Mohamed Gebril, </a></span></span></span><span><span>an </span></span><span><span><span>associate professor in AV’s <a href="https://cec.gmu.edu/strengths/cybersecurity" title="Cyber Security">Cyber Security Engineering Department</a>, took a team of students into “battle.” The team traveled to Blacksburg, Virginia, for a BattleDrones Competition that was hosted by the </span></span></span><a href="https://cyberinitiative.org/"><span><span>Commonwealth Cyber Initiative</span></span></a><span><span><span> (CCI) at Virginia Tech’s </span>Drone Park<span>. </span></span></span></span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><span><span>Gebril emphasized that the inaugural battle was not really a competition but a learning experience. </span></span><span><span><span>CCI began working on this competition in 2020, but the pandemic halted its progress. This was the first time the event was held.</span></span></span></span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><span><span>“It was not a competition per se. All the teams worked together to get this project off the ground,” said Gebril, who teaches in Mason’s<a href="https://cec.gmu.edu/" target="_blank" title="College of Engineering and Computing website, new tab"> College of Engineering and Computing</a>. “CCI-VT ran into some issues with some of the computer vision tools, but overall it was a great learning experience.”</span></span></span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><span>The main objective of the competition, according to Gebril, was to have student teams assemble their own drones with materials provided by CCI-VT research group, as well as promote interest in these kinds of activities among younger students.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><span>For the competition, Gebril pulled together a team of Mason <a href="https://cybersecurity.gmu.edu/academics/bachelor-science-cyber-security-engineering" target="_blank" title="B.S. in Cybersecurity Engineering info page, new tab">cyber security engineering majors</a> interested in hands-on opportunities, which included senior Kylie Amison, senior Corrado Apostolakis, senior Brandon Henry, junior Casey Cho, sophomore Zaid Osta, and Mahmoud Zaghloul, an area high school student.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><span>By all accounts, it was a successful trip.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><span><span>“</span></span><span>The team did really well,” Gebril said. “They were able to assemble the drone successfully. We are also working on continuing this project by adding cybersecurity features to enhance this learning experience.”</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><span>Will they compete again?</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><span>“Yes, indeed,” he said. “Our students love this project and how it applies concepts learned in classrooms toward this hands-on activity.”</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><span><a href="https://idia.gmu.edu/current-partnership-programs/" target="_blank" title="CCI Partnership, Mason IDIA, new tab"><span><span>CCI </span></span>is a network of Virginia industry, higher education, and economic development partners</a> dedicated to cybersecurity research, innovation, and workforce development. Mason leads the Northern Virginia Node of the network.  </span></span></span></span></p> <p> </p> </div> </div> </div> <div data-block-plugin-id="field_block:node:news_release:field_content_topics" class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodenews-releasefield-content-topics"> <h2>Topics</h2> <div class="field field--name-field-content-topics field--type-entity-reference field--label-visually_hidden"> <div class="field__label visually-hidden">Topics</div> <div class="field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/336" hreflang="en">Students</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/6886" hreflang="en">Department of Cyber Security Engineering</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/4186" hreflang="en">Commonwealth Cyber Initiative (CCI)</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/3071" hreflang="en">College of Engineering and Computing</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/2561" hreflang="en">high-tech talent</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/7096" hreflang="en">Mason Momentum</a></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> Tue, 31 May 2022 14:11:38 +0000 Colleen Rich 70761 at For this Mason senior, timing was everything /news/2022-04/mason-senior-timing-was-everything <span>For this Mason senior, timing was everything</span> <span><span lang="" about="/user/231" typeof="schema:Person" property="schema:name" datatype="" xml:lang="">Colleen Rich</span></span> <span>Wed, 04/20/2022 - 14:21</span> <div class="layout layout--gmu layout--twocol-section layout--twocol-section--30-70"> <div class="layout__region region-first"> </div> <div class="layout__region region-second"> <div data-block-plugin-id="field_block:node:news_release:body" class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodenews-releasebody"> <div class="field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-visually_hidden"> <div class="field__label visually-hidden">Body</div> <div class="field__item"><figure role="group" class="align-right"><div> <div class="field field--name-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img src="/sites/g/files/yyqcgq291/files/2022-04/220415810.jpg" width="350" height="429" alt="woman outside" loading="lazy" typeof="foaf:Image" /></div> </div> <figcaption>Ahna Mohiuddin. Photo by DeRon Rockingham/Creative Services</figcaption></figure><p><span><span><span><span>It was 7 p.m. in Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, and Ahna Mohiuddin was just beginning her school day at AV.