Faculty Professional Development Workshop
Bucks County Community College
May 11, 2023
The 2023 Bucks Faculty Development Workshop focused on the PC4A Project, Network Defense, and the NCAE Cyber Sandbox. The event was held virtually via Zoom, and all interested Bucks faculty and staff were welcome to attend. Download the flyer, brochure and schedule for more information.
Guest Bios and Session
Summaries
Dr. Waleed Farag
Director, IUP Institute for Cybersecurity
Session Summary
This session provides an overview of the PC4A Project and its three major objectives. It will discuss our efforts to promote collaboration among seven institutions of higher education across the Commonwealth of PA in order to advance cybersecurity and STEM education.
Speaker Bio
Waleed Farag is the director of Indiana University of Pennsylvania’s Institute for Cybersecurity and a professor of computer science. He oversees the IUP Cybersecurity program, which has been a designated Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense since the early 2000s. He has made several contributions in these areas and has published/presented over 70 articles in recognized journals, conferences, and workshops. His work was recognized with the Best Paper Award at the ACM SIGITE’2012. Farag has outstanding records of securing funds to support his research and is currently the PI of several major federally funded grants. His work in many of these funded projects has led to the establishment of unique programs that have contributed to the enhancement of cybersecurity education and research across Pennsylvania and beyond. Furthermore, Farag has served on many technical program committees and as a reviewer for several international journals, conferences, and federal agencies.
Mr. James Rice
Professor, Mohawk Valley Community College
Session Summary
Leading up to the NCAE National Competition grant and upon MVCC receiving the award, Rice spearheaded the effort to have an educational environment as a priority alongside the delivery of the competitions themselves. In this workshop session, Rice walks through a brief history of working in this space, leveraging the NCAE Cyber Sandbox in the classroom, and unveils other new collaborative learning platforms coming to the Sandbox and beyond the NCAE grant.
Speaker Bio
Rice has been with MVCC, starting as an adjunct professor in 2011 and becoming a full-time cybersecurity instructor at the beginning of 2017. While teaching as an adjunct for MVCC, Rice worked full-time as a cybersecurity analyst for Quanterion Solutions Inc., a cybersecurity and reliability engineering-focused Department of Defense contractor. During this time, he has focused on delivering dynamic learning content and environments via various forms of media, including scenarios and games. He holds a bachelor's degree in mathematics from SUNY Albany and a master's degree in cybersecurity from Utica University.
Dr. Xin-Wen Wu
Associate Professor, University of Mary Washington
Session Summary
Modern cryptography, including symmetric ciphers, asymmetric crypto algorithms, and secure hash algorithms, provides powerful tools to protect cyberspace and users. When used properly, advanced cryptography ensures confidentiality, integrity, and beyond. In this workshop, we will introduce algorithmic concepts of the most commonly used cryptographic protocols. Interesting examples and hands-on activities will be offered to help understand the concepts.
Speaker Bio
Xin-wen Wu, PhD, has worked in cybersecurity and various related areas as a researcher and educator over the last two decades. He has published two books, a monograph, and numerous research articles in reputable journals and international conferences. Wu is a faculty member at the University of Mary Washington. He was also affiliated with Indiana University of Pennsylvania, extending his academic experience at several research-focused universities including the University of California at San Diego and the University of Melbourne in Australia.