personal security seminar

Distinguished speaker - Capturing Meaning: Units, Space, and Time

Capturing Meaning: Units, Space, and Time

Dr. Curt Burgess, Ph.D., Professor of Psychology; Director,
Laboratory for Computational Cognition, Dept. of Psychology,
University of California, Riverside

Date: March 23, 2015
Time: 1.00 pm
Location: 202 IST

Abstract: The Hyperspace Analogue to Language (HAL) high-dimensional model of memory has a 20-year history of being used to learn word meaning from very large corpora of text. The KISS principle has motivated the development of the model from the beginning. The model moves a window along a corpus of text capturing co-occurrences one word at a time. The cooccurrence values are weighted provided a grammatical element. The resulting n x n matrix can be seen as a model of word similarity. From a computational perspective, the model is straightforward and does not have the computing overhead found in neural networks. Research will be presented that will compare the architecture of HAL and a simple neural network, how they learn and what is encoded in their respective “memories.” An overview of the range of
basic cognitive and psycholinguistic effects that have been mimicked by the HAL model will be
presented. The HAL model presents a computational approach based on large-scale corpus data
toward our understanding of semantic memory and language representation.

Biography: Dr. Curt Burgess is a Professor in Psychology and Neuroscience and the Director of the Psycholinguistics and Computational Cognition Laboratory and a founding member of the Center for
Computational and Cognitive Politics at the University of California, Riverside. His primary research interests include human semantic processing and cognitively plausible computational semantics, cognitive  neuroscience, animal cognition and computational politics. In 1994 his lab developed the Hyperspace Analogue to Language model of semantic representation. He is a former Associate Editor of Brain and Cognition. He was a recipient of the NSF and White House Presidential Faculty Fellow Award. His research has been funded by NSF, NIA, Digital Media Innovation Program and the Army Research Lab.

learn python for free

I am often asked by students how much, and what kind, of programming is needed for s security professional.  My stock answer is 'as much as possible.'

However this is not realistic for everyone.  So, in addition to markup such as HTML, and database query such as SQL, I also recommend scripting with Bash and Python.

So - in that spirit - here is a link to a free online python course:

http://learnpythonthehardway.org/book/

Hacking the System

This isn't strictly IT security, but the National Geographic Channel show 'Hacking the System" does provide some information of interest to security professionals. 

According to their Web page:

"For 15 years, Brian Brushwood has made a career out of social manipulation and thinking like a criminal and now he’s here to reveal how to avoid people who cheat the system and show you how to use the legal tips, tricks, and shortcuts to get ahead in life. One hack at a time."

Part of the series are available on Youtube - possibly Netflix or Hulu also have the series.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zS5gX4uRCgY

Lockheed-Martin CISO on campus Friday Feb 27

Lockheed Martin Chief Information Security Officer, Jim Connelly, would like to share his outlook on cyber security with IST and CSE students. He feels that these students will truly be the future in aiding the current thought leaders to defend against some of the most technical and persistent challenges.  This session is scheduled this Friday, Feb. 27^th, at 2:30 p.m. in Room 215, IST Building.

Mr. Connelly encourages all attendees to bring questions as he intends this to be an open discussion.  

Please RSVP to Kathy Addleman by Wednesday, Feb. 25, if you are able to attend. "Addleman, Kathy"

WHAT:   Lockheed Martin CISO Jim Connelly – Presentation about his outlook on Cyber Security

WHEN:   Friday, Feb. 27 at 2:30 PM

WHERE:  215 IST Building

Cyber Threats and Vulnerabilities: Securing America's Most Important Assets

I am sharing a link to a video titled "Cyber Threats and Vulnerabilities: Securing America's Most Important Assets"

In this video Lisa Monaco, Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism will deliver a keynote speech about the evolving cyber threat and the Obama Administration's comprehensive strategy to address it.


http://www.wilsoncenter.org/event/cyber-threats-and-vulnerabilities-securing-americas-most-important-assets

PA Space Grant Undergraduate Scholarship and Fellowships

Applications close April 1, 2015.

