October has finally arrived and today is the official start of National Cybersecurity Awareness Month (NCSAM) 2019! The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), in partnership with the National Cyber Security Alliance (NCSA), is leading efforts to increase cybersecurity awareness and encourage all Americans to be responsible technology users. Throughout October, CISA and NCSA will promote the overarching theme of “Own IT. Secure IT. Protect IT.”, to encourage all Americans to enable positive cybersecurity behavior changes and be accountable for their personal cybersecurity.
CISA and NCSA have developed a variety of resources to educate the public on how they can “Own IT. Secure IT. Protect IT.” during the month of October, as well as emphasize the importance of cybersecurity awareness year-round. These resources will help you better understand cybersecurity and improve your online security.  Steps may include enabling multi-factor authentication, updating privacy settings on all of your accounts, and remembering not to post personal information on social media. 
The CIS Department will be sending out posts the month of October surrounding the #BeCyberSmart campaign!

See link for more information. 

The Computer Information Systems Department's Data Assurance & IT Security A.A.S. degree has met very stringent guidelines and been designated as a “National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense Education”. The goal of the program is to reduce vulnerability in our national information infrastructure by promoting higher education and research in cyber defense and producing professionals with cyber defense expertise.

Check out the Data Assurance & IT Security degree two year plan of study:
https://www.rockvalleycollege.edu/Courses/Programs/DataAssurance/dataassurancecertificates.cfm

If you have questions, please contact Stephanie Wascher, s.wascher@rockvalleycollege.edu 

The RVC Hour of Code has reached 750 K-12 students since December 2015. It is a FREE monthly, public workshop we have offered since December 2015. We have had The objective of the RVC Hour of Code is to demystify Computer Science for mainly students in K-12. However, we have entire families that attend each month and learn together.

The RVC Hour of Code is offered the first Tuesday of the month at Cherryvale mall. This is the second year the mall has graciously volunteered to offer us space, setup the tables and chairs and provided power and wifi.

If you want to volunteer to help email Chuck Konkol at c.konkol@rockvalleycollege.edu
Website and RSVP: http://rvchourofcode.com

Voter registration will be available in the WTC lobby next week. This is an activity brought to you by PAIC.

Plan on registering to vote on one of the below dates!

Monday, September 10
11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Tuesday, September 11
noon to 1 p.m.
4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Two forms of ID are needed. Commonly, it is a Illinois driver's license with the current address and an RVC student ID. If the drivers license doesn't have the current address, it can be used but then the second item must have a current address along with their name such as a bank statement or utility bill.

#RVCMobileAppCertificate

Find out more & register @ myrvc.org/apps

Questions? Email Professor Chuck Konkol

Google has two AIY (Artificial Intelligence and You) kits. The first kit is Voice and the second kit is Visual artificial intelligence. Both kits have users put together a cardboard kit with required hardware such as a raspberry pi, microphone, and camera using TensorFlow neural network. In addition, Google provides multiple demo Python files to test machine learning results for both audio and visual input.

Professor Konkol has purchased and successfully put together the Visual AIY Kit demonstrating the ability of the TensorFlow neural network to recognize objects and faces. In addition, Konkol has begun using Python code to experiment with other real world use cases. The most recent real-world use case is recognition of handicap individuals as they approach doors triggering a door opening actuator. The real-world solutions are endless and Google has given the tools to solve real world problems with Artificial Intelligence.

Resource Links

• Google Visual AIY Website: ​https://aiyprojects.withgoogle.com/vision/
• Adafruit explores AIY with Google https://youtu.be/RfwNGXfGeXU (video)
• Purchase the Visual & Voice AIY Kit ONLY at Target 

Testing of object recognition like seen below show the correct category "orange" being selected. AI could replace the current system used in grocery stores of manually looking up produce to determine a product code.

Congratulations to Amy Barbagallo for recently getting hired at Advanced Machine and Engineering. Amy was working at Ebates in customer service and has been looking for an entry level job in an IT department. 

Where did you find out about this job? MyRVC.org jobs page.

​Company: Advanced Machine and Engineering
Job Title: Network Client Support Specialist
Job Description:​

• ​Providing technical assistance using both oral and written communication skills via phone and e-mail
• Troubleshooting hardware, software, and devices
• Configuring routers, switches, servers, and clients
• Installing and updating software​

Once again, congrats on the new job Amy!
​- Rock Valley College CIS Faculty & Staff