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Category: Future of IT

Taming the new Wild West: University cybersecurity expert selected for HP Innovation research program

Posted on by Betsy Edwards

By Communications and Marketing

Nearly undetectable, cyber criminals have turned the Internet into virtual Wild West. Helping to save the day is Kansas State University cybersecurity expert Xinming “Simon” Ou.

Although he may not be John Wayne, Ou, associate professor of computing and information sciences, is developing hacker detection tools in collaboration with Hewlett-Packard Co., or HP, as part of the HP Labs Innovation Research Program. Kansas State University is one of only 46 universities in the world to receive the 2012 award.  Continue reading “Taming the new Wild West: University cybersecurity expert selected for HP Innovation research program” →

Cyber warriors wanted: Scholarship program to train students in cybersecurity

Posted on by IT editors

Millions of people depend on the Internet every day and cyber criminals are counting on that, according to a Kansas State University cybersecurity expert.

“Hackers are performing cyber espionage by gathering information on companies, seeking out national secrets or starting cyber warfare by disabling critical infrastructure,” said Xinming “Simon” Ou, associate professor of computing and information sciences.

To help counter the threat, the National Science Foundation has awarded $2.3 million to Kansas State University’s department of computing and information sciences to provide scholarships to qualified students interested in becoming cybersecurity and information assurance professionals. Continue reading “Cyber warriors wanted: Scholarship program to train students in cybersecurity” →

Windows 8 Demo Day Wednesday September 19, 2012

Posted on by Eric Dover

Microsoft will be on campus Wednesday September 19th in the Union Big 12 room to demo the Windows 8 operating system. Major changes in Windows 8 include a completely new user interface and other enhancements aimed at tablet computing and desktops alike.

Microsoft will be providing three demo sessions geared for different interest areas. Here is the planned agenda for the day.

  • 9:30am – 10:30am will be a general look at the new user interface. This session is perfect for those that are interested in how Windows 8 will look and act as well some of the new features.
  • 11:00am – 12:00pm will be a technical session covering the inner workings of the operating system as well as support and management enhancements.
  • 12:15pm – 1:00pm will be a brown bag question and answer session for diving deeper into the inner workings of Windows 8.

All of the sessions will be held in the Union Big 12 room and anyone interested in one or all of the sessions is welcome to join.

Game Design Workshop scheduled July 19

Posted on by Ben Ward

Faculty and staff can now sign up for the final offering of the Instructional Game Design Workshop this summer, scheduled 1-5 p.m. Thursday, July 19, in the Hemisphere Room, 501 Hale Library. Please register promptly as the workshop is limited to 24 faculty/staff, and several spots have already been filled by waitlist requests from previous sessions.

Registration will close Tuesday, July 17. Email bward@k-state.edu to reserve your spot today, or if you have questions about the workshop.

Continue reading “Game Design Workshop scheduled July 19” →

Free SIDLIT conference has 60+ sessions on technologies, strategies for higher ed

Posted on by Betsy Edwards

“Re-imagining Education: Tools and Challenges” is the theme for this year’s annual SIDLIT conference on the latest technologies, strategies, and forward-thinking for higher education professionals. The free event is Thursday-Friday, Aug. 2-3, at Johnson County Community College, and registration is required. (Create a free account before registering. If you already have one, sign in and the registration form will appear.) Early registration is recommended as registration fills up fast.

This year’s schedule of presentations has 37 topics on Day 1, and 26 topics on Day 2. Attendees may find it difficult to choose between the variety of sessions, as up to 10 run concurrently during session timeslots. A sample of topics to pique your interest:

Register for SIDLIT higher education conference Aug. 2-3

Posted on by Betsy Edwards

Faculty/staff who are interested in learning more about distance learning and educational technology should consider attending the free, annual SIDLIT conference scheduled Thursday-Friday, Aug. 2-3, at Johnson County Community College. The theme this year is “Re-imagining Education: Tools and Challenges”.

SIDLIT (the Summer Institute on Distance Learning and Instructional Technology) is a networking opportunity as well as a two-day conference on the latest technologies, strategies, and forward-thinking for higher education professionals. It is sponsored by Colleague to Colleague (C2C).

Continue reading “Register for SIDLIT higher education conference Aug. 2-3” →

Walk-in registration, door prizes for CHECK conference May 23-24

Posted on by Betsy Edwards

The 2012 Conference on Higher Education Computing in Kansas (CHECK) is scheduled Wednesday-Thursday, May 23-24, at the K-State Student Union on the Kansas State University campus at Manhattan.  More than 135 attendees have already registered for this networking opportunity that addresses current IT issues in higher education.

On-site, walk-in registration is still available Wednesday, May 23 (11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m.) and Thursday, May 24 (7:30-10 a.m.) on the 2nd floor of the K-State Student Union. The $90 fee covers all conference materials, Wednesday dinner, and Thursday continental breakfast and box lunch.

On May 23, door prizes including two wireless printers will be given away during dinner. Prior to lunch on May 24, an iPad (provided by EMC2) and a 32-inch TV (provided by NEC) will be given away. Attendees must be present to win.

Continue reading “Walk-in registration, door prizes for CHECK conference May 23-24” →

QR codes (+ free tools): Quick access to all kinds of data

Posted on by Betsy Edwards
Image of QR code for K-State IT Help Desk URL
QR code for the website of the K-State IT Help Desk

K-Staters may have noticed some funny-looking images of black-pixeled boxes popping up around campus lately, notably in Hale Library. So, what are they used for and what can you do with them?

These are “QR codes” or Quick Response codes (also known as QR barcodes). This technology allows the public to access information fast through graphical links.

QR code readers

To access the information behind a QR code, you first need to download a free QR reader to your smartphone and then scan/capture (take a picture of) a QR code. (Some smartphones may come with a QR reader already installed.) Here are a few that seem to work well:

  • For the iPhone, RedLaser is a free, general purpose barcode reader app.
  • For Android smartphones, Barcode Scanner is a free app that has received positive feedback.

For more choices, do a Google search for “QR code reader”. Continue reading “QR codes (+ free tools): Quick access to all kinds of data” →

IT word changes according to Associated Press

Posted on by Betsy Edwards

In March, the Associated Press announced its major changes in word styles, including IT words. This is a “big deal” for IT words that have remained unchanged for decades in a field where technology changes frequently and fast. (Some words, like “e-mail”, have remained unchanged for 20+ years.)

New IT word styles include:

  • cellphone (formerly “cell phone” as two words)
  • email (formerly “e-mail” with a hyphen)
  • smartphone (formerly “smart phone” as two words)
  • website (formerly “web site” as two words)

Continue reading “IT word changes according to Associated Press” →

Make plans now to attend CHECK conference May 25-26

Posted on by Betsy Edwards

The 2011 Conference on Higher Education Computing in Kansas (CHECK) is scheduled Wednesday-Thursday, May 25-26, at the Kansas Union on the University of Kansas Lawrence campus. Registration officially opened March 14, and the registration form should be online soon. The call for proposals deadline is Monday, March 28.

This annual, two-day event is for information technology professionals in higher-education institutions in Kansas, including community colleges, technical schools, and other 2-year and 4-year institutions.

Continue reading “Make plans now to attend CHECK conference May 25-26” →