Golisano College of Computing and Information Sciences News
Cybersecurity MS

Professor S. Jay Yang sees collaboration as the key to combating international cybersecurity threats. That’s why the director of global outreach for RIT’s ESL Global Cybersecurity Institute is helping lead an alliance of cybersecurity researchers from the U.S., Northern Ireland, and the Republic of Ireland.

Security Risk Advisors, a cybersecurity consulting firm, is sponsoring $125,000 in scholarships for RIT students interested in “red team” cybersecurity, also known as offensive security. Security Risk Advisors has committed to annually sponsoring $25,000 in scholarships for the next five years.

Yidan Hu and Ivan De Oliveira Nunes have each won Meta Research Awards for their cutting-edge cybersecurity research. The assistant professors of computing security are working to protect people’s safety on their augmented reality and smart devices.

RIT has been recognized by Gizmodo, a design, technology, science, and science fiction website, for its offerings related to the top Degrees of the Future for 2022. RIT was named for its specialties in cybersecurity, environmental engineering, game design, and computer graphics.

A team of Rochester Institute of Technology cybersecurity students competed in the 2022 Northeast Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition (NECCDC) March 18-20.

RIT is extending a special graduate tuition scholarship program to recent alumni as the COVID-19 pandemic enters its third year. The program helps alumni who graduated during the pandemic enhance their skill set for the new economy through master’s degrees that build upon collaboration, analytical thinking, complex problem solving, and flexibility. 

RIT’s world-class home for cybersecurity has a new name. On March 8, RIT and ESL Federal Credit Union jointly announced an exclusive naming rights partnership for the ESL Global Cybersecurity Institute at RIT.

For RIT students, the learning doesn’t stop when classes end. In 2021, three student teams took what they’re learning and used it to win national and international competitions in cybersecurity, racing, and design.

A team of Cal Poly Pomona students took home the top trophy at the Collegiate Penetration Testing Competition (CPTC) global finals Jan. 6-9. Stanford placed second and Tennessee Technological University placed third.

RIT received a nearly $1 million National Science Foundation grant that will provide scholarships for computing students and help researchers explore new ways to improve computing education. Sharon Mason, a professor in RIT’s School of Information, is principal investigator of the project.

In 2001, the dot-com bubble was bursting and investors had lost confidence in internet companies. Twenty years later, data has become a new currency, and people can access just about anything from their smartphones. Throughout all these changes, Golisano College of Computing and Information Sciences has evolved into the largest college at RIT, with more than 4,600 students this year. Since its creation 20 years ago, GCCIS has awarded more than 14,000 degrees—in a growing number of computing disciplines.

RIT alumnus and founder of Datto Austin McChord is creating four endowment awards to support RIT students and professors. In naming the awards, McChord is honoring his grade school teachers from his hometown school district in Newtown, Conn. The endowments are made possible as part of a $50 million donation that McChord made to RIT in 2017.