At a glance
“The teams did absolutely fantastic, especially considering most teams had graduate student members, whereas Alfred State teams were composed of all undergraduate students,” said Boardman, who noted that each member of the second-place team received a free Apple TV on day one.
A pair of Alfred State cybersecurity teams battled against several universities from across the country Oct. 20-21 at the University of Connecticut (UConn) during the CyberSEED: Cybersecurity, Education, and Diversity Challenge Week competition.
Sponsored by UConn and Comcast, the event was intended to hone cybersecurity skills sets of students “who will eventually be employed to protect our nation’s infrastructure,” said Jim Boardman, assistant professor and chair of the Computer and Information Technology Department. Boardman coached the Alfred State teams, who participated in the Capture the Flag (CTF) challenge both days, finishing second and fourth overall the first day and fifth and sixth overall on day two.
“The teams did absolutely fantastic, especially considering most teams had graduate student members, whereas Alfred State teams were composed of all undergraduate students,” said Boardman, who noted that each member of the second-place team received a free Apple TV on day one. “The results demonstrate that our students are receiving an outstanding education due to the dedication of our faculty and our outstanding lab facilities that emphasize hands-on learning in all areas of information technology, with special emphasis on cybersecurity.”
During the CTF competition, students were placed in a scenario where they took on the role of a cyberware unit, racing to breach the systems of a large oil company for documents about a rumored oil find and its development. The competition allowed participants to understand the technology and thought process of hackers, while also sharpening their security skills and learning new techniques.
Anthony Dahmane, a network administration major from Bath, said CyberSEED was an invaluable experience that showed him not only how to apply the skills he’s acquired in study, but how much there is to learn in the field of information security.
“Over the two days of the competition, I learned a tremendous amount of skills to further prepare me for future competitions and my career,” Dahmane said.
Michael Fiore, a network administration major from Poughkeepsie, said, “Being able to take skills learned from class and implement them in real-world environments truly is a great experience, and competitions such as CyberSEED are no exception.”
Boardman said 20 teams competed in the CTF challenge, including those from schools such as Brown, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Florida State, Penn State, Syracuse University, Delaware Technical Community College, and more.
“Our students are proving they can compete well with the best students from across the United States,” Boardman said.
Pictured, from left, are members of Alfred State’s cybersecurity teams that recently participated in the CyberSEED: Cybersecurity, Education, and Diversity Challenge Week competition: Jeff Andolora, of Caledonia; Chris Bishop, of North Tonawanda; Craig Gratton, of Buffalo; Anthony Dahmane, of Bath; Tom Hakes, of Waverly; Assistant Professor and Chair of the Computer and Information Technology Department Jim Boardman; Conor Mitchell, of Binghamton; Joe Tomapat, of Goshen; and Michael Fiore, of Poughkeepsie. Andolora and Bishop are applications software development majors; Gratton, Dahmane, Mitchell, Tomapat, and Fiore are network administration students; and Hakes is majoring in information security and assurance.