UMBC Cyber Dawgs win Mid-Atlantic Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition

Last weekend, the UMBC Cyber Dawgs took first place in the Mid-Atlantic Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition (MACCDC), which was held virtually. UMBC’s team was one of eight that participated in the competition, fighting to protect their networks efficiently and effectively from simulated cyber threats and attacks. The team topped Penn State; the University of Maryland, College Park; and University of Virginia, which won the national championship for the past two years.

UMBC’s Cyber Dawgs will move on to compete in the National Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition (NCCDC). Due to COVID-19, the competition will be held remotely this year.

How does the competition work?

These regional and national competitions attract leading collegiate cybersecurity teams from across the nation. They put teams in situations that mimic scenarios they might encounter working to secure and protect online systems for government agencies and companies. Throughout each challenge, teammates work together to protect their systems from hackers and cyber attacks. At the same time, they keep their networks accessible to the users relying on them. 

Meet the team

The MACCDC was about 14 hours long, and was held over two days. During the competition, the teams were not permitted to interact with their coaches Charles Nicholas, professor of computer science and electrical engineering (CSEE), and Rick Forno, senior lecturer in CSEE.

The winning UMBC team included Anna Staats ‘20, computer science; RJ Joyce ‘18, M.S. ‘20, computer science; Cyrus Bonyadi, Ph.D. ‘23, computer science; Drew Barrett ‘20, computer science; Seamus Burke ‘20, computer science; Henry Budris ‘22, computer science; Chris Skane ‘21, computer science; and Nikola Bura ‘21, computer science. 

“We are so proud of our team, and their ability to work together as a team under such extraordinary conditions,” says Nicholas.

This is the third time in six years that the Cyber Dawgs have won the MACCDC. The UMBC team won the national championship in 2017.

Adapted from a UMBC News article by Megan Hanks. Banner image: Student using a computer. Photo by Marlayna Demond ’11 for UMBC.

The post UMBC Cyber Dawgs win Mid-Atlantic Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition appeared first on Department of Computer Science and Electrical Engineering.

The UMBC Cyber Defense Lab presents

Cyber Policy Challenges

Lance J. Hoffman
Distinguished Professor, George Washington University

12–1:00 pm, Friday, 24 April 2020

remotely via WebEx

System attackers and defenders operate on a constantly changing battlefield, and some of the more serious conflicts involving nation-states could be considered acts of war, though we are still in the early stages of defining war in cyberspace. Policies for security and privacy can vary wildly, and have important personal, national, and global consequences for privacy, free speech, censorship, and other issues. Things get even more complicated with the advent of the Internet of Things, where (mostly unsophisticated) users may think they have more control than they actually do and can make bad mistakes. Various ethical issues related to the development of these systems, including bias in artificial intelligence and what harm to choose when harm is unavoidable have only started to be examined. This talk will provide both historical context and some discussion of topical issues such as Zoombombing and the security of electronic voting systems as compared to mail ballots and traditional voting.

Professor Lance J. Hoffman is the author or editor of numerous articles and five books on computer security and privacy. He developed the first regularly offered course on computer security at the University of California, Berkeley in 1970. A Fellow of the Association for Computing Machinery and a member of the Cyber Security Hall of Fame, Dr. Hoffman institutionalized the ACM Conference on Computers, Freedom, and Privacy. He has served on a number of Advisory Committees including those of Federal Trade Commission and the Department of Homeland Security and has testified before Congress on security and privacy-related issues. He is the principal investigator of the CyberCorps program at GWU. Dr. Hoffman earned his Ph. D. in Computer Science from Stanford University, after a B.S. in Mathematics from Carnegie Mellon University.

Host: Alan T. Sherman, *protected email* Support for this event was provided in part by the National Science Foundation under SFS grant DGE-1753681. The UMBC Cyber Defense Lab meets biweekly Fridays. All meetings are open to the public. Upcoming CDL meetings: May 8, Jason Wells (UMBC SFS scholar) law enforcement; May 22, Spring SFS Meeting at UMBC, 9:30am-2pm, ITE456

The post Talk: Lance Hoffman (GWU) Cyber Policy Challenges, 12-1pm 4/24 online appeared first on Department of Computer Science and Electrical Engineering.

Sonali is an Information Systems major. She will present her research, "An Analysis of Where a New Guest Would Book their First Travel Experience" at Virtual URCAD 2020!

