Daniel Spier of Phoenix, NY advances in cyber defense competition

2014 Feb 7

Daniel Spier of Phoenix, NY, a Computer and Information Science major at SUNYIT, was part of a team that competed successfully in a qualifying round of the National Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition, the largest competition of its kind in the U.S.

Facing off against teams from college and universities such as Rochester Institute of Technology, Syracuse University and Northeastern, the SUNYIT team of students in the Network and Computer Security Club finished in the top 10 and advanced to the competition's Northeast Regional round in Orono, Maine, March 8-10. Regional winners will go on to the national finals April 19-21 in San Antonio, Texas.

The annual competition, according to its organizers, "focuses on the operational aspect of managing and protecting an existing 'commercial' network infrastructure . . . students get a chance to test their knowledge in an operational environment . . . and is a unique opportunity for students and industry professionals to interact and discuss many of the security and operational challenges the students will soon face as they enter the job market." SUNYIT offers a bachelor of science in network and computer security (NCS) and recently announced that a master's degree program in NCS will be offered starting in the fall semester.

SUNYIT, the State University of New York Institute of Technology at Utica/Rome, is New York's public polytechnic, offering undergraduate and graduate degree programs in technology and professional studies. Its academic offerings in technology, including engineering, cybersecurity, computer science, and the engineering technologies, and its programs in professional studies, including business, communication, and nursing, are complemented by athletics, recreational, cultural and campus life programs, events and activities. Founded in 1966, SUNYIT is a unique high-tech learning environment on hundreds of acres, offering degree programs online as well as on campus. The SUNYIT family of alumni now numbers 25,000.