Featured – Page 38 – Seidenberg School News

What Makes the New ‘Ms. Marvel’ so Marvelous?

Quick, name your top 5 favorite Muslim superheroes. If you came up with three, I’d be impressed. If you came up with even one who wasn’t shoe-horned into a story in the name of “diversity” you may have thought of Marvel’s latest Ms. Marvel.

For over 75 years, comics have been a safe haven for children and adults alike, and comics are back in the limelight. Marvel Studios is making hit after hit, and America can’t get enough of comics. But one thing doesn’t sit right with about half the viewers/readers/consumers. You’ve got Iron MAN, BatMAN, SuperMAN, and a slew of other manly-men thrashing around in tights. They also happen to be white (except Superman, who one can argue is a literal illegal alien). It took Black Widow in “The Avengers” to show many people unfamiliar with the comics that it was indeed possible to have some kick-butt women heroes. And comics have started delivering said women role models.

Enter Kamala Khan, a dorky but lovable teenage Muslim girl from Jersey City. Sounds like the lead character to a teen RomCom. But she’s so much more. She’s a second generation Muslim struggling to find a balance between her parent’s traditions and America’s youth culture. She goes to her local mosque. She writes fan fiction on the internet. She’s a normal teenage girl. And isn’t that just how Peter Parker started? (With the exception of his second X-chromosome being a Y-chromosome.) Soon enough that normal teenage girl finds out she’s a class of mutated human (not to be confused with Marvel’s ‘mutants’) called Inhumans. She’s got alien DNA that triggers a transformation when it reacts to a special crystal, or in her case, mist. With the help of some classic Marvel characters (which are totally not just there to sell comics of a new/unknown hero ((yes they are))), Kamala starts to get a hold of her new powers, and even dons the now vacant position of her favorite super hero: Ms. Marvel!

Seidenberg_MsMarvel0 One of the most important things about the new Ms. Marvel series is that it is a major triumph for representation. Also important is that Kamala’s character faces some struggles regarding being a Muslim, but it doesn’t define her. She’s not a one dimensional character whose defining trait is being Muslim. The author of the series, G. Willow Wilson (@GWillowWilson) is a Muslim woman who writes from her own personal experience and from the experiences of those she grew up with. One can argue the story of Kamala Khan is that much more interesting, that much more personal, because it’s not a coming-of-age story about a teenage Muslim girl written by a middle age white guy.

This is an all new, all powerful Muslim teenager / superhero / fanfic writer who is breaking her way into the hearts and minds of comic readers. She’s a super heroine with character growth and family issues on par with those of Peter Parker back in the 1960s. She’s a hero for a new age, a new demographic, and a more inclusive comic market. Kamala Khan is the new Ms. Marvel.

If you’re interested in getting into the Ms. Marvel series, stop by The Seidenberg School at 163 William Street and take a look at the first 5 issues in “Ms. Marvel Vol. 1: No Normal”.

Written by –

Brent McDonald is a Pace University Alumnus, and a revered Yarn-Weaver of the Seidenberg School. He enjoys computer science, and his creativity (read: incessant prattling) allows him to keep people entertained.

JTAG’d by the Law: Phones and Forensics

No phone’s secret is safe from the forensic skills of Seidenberg’s James Ossipov and Dr. Darren Hayes. At first glance, it appears that James is ironing a piece of paper, but what is under the paper is what is helping law enforcement retrieve photos, texts, and various information from most phones—even if it’s deleted.

Dr. Darren Hayes, professor at Seidenberg, and James Ossipov have been working together with a method of evidence extraction called JTAG, which in time could revolutionize the way law enforcement agencies use computer forensics.

James Ossipov

Hayes mentions that, “James is actually working on a project where we are trying to automate something called JTAG. JTAG is accessing user data on a phone when you can’t use traditional methods for extracting evidence from a phone. So, we extract evidence directly from the printed circuit board using JTAG. Sometimes a phone may have encryption, so you need JTAG for that. Sometimes the phone is damaged, for instance, someone may have dropped it in water, and therefore JTAG is your only method to get the phone’s data. JTAG is the only option for examining Windows smartphones.”

JTAG sounds like an amazing innovation to restore information from a phone, even if it is damaged. However, this method is not for everyday use yet — it is primarily used in investigations to retrieve evidence.

CircuitBoard — A circuit board after solution, before it is cleaned with acetone.

“This method is generally only used by law enforcement. Many law enforcement agencies don’t have the capabilities to perform JTAG, so they have to bring in outside experts. What we are trying to do is make it easier for law enforcement by automating the process so more law enforcement agencies can actually use this method of extracting evidence.”