Co-presenters: Harveer Kaur and Muhsina Helal

Abstract:
Machine learning, data mining algorithms and data analytics were discussed, researched and implemented. In a collaboration of a team of 5, data analytics were performed on datasets from Kaggle through utilizing data mining tools such as Weka and Rapidminer in order to gain insight into where a new guest would book their first travel experience.  A supervised learning approach along with decision trees, random forest classifiers and the ROC curve were utilized on the Airbnb data provided by Kaggle in our project. Data pre-processing, data collection, and data evaluation on the various datasets provided by Kaggle were implemented. After conducting the data mining algorithms using Weka and Rapidminer, the Random Forest Classifier and Decision Tree algorithm provides the most accurate results. Age, language, month of the first booking and gender were the major features that gave the most insight and analytics into where a new guest will book their first trip. Overall, data mining methods and algorithms proved to determine where a new guest will book their first travel experience for Airbnb guests.

Mentor: James Foulds

Come see Sonali's poster, and other undergraduate research and creative work, April 22-29th at URCAD.umbc.edu!

Join us for Virtual URCAD, April 22-29, 2020!

You will be able to view student presentations and interact with the presenters.

URCAD.umbc.edu

Octavia Ashton | Visual Arts

Two Passions in One

Mentor: Corrie Parks

Zachary Barker-Frey | Visual Arts

Practice Makes Perfect: An Animated Self-Portrait

Mentor: Corrie Parks

Joanna Bigelow | Visual Arts

Portraits: An Exploration of the Human Spirit

Mentor: April Householder

Zippora Cahn, Yvonne-Crystel Monterrosa, Zhenbang Weng, Nynna Vu, Marielle Fabregas, Sean Huber | Visual Arts

Monster Mash-Up

Mentor: Eric Jordan

Zippora Cahn, Yvonne-Crystel Monterrosa, Zhenbang Weng, Nynna Vu, Marielle Fabregas, Sean Huber | Visual Arts

Taco Tuesday

Mentor: Eric Jordan

Dylan Chao | Visual Arts

ASMRtist: Art in Relaxation

Mentor: Timothy Nohe

Emilia Cieslak| Visual Arts

The Process of 3D Printing for Stop Motion Animation

Mentor: Corrie Parks

Courtney Culp | Visual Arts

A Mile in My Cleats

Mentor: Amy Oden

Julius Echipare | Visual Arts

Sea Monster

Mentor: Corrie Parks

Angela Endres| Visual Arts

Sirius: An Animated Short

Mentor: Corrie Parks

Liam Garrett | Visual Arts

The Digital Art Movement: Its Role in Spreading Awareness About Endangered Animals

Mentor: April Householder

Brianna Harper | Visual Arts

 Mentor: Preminda Jacob

Kyle Hartford | Visual Arts

The Last Roadshow

Mentor: Cathy Cook

Matthew Haworth, Yitzhak Oshry, De’Andrea Harmon, Courtney Culp, Dalton Mongue| Visual Arts 

Sherlock Romes

Mentor: Eric Jordan

Sam Herring, J.D. Byron, Silas Dunigan, Matt Vermont| Visual Arts

High Definition Real Time Zoetrope (HDRTZ)

Mentor: Eric Dyer

Valerie Kilchenstein, Justin Pham, Joel Okpara, Junior Sei, Sean Hill| Visual Arts

Monster Mash-Up

Mentor: Eric Jordan

Brent Lance, Jr.| Visual Arts

Gotham, How An American Typeface Shaped Barack Obama's 2008 Hope Campaign

Mentor: Margaret Re

Olivia Mills| Visual Arts

Authorship and Animation

Mentor: Evan Tedlock

Wyatt Mumford, Alex Donaldson, Brandon Liu, Gavin Prather, Isaac Thompson| Visual Arts

One Bard Band

Mentor: Eric Jordan

Noah Nies| Visual Arts

Huey's Blues: White Cultural Appropriation of Blues Music

Mentor: Corrie Parks

Skyler O’Neill, Benjamin Prysucha, Harrison Trinh, Evan Morris, Zach Hale | Visual Arts

Lone Mech Pilot

Mentor: Eric Jordan

Shawn Oppermann, Aaron Reamer, Locke Wingate, Joshua Ludlow, Alex Patel | Visual Arts

PLEG: The Putting Legs on Everything Game

Mentor: Eric Jordan

Samantha Papastephanou| Visual Arts

Goopl

Mentor: Corrie Parks

Bella Possidente| Visual Arts

Lighthouse

Mentor: Corrie Parks

Alex Schobitz| Visual Arts

Emotional

Mentor: Corrie Parks

Taylor Steen| Visual Arts

Prolonged Surprise

Mentor: Corrie Parks

Connor Thomas, Jacob Hoffman, Brandon Thomas | Visual Arts

Block Turn: Cube-Flipping, Puzzle-Solving Fun

Mentor: Eric Jordan

Raychel Thress| Visual Arts

The Movement of Otherworldly Creatures

Mentor: Corrie Parks

Jacob Yepez| Visual Arts

Rat-Boy Christmas

Mentor: Corrie Parks

Michelle Young| Visual Arts

Many Hats, One Face: The Life of Cooper Black

Mentor: Margaret Re

Join us for Virtual URCAD, April 22-29, 2020!

