Department of Computer Science and Electrical Engineering

On Tuesday, September 25, professionals from the National Security Agency will visit UMBC for a Computer Science Career Event hosted by NSA's Office of Recruitment and Dr. Claudia Pearce, NSA/CSS Senior Computer Science Authority. The session is geared toward upper divison Computer Science, Engineering, and Information Systems majors, as well as graduate students. It will be held in the University Center Ballroom Lounge (3rd Floor) from 6-8 p.m.

Agenda:

6:00 – 6:15 – Welcome, get refreshments, etc.

6:15 – 6:20 – Opening remarks and introductions

6:20 – 6:30 – NSA Video

6:30 – 6:50 – Cyber Security at NSA
Speaker: Mr. Neal Ziring, Technical Director, Information Assurance Directorate

6:50 – 7:10 – Analytics and Cloud Computing:
Results from JHU Summer Camp in Advanced Language Exploration
Speaker: Dr. Chad Langley, Computer Science Development Program Director

7:10 – 8:00 – Entry-level Development Program Descriptions and Q&A. Speakers include:
Ms. Lucy Zerbe, Information Technology Development Program Director
Ms. Linda Obcamp, Computer Science Development Program Assistant Director
Mr. Ben Cudia, NSA HR Recruiter
Mr. Robert Soos, NSA HR Recruiter

For more information, download the event flyer.

The Central Maryland Association of .NET Professionals (CMAP), a user’s group that focuses on learning and discussing Microsoft .NET technologies, will host its first event of the year next Tuesday, September 25 at 6:45 p.m. in ITE 459.

Wayne Loschen from the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory—the technical lead for ESSENCE (Electronic Surveillance System for the Early Notification of Community-based Epidemics)-will speak bout the technical aspects of public health disease surveillance, including the architecture and visualization aspects.

The talk is the first in the CMAP series that will continue every fourth Tuesday of the month through June 2013. The group gives students the chance to chat and network with professional Software Developers. Admission is free.

To learn more about CMAP, find them on Facebook, LinkedIn, and visit their website.

Do you want to build a killer Windows8 application? Then head to the Microsoft Win8 App Challenge kickoff tomorrow, Friday September 14, 2012 in ITE 459 from 12-1 p.m.

At this information session, you'll learn more about Microsoft's Win8 App Challenge and how from now until October 26th, you can submit up to three Windows 8 applications for a chance to win a $25 gift certificate. Students are required to work with a Microsoft Student Partner () to envision, build, and submit an app to the Windows store. All majors are welcome. All that's required is an interest in learning to make apps on your own or in a team.

Do you aspire to become the next Mark Zuckerberg?

Give you dream a shot at Startup Weekend Baltimore, which takes place September 28-30 in Locust Point.

The weekend brings together developers, coders, designers, marketing gurus, and businesspeople for a high-energy weekend where aspiring entrepreneurs pitch ideas, form teams, and then present their progress to their peers at the end of the day Sunday. Participants leave with a business model, a website, and a range of business connections to help get their start-up off the ground. 55% of participants continue to work on the project with their team.

A worldwide movement, Startup Weekend has branches in over 200 cities around the globe, from Anchorage, Alaska to Marrakech, Morocco. The weekend has helped conceive successful companies including Foodspotting, a smartphone application that allows foodies around the world to recommend favorite dishes rather than restaurants.    

To learn more about the weekend and to register, visit Baltimore.startupweekend.org.

If you’d like to be part of Maryland’s biggest Cybersecurity battle this October, then don’t forget to register before September 19, 2012.

In its second year, The Maryland Cyber Challenge & Competition (MDC3) will pit teams of high schoolers, college students, and industry professionals against one another in a series of “hackathons” that test their problem solving mettle.

Last year 150 finalists competed for the MDC3 title and more than $100,000 in prizes. In the end, three teams prevailed, one at each level: Team ICF (Industry level), Towson University (College level), and the Sherwood Cyber Warriors from Sherwood High School.

