Message from the Cybersecurity SPC Director

Cybersecurity affects all of us, every day.  Whether you’re trying to keep your laptop and mobile phone from catching a virus, use a credit card, buy a plane ticket, visit a hospital, or just turn on the lights & play video games, you’re interacting with systems that wouldn’t function without proper security.  If you’re interested in learning more about hacking, encryption, privacy, and forensics, then I’d like to invite you to join the Marist Cybersecurity Institute this summer.  You’ll learn how to be an ethical, “white hat” hacker by studying some of the most serious cyber-attacks in recent years, and the fundamental principles which might have prevented them.  You’ll also get practical, hands-on experience with real attacks in our state-of-the-art Security Operations Center.  You don’t need prior experience with programming languages, we’ll teach you the basics of writing secure code and how to use common tools like WireShark, AppScan, and more to analyze threats against a mock “online bank” in our cloud computing center.  Before you know it, you’ll be on your way to becoming a cybersecurity rock star, and earning three (3) college credits in Computer Science and Information Technology. 

I’m looking forward to a fun, interesting class, and I hope you’ll join us at the Marist SPC Cybersecurity course this summer!

Casimer DeCusatis holds an M.S. and Ph.D. in Electrical, Computer, and Systems Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and a B.S. in the Engineering Science Honors Program from Penn State.  Before joining Marist College as an Assistant Professor to lead their cybersecurity research and education programs, he served for 24 years as an IBM Distinguished Engineer and Master Inventor with over 150 patents.  He’s received several industry awards, including the IEEE Kiyo Tomiyasu Award, the Sigma Xi Walston Chubb Award for Innovation, the EDN Innovator of the Year Award, the Mensa Research Foundation Copper Black Award for Creative Achievement, the Penn State Outstanding Scholar Alumnus Award and Mark Luchinsky Memorial Lecture, Cisco Distinguished Speaker, and the IEEE/HKN Outstanding Young Electrical Engineer award (including a citation from the President of the United States and an American flag flown in his honor over the U.S. Capitol).  He is co-author of more than 200 technical papers, book chapters, and encyclopedia articles, and editor of the Handbook of Fiber Optic Data Communication (now in its 4rd edition).  He is a Fellow of the IEEE, Optical Society of America, and SPIE (the international optical engineering society), a member of the Order of the Engineer, Tau Beta Pi, Eta Kappa Nu, Mensa, and various other professional organizations and honor societies.  He is also Founder and Director of Hudson Valley FIRST Lego League which offers over 1,000 students each year the opportunity to pursue their interest in science and technology.  A listing of his recent research accomplishments and publications is available from the Marist Innovation Lab.