UIS Computer Science Department awarded $26,592 State Farm grant

The University of Illinois Springfield Computer Science Department accepted a check for $26,592 from State Farm Insurance during a presentation on October 23, 2017 in the Public Affairs Center Atrium.

The State Farm Systems Priority Grant will be used to update and increase the capacity of the department’s Virtual Server Farm, which consists of more than 2,200 virtual machines used by students in core and elective computer science classes, both online and on campus.

The UIS Computer Science Department teaches 80% of its classes on the Virtual Server Farm, a major technological backbone that enables the department to deliver innovative degrees in computer science, information systems security, and data analytics.

More than 1,200 students use the Virtual Server Farm on a daily basis to access personalized virtual machines in every class they take, and work with cutting-edge software from both on and off campus.
Virtual classrooms, full of networks of virtual machines, provide students with enhanced learning experiences and allow them to research and explore real-world problems, simulate complex environments and visualize and analyze large amounts of data in innovative courses.

“The Computer Science Department at UIS is honored to receive the award, which is crucial to remain cutting-edge and maintain our status as a premier Computer Science Department, thus allowing us to continue our tradition of academic excellence,” said Associate Professor Sviatoslav Braynov, head of the Computer Science department.

For more information, contact Derek Schnapp, UIS director of public relations, at 217/206-6716 or dschn3@uis.edu.

UIS Computer Science Department receives nearly $20,000 from State Farm

As part of the company’s Community Reinvestment Act, State Farm Insurance presented the University of Illinois Springfield Department of Computer Science with a check for $19,995 during a presentation on December 4, 2015.

The grant will be used to upgrade the university’s Netlabs enhancing current remote on and off campus access for undergraduate and graduate students within the Department of Computer Science.

The Computer Science Department, with 460 undergraduate students and 726 master’s students in fall 2015, has the largest enrollment of any department at UIS. The technology upgrades will be able to accommodate the increased enrollments in the Computer Science and Information Systems Security degree programs.

The improvements will also provide greater efficiency and effectiveness for students when the department moves core courses to a virtual environment with remote access, expands and streamlines online learning, and will enhance remote access for programs offered by the Center for Systems Security and Information Assurance, including UIS’ annual Cyber Defense Conference and Cyber Defense and Digital Forensics Conference.

UIS recertified as a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense Education

The University of Illinois Springfield has been recertified as a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense Education (CAE/IAE) through academic year 2020 by the National Security Agency (NSA) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

The goal of the program is to reduce vulnerability in our national information infrastructure by promoting higher education and research.

“Programs like the one at UIS are helping to produce the professionals with information assurance expertise that are required to secure our nation's infrastructure,” said Ted Mims, head of the UIS Computer Science Department.

Students that attend UIS and participate in programs affiliated with the CAE/IAE are eligible to apply for scholarships and grants from the Department of Defense Information Assurance Scholarship Program and the Federal Cyber Service Scholarship for Service Program.

The UIS Computer Science Department has developed and offered courses in Systems Security and Information Assurance over the last twelve years. In September 2003, UIS became a partner with seven community colleges in a National Science Foundation (NSF) grant that created a Regional Center for Systems Security and Information Assurance (CSSIA). UIS is recognized as a national leader in the field of Cyber Security and Information Assurance.

The National Centers of Academic Excellence in Information Assurance Education Program (CAE/IAE) is open to nationally or regionally accredited four-year colleges and graduate-level universities. The mission of a nationally accredited institution must be in Information Assurance or a similar area.

A ceremony recognizing UIS' achievement will be held during an Awards Ceremony Dinner in the Saturn V Hall at the Davidson Center for Space Exploration at the 7th Annual Southeastern Cyber Security Summit on June 3-4, 2015 at the Von Braun Center in Huntsville, Alabama.

For more information contact Ted Mims, head of the UIS Computer Science Department, at 217/206-7326 or tmims1@uis.edu.