To be held at the Baltimore Convention Center on October 16 and 17,  MDC3 features a series workshops, panels and talks by industry professionals, including a keynote speech from UMBC president Dr. Freeman Hrabowski  called “Creating the Cyber Generation.”

You can learn more about the competition at a special Information session this Friday, September 7, 2012 at the UMBC Training Centers in Columbia, MD. The session will go over rules, format, and scoring of the competition, as well as the CyberNEXS competition platform.

To learn more and to register for the Maryland Cyber Challenge & Competition, visit the CyberMaryland 2012 website.

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

The Center for Women in Technology (CWIT) invites all students, and the faculty and staff in the College of Engineering and Information Technology to their annual beginning of the year Ice Cream Social. It takes place tomorrow Wednesday, September 5 from 11:30-1:30 p.m. in the atrium of the Engineering/Computer Science (ECS) Building.

Stop to meet other women and men majoring in Engineering, Computer Science, and Information Technology. Plus, who can say no to free ice cream?

**Involvement Fest has been postponed until Monday, September 10th, due to the rain**

"Pirates" is the theme of this year's Involvement Fest, which takes place Monday, September 10th from 12-3 p.m. on the Quad.

For Computer Science, Computer Engineering, and Electrical Engineering majors ready to dive into UMBC's vast sea of extracurricular activities, there will be plenty to choose from among the more than 250 clubs and organizations. Those targeted toward tech-minded individuals include:

• Amateur Radio Club
• Chess Club
• CWIT Student Council
• Cyber Defense Team
• DEVICE
• Engineers Without Borders
• Entrepreneurial Society
• Game Developer's Club
• Linux User's Group
• National Society of Black Engineers
• Society of Women Engineers

and, more….

Photo: Gracehopper.org

Facebook has announced that it will award scholarships to 25 women who wish to attend the upcoming Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing Conference that will take place at the Baltimore Convention center October 3-6. This year's theme is "Are We There Yet?"

Applicants must be women studying Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or a related technical field. Both full-time students and full-time working professionals within the same fields are eligible.

Scholarship recipients will receive free registration to the conference, free travel and lodgings, and a $200 food stipend. The lucky winners will also be treated to an all-expenses-paid visit to Facebook's New York City office from September 30 through October 2 that includes tech talks, mentoring sessions, and optional sightseeing. During the conference, the 25 recipients will be invited to a private reception with Jocelyn Goldfein, the director of engineering at Facebook.

If interested, you can apply for the scholarship through the Facebook Grace Hopper Scholarship application page by next Wednesday, September 5, 2012. Winners will be notified by September 14, 2012.

An initial 20 event calendar for the first-ever Baltimore Innovation Week has just been released. Organized by local tech news site Technically Baltimore, the annual event, held from September 20-30, is a celebration of technology and innovation in Baltimore. Its goal is to encourage local innovation through programming focused on technology, collaboration, and improving the city, says the website.

Highlights include:

Startup Weekend (Sep. 28), a worldwide three-day frenzy where aspiring entrepreneurs gather to  pitch business proposals, create business models, and gather feedback from local entrepreneurial leaders. The Baltimore chapter takes place at Betamore, an urban campus for technology and entrepreneurship that opens in September.

DiversiTech #7 (Sep. 26), a meetup geared towards the needs of the minority tech entrepreneur. "The Meetups allow for unmatched networking opportunities and access to resources relevant to building diversity in the regional tech entrepreneurship space," explains the website. 

Open Source Hack Night (Sep. 25), a chance to break into groups to work on the hack project of your choice. Hackers of all skill levels are welcome.

Check out the full calendar of events.

This Friday, August 31, new and returning students are invited to the Office of Undergraduate Education's Open House.

Held from Noon to 2 p.m. in the Academic IV Building (Room 114), the event is a chance to talk about First Year Seminars, The New Student Book Experience, Undergraduate Research, and an Introduction to an Honors University.