Erie County Times

Gannon University Athletics issued the following announcement on Dec. 22.

Student Alyssa MacLefko at the Institute of Health and Cyber Knowledge (I-HACK) where she studies cybersecurity

Alyssa MacLefko envisioned what her college campus would look like as she prepared to graduate high school. Perhaps it would be grand with monumental gates that open to a vibrant landscape bustling with life as it’s often portrayed in movies.

MacLefko wasn’t considering Gannon University when she attended the Hackathon in 2020. In fact, she wasn’t even considering it when her mother leaned over to her grandfather and said she had made her decision.

Instead, it was the digital innovation that captured MacLefko’s attention. The university proved its dedication to the rapidly expanding cyber industry with the addition of the Institute for Health and Cyber Knowledge, or I-HACK.

“It turns out my mom does know a thing or two,” MacLefko said with a laugh. “The money that Gannon was putting into the I-HACK building just showed what their commitment to this program was and that they were really trying to make that effort to stay up to date with what it could be.”

Interested in a technical education, the now sophomore cybersecurity major scoured the internet for cybersecurity programs. The amount of varying degree names in the field overwhelmed her as she navigated the already daunting journey.

“I looked at about 20 different schools and saw about 15 different degree names, so it was complicated to try to piece together what I could do with each degree,” MacLefko said.

“The real thing that drew me to Gannon was the hardware aspect of it compared to being more software-based,” MacLefko said “I really wanted to work on that networking and securing it from the beginning rather than asking ‘what patches can we put in our routers to make them secure?’ later.”

Gannon allowed her to narrow her focus by separating cyber engineering from cybersecurity.

Cyber Engineering: cyber engineering combines the fundamentals of computer engineering, cryptography, and cybersecurity techniques to design, incorporate, and secure systems across the digital landscape. This includes (but is not limited to) embedded technology, autonomous technology, edge and end-point technologies.

Cybersecurity: cybersecurity is the process of protecting these technologies from digital attacks by assessing potential threats and combatting them with cyber security techniques.

Cyber engineering focuses on the development and implementation of new systems while cybersecurity ensures those systems are protected from information disclosure, theft and damage.

The cyber engineering program at Gannon includes the more tangible, hardware element that comes from computer and mechanical engineering.

Zachary Dickinson – a sophomore cyber engineering major – met MacLefko at the 2020 Hackathon. The two both won the competition, receiving full-tuition scholarships to Gannon as a prize.

Before that, Dickinson applied to Gannon’s mechanical engineering program in hopes of following his interests in computer-aided design software and machining. It was a coding class during his last semester in high school that prompted him to search for technical degrees.

He had to choose between cybersecurity and cyber engineering upon winning the Hackathon.

“After weighing the pros and cons for a while, I decided on cyber engineering, which is a little funny looking back,” Dickinson said. “The reason I chose cyber engineering was because in all my research on the fields online, cybersecurity was really focused on IT work, which I really don't want to work in.

“It was only after seeing a few presentations on Gannon’s cyber programs that I realized that cyber engineering is a better fit for me. We're learning to work on embedded systems and develop the electronic devices and products we use every day. That's really what I want to be doing too, making,” Dickinson said.

Cyber Engineering Courses: 

• Cyber-physical systems
• Secure embedded systems
• Embedded secure networking
• IoT security and implementation

Cyber Engineering Objectives: 

After completing these courses, students will be able to identify and solve problems using security principles and practices to design, implement and operate both the hardware and software sides of a cyber system.

Careers in Cyber Engineering:

Jobs in cyber engineering vary as the need for smart devices and cyber systems is continuously expanding. Roles like computer engineering, software engineering, embedded systems development, embedded system administration, cybersecurity engineer, and embedded forensics consultant are all positions in the cyber engineering field. These careers are often seen in law enforcement, the financial sector and health care divisions.

Dickinson and MacLefko are both proving their part on campus, making up the technology committee in the Student Government Association. They will be in one of the first classes to graduate with a cyber degree from Gannon.

MacLefko already has her eyes set on starting a cybersecurity consulting company when she graduates, using the ethical hacking and defense skills she’ll learn in the second half of her program.

Cybersecurity Courses: 

• IT security
• Mobile security and implementation
• Ethical hacking
• Cyber information security
• Cyber defense

Cybersecurity Objectives: 

After completing these courses, students will be able to analyze complex computing problems, apply principles of computing and security, securely communicate and maintain the operation of systems in the presence of risks and threats.

Careers in Cybersecurity:

Jobs in cybersecurity exist and continue to be fast-growing as technology becomes more complex. Digital forensics analyst, security consultant and ethical hacker are all careers in the cybersecurity field.

“Everyone says your college becomes your home, but it really does feel like this is where I’m supposed to be,” MacLefko said.

“Gannon has given me so much more than an education so far, and coming here and having the strong education but also being so well-rounded within the community and on campus has helped me grow, will allow me more opportunities as I progress,” MacLefko added.

Learn more about cyber engineering and cybersecurity degrees at Gannon University by visiting gannon.edu/cyber

Original source can be found here.