UIS Computer Science partners with Global Velocity to enhance cyberwarfare training

The University of Illinois Springfield Computer Science Department is collaborating with next generation cyber-security firm Global Velocity (GV) to improve its cyber test range. UIS's cyber test range will be used for student training and faculty research.

Global Velocity, based in St. Louis, Mo., is a leader in data loss prevention (DLP) technologies. Global Velocity will be donating two of its "deep packet inspection" (DPI) platforms to UIS. These platforms are based on specially programmed hardware called FPGA's, and they have capabilities far beyond normal firewalls.

Ted Mims, chair of the UIS Computer Science Department, describes the donation in simple terms: "Imagine that we had an automotive engineering program and the students were working on old cars with old technology. Suddenly, someone loans us a new Corvette for investigation and training."

Ronald Loui, who teaches cyberwarfare at UIS, is more emphatic: "Imagine simulating a battle in cyberspace, where each side is working with muskets, and suddenly you can simulate the appearance of a machine gun in the battlefield. That's how disruptive GV's technology will be in our cyber test range."

When Loui called Greg Sullivan CEO at Global Velocity, and asked whether he could borrow one GV box, Sullivan listened to what it would mean for UIS students and for the future of national security, and promptly offered two.

UIS Computer Science Instructors Josh Smith and Lucinda Caughey, who lead one of the most active undergraduate computing clubs in the Midwest, will direct the activity. UIS has a new FPGA firewall expert on its faculty, Lucas Vespa who has recently designed a degree-granting computer security program.

UIS's cyber range can also be used for simulation of macroeconomic activity. University Professor Sviatoslav Braynov, and Loui, both study market reputation effects and transaction costs, especially models of trust and negotiation that are respectful of legal and political institutions.

For more information, contact Ronald Loui, UIS assistant professor of Computer Science at 217/206-7429 or rloui2@uis.edu.

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University of Illinois Springfield is one of three campuses of the world-class University of Illinois. About 5,000 students enroll each year seeking a U of I degree but also the intimate learning environment of a private college. Located in the state capital, UIS has a special mission in public affairs and offers 11 degree programs that prepare students for careers in the public sector. Since its founding, UIS has produced thousands of leaders in government and non-profit organizations in Illinois.

UIS computer scientists help high-schoolers build robot

Three students and an instructor from the University of Illinois Springfield Computer Science Department are helping high school students build a robot as part of a national challenge.

The FIRST Robotics Challenge is designed to teach students about teamwork and "real-world engineering." The teams are under strict rules and have limited time and resources. Robots are built in six weeks from a common kit of parts and typically weigh up to 120 lbs.

“I never got to do something like this (in high school), but I wish I did,” said Brian Rodgers, a senior UIS computer science major. “I think they’re pretty lucky. I’m lucky to be able to do this too.”

The students are building a basketball-shooting robot for the “rebound rumble” competition. The Springfield robot will compete with two other robots on a team. The team that scores the most points wins the competition.

“We’ve seen it shoot at five feet, we’ve almost seen it get to ten feet away. It can climb bridges. We’ve seen it pick up balls on it’s own,” said Lance Caughey, a senior at Springfield High School.

UIS mentors have been helping students solder wires, explain programming methods and mount pieces of the robot as part of an advanced robotics class.

“This has been a labor of love,” said Lucinda Caughey, a UIS computer science instructor and organizer. “It is six weeks of intensive engineering and trial and error and frustration and accomplishment.”

Sacred Heart-Griffin (SHG) High School senior Matthew Yochim plans to pursue a career in engineering. He’s had a lot of fun working to build the robot and now is ready to show it off to the world.

“The more you put into the project, the more you get out of it,” said Yochim. “If you’re there everyday working on it and you finally get to roll it around and test it, throw some baskets with it. It’s amazing.”