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><span>It was the 2020 Fall semester, and Mohiuddin, a </span></span><a href="https://cybersecurity.gmu.edu/"><span><span>cyber security engineering</span></span></a><span><span> major, was back in her hometown because Mason had pivoted to online learning during the early stages of the pandemic.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><span>The problem was the 10-hour time difference, which meant that when her classes began at Mason, it was nighttime in Bangladesh, and that meant taking classes sometimes all night until 8 a.m., and sleeping during the day.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><span>“It was definitely challenging,” said Mohiuddin, who is also a member of Mason’s </span></span><a href="https://honorscollege.gmu.edu/"><span><span>Honors College</span></span></a><span><span>. “I figured if I slept during the day and woke up at night it would be okay. But, I guess, it’s just that if everything is dark outside, I sometimes felt drowsy, and it was definitely hard to concentrate.”</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><span>“It shows her perseverance and her drive,” said </span></span><a href="https://volgenau.gmu.edu/profiles/pbrouse"><span><span>Peggy Brouse</span></span></a><span><span>, associate chair for undergraduate studies in the Cyber Security Engineering Department. “She wants to be very successful in her field, and she probably will be.”</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><span>Mohiuddin was born in Knoxville, Tennessee, though she was mostly raised in Bangladesh, moving there with her family. She and her parents returned to the United States in 2016 to investigate colleges, including Mason.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><span>Mohiuddin said she liked Mason’s cybersecurity program and the challenge of the Honors College, and her family liked the Fairfax, Virginia, area. Now a senior, Mohiuddin is one of the top students in the cyber security engineering program.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><span>She also has become a project leader, a persona Brouse said Mohiuddin did not immediately put forward. But over time Mohiuddin found her voice, in class and in group projects.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><span>“I just love when that happens,” Brouse said. “She has a way of making other students feel comfortable and taking on a natural leadership role. She incorporates everybody and gets them involved and gets the most out of everybody on the team.”</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><span>That is important, Brouse said, because cybersecurity employers want team players.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><span>“They figure they’re all going to know the technical stuff,” Brouse said. “But they want people who can work with other people and be ethical. She encompasses all of that.”</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><span>She is also self-sufficient.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><span>Consider the end of her Spring 2020 semester, when Mohiuddin not only had to pack up her dorm room before flying home to Bangladesh because of the pandemic, but had to take a final exam the day before she left. She then flew 24 hours to Dhaka just in time to take another final that began at 3 p.m. at Mason, which was 1 a.m. in Bangladesh. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><span>“I guess I relied on a lot of coffee to stay awake,” Mohiuddin said of managing the time difference. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><span>It’s all easier now, living with her parents in Fairfax, despite her busy schedule that is also giving her real-world, hands-on experience.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><span>Mohiuddin is a data analyst undergraduate research assistant in a project using data analytics to help disrupt illicit supply chains of personal protective equipment and opioids such as fentanyl. The five-year, $650,000 project, funded by the National Science Foundation, is spearheaded by </span></span><a href="https://schar.gmu.edu/profiles/lshelley"><span><span>Louise Shelley</span></span></a><span><span>, director of Mason’s </span></span><a href="https://traccc.gmu.edu/"><span><span>Terrorism, Transnational Crime and Corruption Center</span></span></a><span><span>, and </span></span><a href="https://volgenau.gmu.edu/profiles/chuang10"><span><span>Edward Huang</span></span></a><span><span>, an expert on supply chain network design in the </span></span><a href="https://volgenau.gmu.edu/"><span><span>Volgenau School of Engineering</span></span></a><span><span>.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><span>Mohiuddin is also a peer mentor in the </span></span><a href="https://cec.gmu.edu/"><span><span>College of Engineering and Computing</span></span></a><span><span> and an office assistant in the Honors College.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><span>She previously was an undergraduate teaching assistant in computer science and a learning assistant in mathematics.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><span>“I’ve had a really great experience at Mason,” Mohiuddin said. “I’ve made a lot of friends, and the work I’ve done has always been a positive thing.”</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><span>“She’s very humble,” Brouse said. “But she doesn’t need to be.”