09/11/2023
The North Dakota State University (NDSU) Institute for Cyber Security Education and Research and the NDSU Department of Computer Science have been awarded $1.5 million in federal funding through the Griffiss Institute, in partnership with the Office of the Undersecretary of Defense for Research & Engineering and the Air Force Research Laboratory-Information Directorate, as part of the Virtual Institutes for Cyber and Electromagnetic Spectrum Research and Employ (VICEROY) program.  This funding will support NDSU and its partner institutions in providing world-class cybersecurity education to students and enhance our cybersecurity, computer science and related programs.

The VICEROY program is designed to augment the traditional college curriculum through providing hands-on, experiential learning and internship opportunities that match the workforce demands of the U.S. Department of Defense and the American defense industrial base. The program aims to increase the quality and quantity of students with job-ready cybersecurity skills upon graduation.

“Our participation in the VICEROY program provides an exceptional opportunity for NDSU students to gain hands-on experience and real-world skills in cybersecurity,” said NDSU Cybersecurity Institute director Dr. Jeremy Straub, who is a faculty member in the Computer Science Department and also serves as the principal investigator for this program.  “We look forward to using the additional resources provided by VICEROY to build on our existing strengths and develop new world-class courses, labs and other resources to drive student learning.” Read more

08/22/2023
Starting this Fall the department is offering two new programs, a BS in Cybersecurity and Software Engineering.

The Bachelor of Science in Cybersecurity curriculum includes courses in topics including defensive network security, networking, ethical hacking, malware analysis, programming, and cybersecurity law and policy.  It also provides a background in general education areas such as mathematics and communications. 

Cybersecurity seeks to prevent and provides the tools to respond to attacks against computing systems and organizations.  It is a field that spans numerous areas, ranging from the highly technical aspects of securing and testing the security of IT systems to preventing manual data theft by organization members.  Cybersecurity practitioners protect important private information in all areas of society – ranging from healthcare to banks to government – and secure systems that are critical to everyone’s day-to-day lives. 

The Bachelor of Science in Software Engineering is offered jointly by the Departments of Computer Science and Electrical & Computer Engineering. The curriculum includes courses in software engineering, computer science, electrical & computer engineering, along with the relevant mathematics background. 

Software Engineering is the design and application of systematic, disciplined, and quantifiable approaches to the development and conservation of software, software systems and related computing hardware. The Systems Programming track focuses on embedded systems while the Applications Development track centers on methodologies, techniques, and tools to manage the software development life cycle. 

08/22/2023
New this Fall the department will offer stackable certificates as well as a minor in artificial intelligence. Both offerings are designed to meet the needs of current students as well as career professionals in computer science. Our new certificate program is ideal for professionals looking to gain new skills as well as new students not ready to commit to a full degree program. The certificates provide a sequence of credentials accumulated over time to build up an individual's qualifications. 

With talk of ChatGPT, robots, self-driving cars, and artificially created images ever present in the media, understanding artificial intelligence and its implications is crucial. Our new minor will allow students to deepen their understanding of artificial intelligence and is laid out to include a concise coverage of mathematical and computational foundations, a specific course on artificial intelligence, and an elective that can be drawn from courses offered in the computer science department or any of the other departments that have broadened their machine learning and artificial intelligence offerings in recent years.

09/11/2023
NDSU will host Fargo’s second BSides Cybersecurity Conference from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., on Saturday, October 14 at the Quentin Burdick Building on campus. The community-focused conference will feature presentations and workshops.  It also will host a capture-the-flag style competition operated by Hack the Box.

In addition to the technical content, the conference provides an opportunity for networking between area cybersecurity professionals, students and others aspiring to enter the cybersecurity field.

“BSides Fargo is an excellent opportunity for the local cybersecurity community to gather on the NDSU campus to learn about new tools and techniques and to network,” said NDSU associate professor of computer science Jeremy Straub, who also is director of the NDSU Institute for Cybersecurity Education and Research.  “It also provides an excellent opportunity for NDSU students to meet members of the local workforce and learn about job roles and opportunities in the field.” Read more

09/07/2023
A group of NDSU computer science undergraduate students participated in national security-relevant cybersecurity research and outreach activities at NDSU this summer.  The students, which included sophomores Keaton Hasse and Sydney Deaton, and senior Mason Kornezos, developed software, conducted analysis and performed a variety of outreach activities in support of multiple projects. 

Summer on-campus cybersecurity research provides students with leadership and skill development opportunities much earlier in their careers than may be otherwise possible.  Students take leadership roles in teams and learn while doing.  They also collect and analyze valuable data. 

“I have been given many opportunities to widen my knowledge,” said Hasse, who is from Wahpeton, North Dakota and also serves in the North Dakota National Guard. “I am getting real world experience in software development.  I have been able to connect with my co-worders and learn from them.  My current position is a great steppingstone to further my career.” Read more

08/23/2023
This week NDSU kicked off the fall semester with a variety of Welcome Week special events. This weekend hundreds of students moved into the residence halls, and today many experienced their first official college events on campus. Led by chair Simone Ludwig, students were greeted by members of the computer science department in the morning and introduced to the faculty and staff. Students learned about what the department has to offer new students, and what to expect in the coming years. We wish all students a productive and healthy new school year, and we look forward to getting to know all of you.

08/22/2023
A group of NDSU students recently attended the DefCon cybersecurity conference in Las Vegas. The experience provides an opportunity for students to learn about all types of cybersecurity from world leaders and to meet with NDSU alumni who work in the cybersecurity field. 

The students who attended brought information that they will share with others at NDSU through activities of the Cybersecurity Student Association and a variety of local events. Six NDSU students – Cameron Kolodjski, Elsa Bernard, Jack Hance, Jonathan Rivard, Neal Buerman and Sydney Deaton – attended the conference in 2023. 

“DefCon was an incredible experience,” said NDSU undergraduate student Elsa Bernard.  “There is so much to be learned and explored in just four days.  It will definitely have me coming back.”  Read more

08/22/2023
The NDSU computer science department recently hosted its annual Bison Cyber Camp, which provided a week of fun-filled cybersecurity and computing education to approximately thirty-five high school students.

Students attended core sessions related to programming, robotics, cybersecurity and artificial intelligence. They also selected electives to participate in, got to visit NDSU’s dining center and the NDSU campus Wellness Center’s pool. 

This was NDSU’s fifth year of offering cyber summer camps.  Instruction was provided by computer science faculty members Pratap Kotala, Simone Ludwig, Zahid Anwar, Joe Latimer and Jeremy Straub. Staff members Ben Bernard, Cayden Schmandt and Dylan Schaefer and students Anthony DeFoe, Elsa Bernard, Gavin Kestner, Danielle Hanson, Mason Kornezos, Ryan Patterson and Sydney Deaton also played integral roles in the camp. Read more