You will be able to view student presentations and interact with the presenters.

URCAD.umbc.edu

Shandon Amos | Biological Sciences

Investigation of the Protein-Protein Interactions of the Chromatin Associated Protein Set4 in Saccharomyces Cerevisiae

Mentor: Erin Green

Barna Baierna | Biological Sciences

Characterization of N-Acetylglucosamine Transport and Utilization by Cellvibrio Japonicus

Mentor: Jeffrey Gardner

Anthony Cano | Political Science

Informal Resettlement of Internally Displaced People (IDP) in Cartagena, Colombia, and Urban Development

Mentor: Felipe Filomeno

Tobias Coombs| Chemical, Biochemical, and Environmental Engineering

Investigating the Impact of Nanoparticle Surface Charge on Compliment Activation Related Pseudo Allergy

Mentor: Erin Lavik

Eliana Crentsil | Chemical, Biochemical, and Environmental Engineering

The Effect of Cell Tension on Cell Growth

Mentor: Sean Sun

Cassie Davis | American Studies

Implications of Rhetoric: A Historical Newspapçer Analysis of Immigration Policy

Mentor: Tamara Bhalla

Matthew Haworth| Visual Arts

Sherlock Romes

Mentor: Eric Jordan

Karan Luthria| Bioinformatics and Computational Biology

Enhancing and Visualizing Human Disease Networks to Reduce Healthcare Cost

Mentor: Maricel Kann

Samantha Maygers | Chemical, Biochemical, and Environmental Engineering

Designing a Modular, Battery-Powered Vehicle Stopped by an Iodine Clock Reaction

Mentor: Neha Raikar

Oluwatomiwa Oladunni| Chemistry and Biochemistry

Gadolinium-Chelating Tag Synthesis for Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) of Dendronized Nanocarriers

Mentor: Marie-Christine Daniel

Hannah Ramcharan | Bioinformatics and Computational Biology

Identifying Spatial and Temporal Gene Expression Dynamics From Multiple Sequencing Data

Mentor: Daniel Lobo

Tanya Ramsey | English

Peer Education Impacts on Student Outcomes: A Case Study From the UMBC McNair Scholars Program

Mentor: Elaine MacDougall

Jeremy Rubin | Mathematics and Statistics

 Mentor: Russell Shinohara

Alexandra Seas| Chemical, Biochemical, and Environmental Engineering

Synthesis of Immunosuppressive Nanoparticles for the Treatment of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

Mentor: Gregory Szeto

Inaya Wahid | Health Administration and Policy

Developing a Program to Improve Birth Outcomes in Delaware

Mentor: Kate Smith

Anna Yaschenko | Biological Sciences

Identifying the Genetic Basis of Drug Response Using Drosophila Melanogaster in the Era of Personalized Medicine

Mentor: Jeff Leips

Although COVID-19 has been a crazy time for everyone, we have been fortunate to have recently hired Anna Pittinger as a new member of the Career Center team. While we are disappointed that we can’t welcome her to UMBC’s physical campus right now, we are excited to have her on board and look forward to having her join us in Math/Psych 201 in the future! Take a look at the profile below to learn a little bit more about Anna.  

Tell us a little about yourself. Where are you from? Where did you go to school?

I am originally from Baltimore Maryland but currently live in Annapolis MD. I went to Baltimore School for the Arts High School and graduated from Towson University with a degree in Sociology and minor in Psychology.

What did you do before coming to the Career Center?

I worked for Hyatt and Marriott Hotels as an Event and Sales Manager. I also worked for some smaller organizations as a Director of Programs and Events. In addition, I enjoy cooking and owned a small Catering Company in Arnold that did small local events.

What will you be working on at UMBC?

Career Services and Events with a focus on service and employer relationships.

What are you most excited about for your new role?

The people at UMBC! The Institution is wonderful- students, staff, employers, alumni, everyone. It is an incredible place to work because of the values and people.

Do you have a secret talent?

I was a dancer at Baltimore School for the Arts when I went to high school there and I love to cook. I was the chef and owner of my own tiny catering business.

What was your first job or internship?

First Job - TJ Maxx.

First Internship - I was and am an Albert Schweitzer Fellow.

How are you spending your COVID-19 quarantine?

Learning more about UMBC, adapting to two children at home and how to assist their awesome teachers “e-teach,” more family time, and exploring things I haven't had time to do before.

Please join us in welcoming Anna to the team! We are so happy to have her with us during this crazy time and even more excited to see her on campus.

Join us for Virtual URCAD, April 22-29, 2020!

You will be able to view student presentations and interact with the presenters.