The FIRST Robotics Challenge involves 2,300+ teams nationwide with over 58,000 high school students taking part. Students in grades 9-12 are eligible to participate in the competition. The winners will advance to the World Championship and could qualify for nearly $14.7 million in college scholarships.

The high school students receive technical guidance through a collaborative effort amongst UIS; team leader Dr. Adrian Lee of Central Illinois Technology and Education Research Institute and volunteer robotics instructor at the University of Illinois Extension; William Cragoe, mathematics and engineering instructor at SHG; and John Richardson Jr. of Richardson Manufacturing Company.

Locally, the team is sponsored by the U of I 4-H extension office, Richardson Manufacturing, UIS, and JC Penny. National sponsors include NASA, Boeing, General Motors, and Rockwell Automation.

UIS ranks highly on U.S. News & World Report list of top online programs

The University of Illinois Springfield online Computer Science and Management Information Systems graduate degree programs rank highly in the first-ever survey of national online programs by U.S. News & World Report.

The magazine undertook the project in an effort to begin filling the information gap about the strengths and weaknesses of online programs.

Overall, the Computer Science master’s program ranked eighth in the nation for “Student Service & Technology” and twenty-first for “Teaching Practices & Student Engagement” in the Computer Information Technology category.

The Management Information Systems program ranked twenty-seventh best in the country for “Teaching Practices & Student Engagement” and forty-ninth best for “Student Services & Technology” in the Business category.

“It is gratifying to see UIS recognized once again for outstanding faculty members and quality practices among the many accredited U.S. colleges and universities offering online degree programs,” said Ray Schroeder, UIS Associate Vice Chancellor for Online Learning. “This report is a reflection of the supportive online environment at UIS that both challenges and enables students to reach their full potential as they prepare to enter into successful and fulfilling careers.”

In evaluating the “Student Services & Technology” category ranking, U.S. News looked for programs which incorporated diverse online learning technologies and provided great flexibility for students to take classes by the methods of their choosing at the times of their choosing. Technology, such as having all courses centralized into a single system, such as Blackboard, was also a key factor in the ranking evaluation.

The “Teaching Practices & Student Engagement” ranking included factors, such as promoting student participation in class and allowing opportunities for students to readily interact with instructors and fellow classmates, as if they were in a traditional classroom environment. The category also includes implementing policies that ensure students are getting credit for doing their own work in the online environment.

The online Computer Science master’s program at UIS focuses on software and is geared towards students interested in the design, analysis, and implementation of software programs. Out of the 275 current Computer Science graduate students, a total of 146 or 53% are online students.

The Management Information Systems (MIS) program is specifically focused on providing a balance between technical skills and knowledge of business functions and processes. Out of the 190 MIS students currently enrolled at UIS, a total of 144 or 75% are online students.

For more information on the U.S. News and World Report rankings, contact Ray Schroeder at 217/206-7317 or email rschr1@uis.edu.

State Farm awards UIS Computer Science Department $50,000 grant

State Farm Companies Foundation has awarded the University of Illinois Springfield Computer Science Department a $50,000 grant. The money will be used to enhance the State Farm Virtual Computing Teaching and Learning Laboratory at UIS.

“The existing virtual sever system does not have sufficient storage, memory or remote access to support the increased demand placed on it by the increase in majors taking courses that use the system,” said Ted Mims, chair of the Computer Science Department.

The funding provided by State Farm will allow the department to add a new front-end remote access system, increase the server memory of each processor, and add a new storage system that is supported by the newer versions of virtual software.

“These improvements provide greater efficiency and effectiveness for students when the Department moves core and elective courses to a virtual environment. It will provide enhanced remote access, expanded and streamlined online learning,” said Mims.

University of Illinois Vice President and UIS Chancellor Susan J. Koch accepted the check from State Farm during a reception in the Public Affairs Center on Nov. 2, 2011. It’s estimated that there are currently over 140 UIS graduates working for State Farm at its corporate headquarters in Bloomington-Normal, Ill.