</span></span></span></span></p> </div> </div> </div> <div data-block-plugin-id="field_block:node:news_release:field_content_topics" class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodenews-releasefield-content-topics"> <h2>Topics</h2> <div class="field field--name-field-content-topics field--type-entity-reference field--label-visually_hidden"> <div class="field__label visually-hidden">Topics</div> <div class="field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/336" hreflang="en">Students</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/481" hreflang="en">Graduation</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/3071" hreflang="en">College of Engineering and Computing</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/6886" hreflang="en">Department of Cyber Security Engineering</a></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> Wed, 20 Apr 2022 18:21:08 +0000 Colleen Rich 68886 at AV Professor Duminda Wijesekera wins CCI Impact Award /news/2022-04/george-mason-university-professor-duminda-wijesekera-wins-cci-impact-award <span>AV Professor Duminda Wijesekera wins CCI Impact Award</span> <span><span lang="" about="/user/1011" typeof="schema:Person" property="schema:name" datatype="" xml:lang="">Tama Moni</span></span> <span>Mon, 04/11/2022 - 14:54</span> <div class="layout layout--gmu layout--twocol-section layout--twocol-section--30-70"> <div class="layout__region region-first"> <div data-block-plugin-id="field_block:node:news_release:field_associated_people" class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodenews-releasefield-associated-people"> <h2>In This Story</h2> <div class="field field--name-field-associated-people field--type-entity-reference field--label-visually_hidden"> <div class="field__label visually-hidden">People Mentioned in This Story</div> <div class="field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/profiles/dwijesek" hreflang="und">Duminda Wijesekera</a></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="layout__region region-second"> <div data-block-plugin-id="field_block:node:news_release:body" class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodenews-releasebody"> <div class="field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-visually_hidden"> <div class="field__label visually-hidden">Body</div> <div class="field__item"><div class="align-left"> <div class="field field--name-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img src="/sites/g/files/yyqcgq291/files/styles/small_content_image/public/2022-04/Duminda-story-pic_420x299.jpg?itok=aqvTG7kw" width="350" height="249" alt="Duminda Wijesekera accepting an award for his work at CCI" loading="lazy" typeof="foaf:Image" /></div> </div> <p><span><span>The first winner of the <a href="https://cyberinitiative.org/about/cci-impact-award.html"><span>Commonwealth Cyber Initiative Impact Award</span></a> is Duminda Wijesekera, computer science professor and acting chair of the Department of Cyber Security Engineering at AV. </span></span></p> <p><span><span>“I am delighted and honored to receive the award,” Wijesekera said. “CCI funding has made it possible to work on projects that could change our daily lives. These projects include autonomous vehicle security, 5G, and such 5G applications as connected transportation, smart building, and smart city initiatives. It’s exciting to help students learn about these advances in the excellent research atmosphere created by CCI.”</span></span></p> <p><span><span>The CCI Impact Award recognizes an individual, group, or organization that has conducted breakthrough cybersecurity research or innovation or developed creative ways to improve the cybersecurity workforce opportunities for our industry partners or students. The winner was selected by a subcommittee of five members of the <a href="https://cyberinitiative.org/about/technical-advisory-board.html"><span>CCI Technical Advisory Board</span></a>. </span></span></p> <p><span><span>"The five nominees for this award have made incredible contributions to CCI's mission, including recognized research leadership, student mentoring, and entrepreneurship in cybersecurity,” said Luiz DaSilva, CCI executive director. “I am thrilled for their success, and in particular for the recognition of Duminda's impact on securing cyber-physical systems, from manufacturing to smart transportation."</span></span></p> <p><span><span>Wijesekera has led or participated in more than 10 CCI research projects with dozens of faculty and numerous industry and government partners, secured or filed multiple patents, and attracted millions of dollars of new investment in Virginia's cybersecurity research enterprise, said Liza Wilson Durant, director of the CCI Northern Virginia (NoVA) regional node and associate provost at AV. </span></span></p> <p><span><span>"The CCI NoVa Node community is proud to see Dr. Wijesekera recognized for the profound impact his collaborative leadership and expertise have had on the success and economic impact of CCI,” said Durant. “He has strategically built the CCI NoVa Node's Living Innovation Lab assets to advance the security of Next G across many Internet of Things applications and has been generous with his time to mentor and collaborate.” </span></span></p> <p><span><span>"The efforts of Dr. WIjesekera and the several hundred other Virginia faculty who are working to advance cybersecurity research and innovation in Virginia are the secret sauce to CCI's success in elevating Virginia as a global leader in cybersecurity with more than $77 million of economic impact to date," Durant said. </span></span></p> <p><span><span>Researchers nominated for the award include:  </span></span></p> <p><span><span>Adwait Nadkarni, an assistant professor in the department of computer science and director of the Secure Platforms Lab at the College of William & Mary.</span></span></p> <p><span><span>Haiying Shen, an associate professor in the department of computer science, the department of systems and Information engineering, and the electrical and computer engineering department at the University of Virginia.</span></span></p> <p><span><span>Sachin Shetty, the executive director of the Center for Secure and Intelligent Critical Systems at Virginia Modeling, Analysis and Simulation Center, and holds a joint appointment as a professor of computational modeling and simulation engineering at Old Dominion University.</span></span></p> <p><span><span>Danfeng (Daphne) Yao is a computer science professor at Virginia Tech, the Elizabeth and James E. Turner Jr. '56 Faculty Fellow, and a CACI Faculty Fellow.