URCAD.umbc.edu

Shwikar Abdelrahman | Psychology

The Abundance of Fentanyl

Mentor: Brittany Patterson

Ghina Ammar | Psychology

Discrimination and Heart Rate Change from Day to Night in Young Black Adults

Mentor: Danielle Beatty Moody

Shani Avnaim | Psychology

Women's Perspectives on Perpetrating Partner Abusive Behavior

Mentor: Christopher Murphy

Kylie Barrett| Psychology

Race and Restorative Practices in Maryland School Systems

Mentor: Ken Maton

Michael Brisbane| Psychology

What is the Effect of The Writing Center as it Relates to Transfer Students and Persistence?

Mentor: Diane Alonso

Dawn Bunch| Psychology

Examining a Web-based Training for Social Workers on the Benefits of Early Psychosis Screening

Mentor: Jason Schiffman

Olga Gorbachev | Psychology

An Experimental Analysis of the Effect of Binauralbeats on Memory

Mentor: Diane Alonso

Kai Hajos, Jessica Kweon, Swati Singh| Psychology

How Mentorship Mediates Relationships Between Social Integration and Retention of Female STEM Major Meyerhoff Scholars

Mentor: Mariano Sto. Domingo

Tyra Hill | Psychology

Do Intimate Partner Violent Men with a History of Childhood Maltreatment Have Higher Recidivism Rates After Treatment?

Mentor: Christopher Murphy

Dinita Mani| Psychology

From B.S. To B.A: Psychosocial Factors Influencing Changes In STEM Majors Among Underrepresented Minority Students

Mentor: Mariano St. Domingo

Phoebe Mariano, Vivian Jiang, Ruth Chapman, Jessica Strauss, Leah Fournier| Psychology

Gender and Race Influence the Association of Anxiety With Psychosocial Variables

Mentor: Raimi Quiton

Robert Maxwell| Psychology

Asian American Children’s Effortful Control Mediates Maternal Positive Expressivity and Child Socioemotional Outcomes

Mentor: Charissa Cheah

Kimberly Mitchell, Brianna Georges | Psychology

Positive Mood Mediates the Association Between Stigma and Sickle Cell Pain

Mentor: Shawn Bediako

Tyler Moore| Psychology

Which School Readiness Skills do Latino Parents Value and How Do They Think These Skills Are Learned?

Mentor: Susan Sonneschein

Lindsay Mountcastle | Psychology

 Mentor: Lynnda Dahlquist

Jamie Nathlar| Psychology

An Analysis of the Effects of Various Meditations on Reaction Time in Older Adults

Mentor: Diane Alonso

Anthony Owusu, Kamal Abro| Psychology

Racial Centrality and Sickle Cell Disease Pain: The Moderating Role of Private Regard

Mentor: Shawn Bediako

Hye-Jin Park | Psychology

 Mentor: Charissa Cheah

Jonnalyn Price | Psychology

Reported Helpfulness of Formal and Informal Intimate Partner Violence Response Strategies

Mentor: Christopher Murphy

Mackenzie Primrose, David Horsey| Psychology

Coping Strategies and Chronic Anger in Diverse Emerging Adults

Mentor: Danielle Beatty Moody

Ozair Qazi | Psychology

 Mentor: Charissa Cheah

Sara Reagan| Psychology

The Long-Term Outcomes of Childhood Tourette Syndrome: A Systematic Review

Mentor: Joseph McGuire

Christa Reyes| Psychology

The Relationship of Social and Emotional Learning and Restorative Practices in Schools

Mentor: Ken Maton

Ayo Telli, Aryn Dougherty, Ashani Jayasekera, Kollin Miner, Lindsey Mountcastle, Angel Munoz-Osorio, Raquel Castillo| Psychology

The Comparison of Virtual Reality and Cell Phone Distractors as an Influence on the Perception of Acute Pain

Mentor: Lynnda Dahlquist

Briscoe Turner, Kyra Malone, Elizabeth Janson, Jabarey Wells| Psychology

Impact of Experiences of Rejection on Health-Related Quality of Life for Previously Incarcerated Individuals

Mentor: Bronwyn Hunter

#umbcURCAD

Upload your original photos to FaceBook, Instagram and/or Twitter using #umbcURCAD for a chance to win one of four gift cards to the UMBC Bookstore!

Traditionally, URCAD participants and guests have taken photos with their posters, in the photo booth, or at other URCAD venues on campus.  Since this year's event will be online, we encourage you to take screenshots of yourself making your online presentations, or of the interactions you have using the VoiceThread technology, April 22-29th. We can't wait to see you in action! 

Categories:

• Best Overall Selfie: Take a photo with a UMBC notable... (President Hrabowski, Provost Rous, Dean Cole…) or ??! … get creative!
• Best with Mentor
• Best "making of" VT presentation
• Best with Presentation