Six undergraduate students presented papers at the 17th Annual Consortium for Computing Sciences in Colleges Mid-South Conference in Cooperation with ACM/SIGCSE, April 12-13, 2019. The students range from freshman to senior, and are currently pursuing majors in Computer Science, Information Technology, or Information Systems. The six students and their papers are as follows:
Tanim Sardar (MS.IT student) won the 1st Place Computer Science Graduate Oral Presentation
Award for his research work titled "Cyber Security Awareness Training Program for
University Students" that he presented at the 103rd annual conference of the Arkansas
Academy of Science on Saturday, March 30, 2019 in Conway, Arkansas. Among the conference
attendees were more than 250 scientists from four government agencies and 21 colleges
and universities. The work that was presented at the conference includes more than
150 technical papers. His research advisor is Dr. Luay A. Wahsheh.
Several Computer Club members toured ArcBest Corporation in Fort Smith, AR, on Thursday,
March 14. Students learned about working in the IT field and several types of IT jobs,
as well as got to see some current projects being worked on. They also learned about
internship opportunities with the company.
Mrs. Becky Cunningham and Dr. Luay Wahsheh met with incoming freshmen on Wednesday,
March 13, 2019, during the college's first TECHAdvise session. Students had the opportunity
to learn the differences in the five degree programs offered by the department before
registering for classes.
Lora McIntosh, Chief Information Security Officer at Simmons Bank, and Joseph "Dan"
Waggoner, Simmons Bank consultant, met with the department students and faculty to
talk about cyber security job opportunities and building a pipeline of ATU student
talents in Arkansas. The meeting took place on Tuesday, February 19, 2019 at 12:30
pm - 2:00 pm on the ATU Russellville campus.
The ATU Computer Club elected two new officers at their Wednesday, February 6, 2019
meeting. Joshua Crestman was elected Secretary and Jared Qualls was elected Treasurer
for the remainder of the 2018-19 school year. Boyd Hutchins and James Hamilton will
continue their roles as President and Vice President, respectively. This semester,
the club is planning a bowling outing, a trip to ArcBest in Fort Smith, and a game
night.
The ATU Computer and Information Science Advisory Board met for its bi-annual dinner
and meeting on Thursday, November 29, 2018. Advisory Board members from companies
such as ArcBest, Acxiom, and Walmart gave input to the department regarding possible
changes to curriculum. Senior students about the graduate were also invited to the
event so that they could experience a business meeting.
The ATU Cyber Club toured the FBI Headquarters in Little Rock on Tuesday, November
20, 2018. The tour was organized by Agent Becky Passmore and gave the chance for students
to see career opportunities in the FBI, particularly those related to cyber forensics.
Students were provided with several presentations on topics, including terrorism,
cyber forensics, evidence response, SWAT, and the day-to-day operations of a typical
FBI office. The ATU Cyber Club organizes events with industry and government agencies
to provide students opportunities in exploring the various cybersecurity workforce
environments.
Upward Bound Math and Science, November 10, 2018.
Cyber Security Awareness Campaign, October 22, 2018.
Tech Open House, October 20, 2018.
Little Rock Tech Fest, October 4-5, 2018.
Freshmen Orientation, August 21, 2018.
