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Wednesday, Oct 25, 2017

Hacking takes over RIT for two weekends

" By: Diana Louise Carter ! October 25, 2017

RIT is for hacks.

Not the washed up-type, but the clever solutions type. Two events at the university this coming weekend and next
are aimed at encouraging young people from middle-school to college age to develop and hone skills in
computer coding and cybersecurity.

On Saturday, Oct. 28, the college will host an all-girls hackathon designed to interest girls in grades 3-12 in
computer coding and help bring about more gender balance in the male-dominated field. Benjamin Roberts, a
spokesman for AT&T, one of the events sponsors, said the hackathon was originally planned for 80 girls but has
been expanded to 130 to accommodate interest.

Mayor Lovely Warren is scheduled to offer opening remarks when the event begins at 10:30 a.m.

Meanwhile, RIT will host a national collegiate competition Nov. 3-5 pitting teams of hackers against each other
attempting to break into cybersecurity networks created specifically for the competition. The top 10 teams in the
United States, including RIT, Pennsylvania State University, Stanford University, California State Polytechnic
University, and University of Central Florida, are scheduled to participate.

The demand for workers skilled in penetration testing significantly outweighs the supply, said Bill Stackpole,
professor of computing security at RIT and director of the Collegiate Penetration Testing Competition, held each year
at RIT. Student competitors are learning how to add value to a business by helping the company better understand
its computing infrastructure and improve its security posture.

Competitors will also have a chance to meet and share resumes with sponsors, which include IBM Security, Uber,
Crow Horwath, Hurricane Labs, IEEE Cybersecurity Initiative, Eaton and Indeed.

Lucas Christian, a fourth-year computing security student at RIT, said corporate breaches in recent years convinced
him to join a field that can alleviate worry about identity hacking and financial institution thefts.

I decided that a career in cybersecurity would be both fulfilling and give me the opportunity to shape society for
the better, he said.

The competition draws teams of six that launch offensives against specially created cybersecurity systems. (A
defensive competition is held each year in San Antonio.) As part of the contest, the teams evaluate the systems
weaknesses and suggest ways to improve them.

Teams tend to be mostly male, according to an RIT observer, which is something the ROCGirlHacks Powered by
AT&T event can help change. The all-girl hackathon is sponsored by iCanCode, a local after-school enrichment
program focused on coding, Women in Computing at RIT and AT&T. Girls will work collaboratively to create apps,
games, animations or other computer coding projects on the subject of cyber bullying or internet safety, according
to the organizers.

Having a girls-only event really helps girls build confidence, said Farah Sammour, who created iCanCode.

Theres always this gender gap that everyones striving to bridge, Sammour said, adding that the gap is not limited
to technology; its also prevalent in math and science. Were trying to find ways to attract more girls. What Ive
seen is when girls are introduced to coding at an early age, they dont shy away from it.

Tagged with: CODING COMPUTERS CYBER SECURITY GIRLS IN COMPUTING RIT

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