Unfortunately for law enforcement, this method of extracting data cannot be used on an iPhone.

“iPhones are very tricky. They have very good security and are well locked down,” says Hayes. “You can’t perform chip off, meaning you cannot take a memory chip from an iPhone and put it into another phone because all of the firmware, the system software, is mapped to the memory chip. So, if you try to move it to another phone, you won’t be able to access it. But LG phones and Samsung’s are the easiest phones for this process.”

Using the board to look at a phone's NAND — Using the board to look at a phone’s NAND

Computer forensics is advancing every day and Seidenberg is proud to be at the forefront of it all. If you are interested in learning about computer forensic, Dr. Darren Hayes is currently teaching a Cyber Law Class (CIT 363). If you’re not registered for that class, don’t worry—in the fall he is offering a Mobile Forensics course where he will teach how to extract evidence from mobile devices and obtain evidence from third-parties such as Facebook.

Also worth mentioning is that James also worked on JTAG last semester with two other veterans (David Cano – Navy & Gordon Wildrick III – Marines), and he himself is a veteran of the Army. We’re proud to support our forces and we’re more proud of the work they’ve accomplished with Seidenberg.

Pace Joins Forces with Jr 100

For the first time ever, Pace University has joined forces with One Hundred Black Men of New York for the Jr. 100/Pathways to Success program. The Jr. 100 program is a world-class leadership and educational enrichment program that helps prepare High School students (such as the four students pictured below) to become intellectually sophisticated citizens with a vigor for personal growth and learning. This partnership will feature a rigorous and enriching curriculum that will not only challenge scholars academically but also help shape their perspectives on society.

Kaliv Parker from One Hundred Black Men’s Board of Directors mentioned that the organization is enthusiastic about their partnership with Pace University. He states that,

“This level of engagement will allow us an opportunity to up-level our offerings during this year’s program while catalyzing new opportunities for our scholars. We are very confident that our scholars will be immensely prepared not only for college academia but for all of their next stages of life.”

This new relationship between Pace and One Hundred Black Men has been spearheaded by Pace Government & Community Relations‘ assistant VP Vanessa Herman, and Seidenberg’s Associate Dean Dr. Jonathan Hill. Alongside Herman and Dr. Hill, Olga Bogomolova and Caitlin Grand have been in charge of Pace’s content for the upcoming events with Jr 100. These two women are also acting as mentors within the program, and helping them are student mentors Sabiya Bacchus (CS ’15) and Siobhan Wilmot-Dunbar (CS ’16).

Sessions will be held on Saturdays, February to June, at both Pace University and TD Bank, and will include multiple interactions between Pace’s affiliated universities (Aalto U and Duoc U, for example) as well as companies and associations that are proud to join with 100 Black Men of New York. The primary objective of the program is to enhance life, leadership and team-building skills, while expanding awareness in college academia, entrepreneurship, and corporate careers.

Additional sponsors for the events and partnership include Macy’s, Bloomingdales, CIA, and Estee Lauder. To keep up with the progress of Jr. 100, check out the follow social media handles for updates!

The Answers to the Burning Question: What is a Shmoo?

Seidenberg student Anthony C. Martini (MS/CS ’16), recipient of the NSF CyberCorps®: Scholarship for Service, reflects on his recent experience at ShmooCon. He writes:

“Readers,

First and foremost, thank you to the ‘Shmoozers’ who sponsored my trip thought the Shmooze-a-Student Scholarship awarded to 25 attendees each year to help subsidize the trip expense for students. I have received the scholarship for 2 years in a row and found the experience invaluable and encourage all students to apply.

ShmooCon is different; “ShmooCon is an annual East Coast hacker convention hell-bent on offering three days of an interesting atmosphere for demonstrating technology exploitation, inventive software and hardware solutions, and open discussions of critical infosec issues” (Shmoocon.com). The philosophy is to keep the conference at around 1400 attendees, and thus manageable by Mr. Bruce Potter, Mrs. Heidi Potter, and the ‘ShmooGroup’ team.

: (Left to right: Anthony Martini, Bruce Potter, Heidi Potter, Nolan Hsu a student)

ShmooCon itself is a very affordable conference, which allows many young students and professionals to attend. However, spots at this conference are highly coveted and often sell out within 20 seconds after spots become available online (we like to call this “Happy F5 Day!” in reference to the online browser refresh key). I feel that this conference’s InfoSec industry to hacker-con ratio would be about 30/70. This dynamic leaves room for being silly over professional, spontaneous over regimented, and laid back rather than rushed. Also if you are a swag-monger, you could easily leave the conference with enough security vendor t-shirts to impress your friends with one for each day of the week.