</span></span></p> </div> </div> </div> <div data-block-plugin-id="field_block:node:news_release:field_content_topics" class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodenews-releasefield-content-topics"> <h2>Topics</h2> <div class="field field--name-field-content-topics field--type-entity-reference field--label-visually_hidden"> <div class="field__label visually-hidden">Topics</div> <div class="field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/3071" hreflang="en">College of Engineering and Computing</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/14976" hreflang="en">Mason Core</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/6886" hreflang="en">Department of Cyber Security Engineering</a></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> Mon, 11 Apr 2022 18:54:36 +0000 Tama Moni 68501 at Mason wins VMI Cyber Fusion event /news/2022-03/mason-wins-vmi-cyber-fusion-event <span>Mason wins VMI Cyber Fusion event </span> <span><span lang="" about="/user/971" typeof="schema:Person" property="schema:name" datatype="" xml:lang="">Rena Malai</span></span> <span>Wed, 03/02/2022 - 10:23</span> <div class="layout layout--gmu layout--twocol-section layout--twocol-section--30-70"> <div class="layout__region region-first"> <div data-block-plugin-id="field_block:node:news_release:field_associated_people" class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodenews-releasefield-associated-people"> <h2>In This Story</h2> <div class="field field--name-field-associated-people field--type-entity-reference field--label-visually_hidden"> <div class="field__label visually-hidden">People Mentioned in This Story</div> <div class="field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/profiles/jjonesu" hreflang="und">Jim Jones</a></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="layout__region region-second"> <div data-block-plugin-id="field_block:node:news_release:body" class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodenews-releasebody"> <div class="field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-visually_hidden"> <div class="field__label visually-hidden">Body</div> <div class="field__item"><figure role="group" class="align-left"><div> <div class="field field--name-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img src="/sites/g/files/yyqcgq291/files/styles/small_content_image/public/2022-03/Cyber%20Fusion.jpg?itok=ELTBQqA5" width="350" height="233" alt="Cyber Fusion" loading="lazy" typeof="foaf:Image" /></div> </div> <figcaption>The Mason team poses with the first place trophy after winning VMI's Cyber Fusion event.<br /> ​​​</figcaption></figure><p>Mason Patriots won <a href="https://www.vmi.edu/about/conferences/cyberfusion/" target="_blank">Commonwealth Cyber Fusion</a>, an event that combines a collegiate cyber competition with learning and career opportunities. </p> <p>AV students competed in the event last weekend and again claimed first place, a position Mason has maintained from the previous Cyber Fusion. Mason representatives at Cyber Fusion included Henry Coffman, member of the Virginia Cyber Range Executive Committee, and Jim Jones, Mason faculty advisor. </p> <p>The students who competed in the event are a part of <a href="https://competitivecyber.club/" target="_blank">Mason’s Competitive Cyber club</a>, sponsored by the <a href="https://cec.gmu.edu/strengths/cybersecurity" target="_blank">Cybersecurity Engineering</a> (CYSE) department and coached by Jones. A number of members in the club are also students in the CYSE program.  </p> <p><a href="https://volgenau.gmu.edu/profiles/pbrouse" target="_blank">Peggy Brouse</a>, CYSE professor, says she is very proud of the winners’ continuing efforts and their achievements as representatives of Mason.   </p> <p>“Once again, our CEC students from both the Cyber Security Engineering and the Computer Science departments brought home the first place trophy from the Cyber Fusion conference,” says Brouse. “The students they competed against are from top-ranked cyber schools which makes the accomplishment even more noteworthy.” </p> <p>The students self-formed the Mason Competitive Cyber club which plays a large part in their successes, she says.   </p> <p>“Especially impressive is that the club welcomes all students to learn about and practice for competitions regardless of experience or academic year,” Brouse says. “I look forward to future competitions.” </p> <p>Cyber Fusion is co-hosted by the <a href="https://www.vmi.edu/about/conferences/cyberfusion/" target="_blank">Virginia Military Institute</a> (VMI), Sen. Mark R. Warner, the <a href="https://cyberinitiative.org/" target="_blank">Commonwealth Cyber Initiative</a>, and the <a href="https://www.virginiacyberrange.org/" target="_blank">Virginia Cyber Range</a>. According to VMI, Cybersecurity is one of the nation’s and Commonwealth’s top priorities. Cyber Fusion is the organized integration of data and tools from disparate sources of support for secure and resilient system lifecycles. </p> </div> </div> </div> <div data-block-plugin-id="field_block:node:news_release:field_content_topics" class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodenews-releasefield-content-topics"> <h2>Topics</h2> <div class="field field--name-field-content-topics field--type-entity-reference field--label-visually_hidden"> <div class="field__label visually-hidden">Topics</div> <div class="field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/9486" hreflang="en">Events</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/6886" hreflang="en">Department of Cyber Security Engineering</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/3346" hreflang="en">Cyber Security</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/3071" hreflang="en">College of Engineering and Computing</a></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> Wed, 02 Mar 2022 15:23:45 +0000 Rena Malai 66246 at