The new system will be used by the UIS Center for Systems Security and Information Assurance to host programming, cyber defense and digital forensics competitions. The UIS Computer Science Department is a partner in the National Center for Systems Security and Information Assurance funded by a National Science Foundation (NSF) Advanced Technology Education (ATE) Grant. Funding from the NSF/ATE grant will be used to fund events at UIS that utilize the equipment funded by the State Farm Grant.

UIS Computer Science Department ranks first in the state for the number of grad students

Did you know the Computer Science Department at the University of Illinois Springfield has more graduate students enrolled than any other public university in the state?

According to the Illinois Board of Higher Education, UIS had 184 students seeking a Computer Science master’s degree in 2009. That’s more than Northern Illinois University (178), the University of Illinois at Chicago (143), the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (133) and Western Illinois University (99).

“The master’s program in Computer Science at UIS is popular because the curriculum is flexible and offers the students the opportunity to select classes that will help them achieve their career goals,” said Ted Mims, chair of the UIS Computer Science Department.

Computer Science faculty have developed an innovative curriculum that allows the department to offer classes on cutting edge topics in a timely manner. The classes are offered in an on-campus and online format, which allows students the flexibility to take two classes that, might normally be offered at the same time if they were only offered on campus.

“The master’s degree is valued by employers and they often pay the tuition for students to complete their degree,” said Mims.

Other ranked universities in the master’s category include Illinois State University, Southern Illinois University at Carbondale and Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville.

UIS ranked fifth in 2009 when it comes to the number of undergraduate students majoring in Computer Science with a total of 195 students. The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign topped the list with 682 majors.

UIS designated as National Center of Academic Excellence in Information Assurance Education

The University of Illinois at Springfield has been designated as a National Center of Academic Excellence in Information Assurance Education (CAEIAE) for academic years 2009 through 2014. The award was made by the National Security Agency (NSA) and the Department of Homeland Security, joint sponsors of the CAEIAE program.

The program is designed to help reduce the vulnerability of the nation’s information infrastructure, according to Dr. Ted Mims, Chair of UIS’ Computer Science Department and Director of The Center of Systems Security and Information Assurance within the department.

“This award gives UIS the prestige of having a role in securing our nation’s information systems,” Mims said. “The Department of Computer Science applied for the designation on behalf of UIS in January. The application was reviewed against nine stringent criteria, which are intended to measure the depth and maturity of UIS programs in Information Assurance at the graduate and undergraduate levels.”

Mims said the department has developed and offered courses in Systems Security and Information Assurance during the last six years. In September 2003, UIS became a partner with seven community colleges in a National Science Foundation (NSF) grant that was used to create The Center of Systems Security and Information Assurance at UIS.

Mims noted that a prerequisite for being considered for the academic excellence designation was certification of all Information Assurance educational programming and courseware. UIS’ courseware, evaluated in 2006, was found to meet the national training standards of the Committee on National Security Systems.

To date, Mims said 19 students have earned bachelor’s degrees in Computer Science with an emphasis in Systems Security and Information Assurance. And a total of 11 graduate certificates in Systems Security and 12 graduate certificates in Information Assurance have been awarded.

Following the five-year period, UIS must reapply for the designation. Mims said the criteria are reviewed annually and strengthened as appropriate to keep pace with the evolving nature of Information Assurance. Students who attend UIS and participate in programs affiliated with the CAE are eligible to apply for scholarships and grants from the Department of Defense Information Assurance Scholarship Program and the Federal Cyber Service Scholarship for Service Program.

A ceremony recognizing UIS’ achievement will be held on June 1-3 at the 13th Colloquium for Information Systems Security Education in Seattle, Washington.

The Center of Systems Security and Information Assurance at UIS is dedicated to promoting research and education in information security, assurance, and privacy. The Center’s website, designed by Sviatoslav Braynov, assistant professor of Computer Science, can be viewed at http://csc.uis.edu/center/.