Tag: College of Computing and Engineering

NSU Graduate Joins the MindPoint Group

Andrew Seely

Congratulations to Andrew (Andy) Seely, M.S., graduate of Nova Southeastern University’s (NSU) College of Computing and Engineering (CCE), on his new job! Seely has recently joined the IT security firm MindPoint Group as the Director of Architecture and Engineering. In addition to this, he is an adjunct associate professor for the University of Maryland Global Campus and volunteers with the American Red Cross Central Florida Region and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE).

After serving seven years in the U.S. Air Force, Seely received his Master of Science in Computer Science degree in 2002 all while working as a civilian contractor for the Headquarters, U.S. European Command in Germany. He was the first and one of few who opted to focus on research over straight coursework and complete a thesis on Petri Net Implementations of Neural Network Elements.

When asked what piece of advice he has for students, Seely replied, “Students should brainstorm and focus on what their perfect job would be and then go find a job positing for it. It is important to look at the knowledge, experience, and exposure the company is looking for within that position and then go do it. Make yourself look like the candidate they want to hire rather than wonder why they did not hire you. Doing this early in your college career will provide time to make yourself the attractive candidate.”  He also stressed the importance of treating your career well and compared it to taking care of a pony, especially the need to nurture, manage, and feed it so it stays alive and be ready to saddle up to go somewhere new if needed.

 

NSU Distinguished Alumnus from College of Computing and Engineering wins Global Award for his Pioneering Career in Cybersecurity


Dr. John “Jack” Freund ‘12 was recently honored by (ISC)², the world’s largest nonprofit association of certified cybersecurity professionals, at their 2020 (ISC)² Global Achievement Awards. This award recognizes and celebrates the most outstanding achievements by cybersecurity professionals around the world and recognizing only one honoree per region. Freund is the honoree chosen from North America in the (ISC)² Senior Professional Award category.

Freund is recognized “for his work with the NIST Applied Cybersecurity Division on behalf of the nonprofit FAIR Institute to map together the NIST CSF Risk Assessment and the Risk Management Strategy domains to the OpenGroup’s FAIR risk taxonomy and risk analysis standards.”

The cybersecurity pioneer, and martial artist, was an engineer for a tech company when the 9/11 attacks happened. “This [9/11] made me dive into the field of cyber security and risk management,” he said.

“There were not many options at the doctoral level in an adaptive non-traditional format for students like me,” he said. “NSU was a pioneer, had its own pedigree of success, in delivering quality doctoral degrees online even before the now popular online format was used by other schools,” he continued.

Being a mostly online doctoral student at NSU, Freund confirmed that “success comes from the way that you commit to a goal and push yourself to achieve it,” reflecting on taking a non-traditional approach to his education and profession at the time.

Freund leveraged the foundational projects that he worked on at NSU to better understand what businesses need from a security program, rationalize the tradeoff between security and practicality, and eventually co-authoring a book on quantifying cyber risk so that business leaders can understand their exposure.

“I gained a discipline for writing during my Ph.D. that I did not have before. I would not have this skill if it weren’t for my experience at NSU,” said Freund referring to his time as a doctoral student in the NSU College of Computing and Engineering. “I learned to not be so emotionally attached to my work and take criticism as a tool to make it better,” he continued.

And while Freund is a true pioneer in the field of quantitative methods for cyber risk management, he is very candid in reminding current students and recent graduates that “so much of success hides so much of the failures that led up to it.”

“In ways that people may not recognize, current and potential students really look at what alumni have done after graduating from NSU. They view our trajectory as a reflection of what their paths could look like,” he said.

Freud, who earned his Ph.D. in Information Systems, was honored with the Distinguished Alumni Achievement award in 2018. He continues to be involved with his alma mater and shares his pride of being a Shark.

As for advice to current students and young professionals?

“Stay connected to make an impact,” he concludes.

 

NSU Names New Dean of its College of Computing and Engineering

NSU is pleased to announce that Meline Kevorkian, Ed.D., has been named the dean of its College of Computing and Engineering. She was named the interim dean in July 2018.

“Under her leadership, the College of Computing and Engineering received initial accreditation for its Bachelor of Science in Computing Science degree, and she’s enhanced the college’s computing laboratory facilities and increased student scholarships,” said Dr. George Hanbury, President of NSU.

The initial accreditation is from the Computing Accreditation Commission of the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET.) Kevorkian supported curriculum revisions to the college’s graduate programs and strengthened industry partnerships and engagement with the business community, all of which is to the benefit of students, helping provide the NSU edge that will carry them on to fulling careers.

Kevorkian is also a professor in NSU’s Abraham S. Fischler College of Education and School of Criminal Justice, where she maintains an active research portfolio in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) student success, focusing on success in high-demand computing programs, bullying and cyberbullying. She is an expert in these areas and has penned several books, including Tackling Bullying in Athletics; 101 Facts about Bullying: What Everyone Should Know; Preventing Bullying: Helping Kids Form Positive Relationships; and Six Secrets for Parents to Help Their Kids Achieve in School.

NSU’s College of Computing and Engineering Receives Bachelor of Science Accreditation

NSU’s College of Computing and Engineering is pleased to announce that the Bachelor of Science in Computer Science Program has been accredited by Computing Accreditation Commission (CAC) of the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET).

“NSU is happy to add ABET to our list of prestigious professional accreditations,” said Interim Dean Meline Kevorkian. Department Chair Dr. Greg Simco stated that “Our undergraduate computer science program has been growing and we want to ensure the best education for our future technology leaders.”

The College of Computing and Engineering (CCE) at Nova Southeastern University has been at the forefront of innovation and change in the world. Today, we face a dynamic, challenging world that calls for urgent solutions to balance both human needs and natural concerns. The demand for problem solving leaders with computational proficiencies has never been greater.

CCE is educating today’s computational professionals to be tomorrow’s problem solving leaders through innovative curricula and research activities. Our distinguished faculty engage students in a unique, interactive learning environment that facilitates academic excellence and prepares our students for their future careers while they earn a B.S., M.S., or Ph.D degree. All programs enable working professionals to earn the M.S., or Ph.D. without interrupting their careers. Companies seeking new sources of talent are looking at our college because of our commitment to our students and quality programs.

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