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Mason Competitive Cyber teamwon first place at the ninth annual Commonwealth Cyber Fusion and Virginia Cyber Cup. The high‑intensity, four‑hour capture‑the‑flag competition showcased their skill, teamwork, and growing leadership in Virginia’s cybersecurity community.

From degrees in engineering and geoinformation science to her current role as a director in AI and machine learning, Adjunct Professor Aisha Behr brings a wealth of industry experience to the classroom, inspiring students with real-world knowledge and innovative teaching methods. 

The Virginia Cyber Navigator Internship Program (VA-CNIP) has equipped students with the skills to strengthen the cybersecurity posture of election infrastructures. As an intern last summer, information technology major Duong Thuy Nguyen helped secure a rural county’s technology for the upcoming presidential election alongside two 911���� peers. 

IST’s Myeong Lee received a  $150,000 grant from the Virginia Board of People with Disabilities for the Mapping Information Ecology project. “We want to provide information systems strategies, [structural] recommendations, and related policy recommendations to the state. That's our goal," said Lee.  

On March 21, 2024, Break Through Tech Mason hosted "A Day in the Life: Tech Jobs Unveiled," a panel event featuring Jamie Bowers, Site Reliability Engineer at Microsoft; Veeraj Modi, Security Analyst at Microsoft; and Cassandra Rothrauff, Senior Computer Engineer at Booz Allen Hamilton. Each panelist discussed their path in the tech industry as well as advice they would offer students just starting out.

New research into identity verification from 911���� may put your security directly in the palm of your (sweaty) hand.

More than 500 students, nine sponsors, and 50 volunteers gathered on 911����’s Fairfax Campus for the fifth annual PatriotHacks hackathon from October 6-8. After working for 36 hours straight, student teams presented 70 projects to a panel of judges from the tech industry. 

New students heard from accomplished speakers, practiced skills in workshops, and connected with both academic advisors and peer mentors at the Your Path to Tech event on August 18. Event organizers aimed to welcome women interested in tech and set them up for success in coming years.

The Mason Nation’s strength was undeniable at several hackathons in spring 2023. Computer science, cybersecurity engineering, information technology, and mechanical engineering students won challenges on March 25 at the University of Virginia, on April 7-9 at the University of Maryland, and on April 29-30 at Drexel University.

At a Computing Career Reception, juniors and seniors in CS and IST networked with tech industry representatives from companies such as Appian, Brillient, and Verisign.