Sylvia Stein Memorial Space Grant Scholarship
https://spacegrant.net/apps/?pk=pas1

Dr. Sylvia Stein was the director of the Pennsylvania Space Grant Consortium from 1990-1993. She was known for her energy, creativity, and commitment to the welfare and rights of others. The selection committee looks for these traits in the applicants.
The Sylvia Stein Memorial Space Grant Scholarship is awarded to full time students at The Pennsylvania State University with an outstanding academic record enrolled in science, engineering, or mathematics. The students must be likely to pursue a career in an area of interest to NASA with demonstrated potential for graduate study. The NASA Strategic Enterprises are Aero-Space Technology, Earth Science, HEDS, Space Science, and Biological and Physical Research.

NASA Space Grant Graduate Fellowships at The Pennsylvania State University
http://pa.spacegrant.org/psgc-fellowship-program

Fellowships will be awarded to outstanding students in fields of study that promote the understanding, assessment, and utilization of space and contribute to NASA’s research mission: Aeronautics Research, Exploration Systems, Science, and Space Operations. To learn more about NASA research priorities, please see the following research program homepages: Earth Science, Space Science, Biological and Physical Research, Aerospace Technology, and Space Flight. The main NASA Mission Directorate page can be found here. Fields of study in most departments are eligible.

Research study announcement

Talk on Usable and Secure Human Authentication

The first of 5 candidates for tenure track Professor position in the College of IST will be giving a talk this Friday, Feb 6 from 10:30 am to 12:00 pm in room 202 IST Building.

https://psu.box.com/s/xspe5vcjk3op8kc0bysh4fuqeo9b1zqq

Summer Internship for Security Analyst in Manhatten

Global Security Summer Analyst

ITG’s Summer Analyst Program:

Build your future before you graduate by being a part of ITG’s 9–week paid internship! Picture yourself at ITG, a leading global execution and research broker. As a Summer Analyst, you’ll have an opportunity to network with individuals at all levels of the organization and work on challenging projects that make an immediate contribution to our business. Envision yourself gaining exposure to all areas of our business and collaborating daily with high-caliber individuals in a team-oriented environment.

Through our comprehensive training programs, senior management speaker series, and mentoring opportunities, our Summer Analysts acquire the tools and experience to contribute to the firm’s bottom line and develop professionally.

From investment decision through settlement, ITG helps clients understand market trends, improve performance, mitigate risk and navigate increasingly complex markets. ITG is headquartered in New York, with offices in North America, Europe and Asia Pacific. Join us, and get ready for an unforgettable experience!

Opportunities in ITG’s Global Security Team:

Picture yourself working in a high-caliber team responsible for Global Security of a publicly-traded Financial Services firm. The Summer Analyst will work on various aspects of the firm’s Threat Intelligence and Management program, and assist with further developing the firm’s computer incident response capabilities and procedures. The candidate will also collaborate with the Global Security team to maintain awareness of emerging threats, specifically those within the Financial Services sector, and perform daily operations and maintenance of ITG’s global security infrastructure.

Required Skills:

• Current Juniors or Master’s candidates pursuing a degree Computer Science, Information Security, Engineering or a related technical discipline
• Exposure to and interest in system/network vulnerabilities and incident management
• Understanding of Windows and Unix operating systems
• Experience with networking, databases, and programming/scripting languages (SQL, Python, Perl, PowerShell, PHP, etc.) a plus
• Prior experience with Active Directory, a plus
• Good prioritization skills and the ability to multi-task on varying projects and initiatives
• Excellent communication and writing skills
• Organized and detail oriented with a strong work ethic
• Ability to work as a team and individually on various tasks

ITG is a global, independent execution and research broker headquartered in New York City. Are you interested in pursuing an exciting career opportunity working within the Global Security team of a publicly-traded financial services firm? From various aspects of the firm's Threat Intelligence and Management program, to assisting in the development of our computer incident response capabilities and procedures, this Summer Analyst will be a key contributor to our Security and Business Continuity operations.

Don't miss an opportunity to apply today by submitting your application now through PSU’s Nittany Lion Career Network – Job ID#135011 - Global Security Summer Analyst. Note - Our program is open to Dec 2015 - May 2016 grads.