: Real life representation of a ‘Shmoo’ made by contest winners of Barcode-Shmarcode

: Anthony Martini himself, showing of some #PacePride

ShmooCon is very entertaining, offering 3 tracks of talks all weekend as well as events such as Lock Pick Village by Toole, ShmooCon Labs, Hack Fortress, Wireless CTF and just so many more. Winners of events often win the most up-to-date gadgets ranging from tablets to entire 3D printing machines to tickets for next year’s con. Below is the winner of this year’s ‘Barcode-Shmarcode,’ in which contestants must make the most impressive and functionally scanning barcode.

The Theme:The Shmoo: What is a Shmoo?

The Shmoo is a mythical creature and does not have much significance in the ways of security or hacking, per se, but it does promote the individuality that is the essence of the con. All in all, this conference has a very unique culture that is sure to remain so for many years, andif you need a hacker or security conference to attend as your first, this should be the one. You can view many of the talks for free at the website, in their archive that is provided free of charge to the public; however, the benefit is to be amongst others in the community — to mingle, make friends and build a professional network. Did I mention that many of the vender booths are hiring students for internships and full-time positions? I hope to see you at ShmooCon of 2016!”

If anyone has any questions please feel free to reach out to the ShmooGroup at info@shmoocon.org. We also offer more opportunities for conference scholarships! You can get all the information here.

#SeidenbergPride in Washington DC

Seidenberg students and cybersecurity scholars Cynthia Shaw (BS/IT ’15), Anthony Martini (MS/CS ’16), and Luke Babak (BS/IT ’14) traveled to Washington DC in mid-January to attend the CyberCorps®: Scholarship for Service (SFS) Job Fair. The annual event is an opportunity for students in the SFS cybersecurity scholarship program to meet and network with federal employers with the scope of securing an internship or permanent position. The students had the chance to interact with representatives from over 40 federal agencies, and it is expected that they will get to parse through some interesting offers in the months to come.

Seidenberg’s own SFS alum, Christopher White ’13, ’14, a Cyber Security Engineer with the Johns Hopkins – Applied Physics Lab, was one of the four alums to speak in the SFS Job Fair Alumni Panel.

So very proud of all of you!

CyberCorps Attendees

Pictured from left to right: Anthony Martini (MS/IT ’16), Cynthia Shaw (BS/IT ’15), Luke Babak (BS/IT ’14), and Li-Chiou Chen, Professor, IT WEST Department Chair and Cybersecurity Scholarship Program Director.

Zakiya Sims is on a mission to grow PCS!

Pace Seidenberg _ Digital Cloud — Zakiya Sims at Digital Cloud

This winter break I embarked on a quest to make the Pace Computing Society bigger than itself. In the process I was faced with challenges and disappointments but (kinda) accomplished what I set out to do. Over the intermission I wrote tons of emails, made several phone calls, and attended many events. With these activities I’ve learned how to make meaningful connections and get out there to make things happen.

I started my journey with the goal of getting guest speakers for every PCS meeting. I began by writing emails to celebrities who have invested in startup companies. I know it seems like an unreachable goal but I figured if you took a shot in the dark you might hit your target. Well, I didn’t hit my target but I did manage to graze a few people nearby. I emailed the managers of celebrities such as Nas, Andy Samberg, and Leonardo DiCaprio. That was when I was able to find their email. It was by pure luck and great search engine skills that I was able to find some of the managers’ contact info which I doubt were reliable. I mean I found Nas’s cell phone number in a matter of seconds…I don’t think it was his number. I did not get a response from their managers which was expected so I lowered my standards a bit.

Pace Seidenberg _ WeWork — The WeWork office space in downtown, NYC

Next, I contacted the CEO’s of big companies such as Twitter, Spotify, and Tumblr. Spotify was the only company that responded. The CEO’s assistant essentially said no, but that was enough encouragement I needed to get out there and email more companies. I then proceeded to email local startup companies. I figured if I got in the “I help you, you help me” mindset, companies would send speakers to us. In the email I asked them the send a representative, which would be a great opportunity to promote their business and garner users and revenue through our students. The next few days were followed by emails from the companies explaining how they were unable to speak at our meetings. I did get some success, however. Someone from the partnership department at WeWork contacted me and forwarded the email to the Director of Business Development there! He was willing to speak for our first meeting. Next came several speakers from companies such as BuzzFeed, General Assembly, HATCH, UNICEF, Strolby, IBM, and Uncubed who were willing to come. With every person that responded there were two companies that didn’t and with every one that did responded, half said no. There were some people that said they were willing to speak at PCS but when I sent an email to follow up they never responded.

With several speakers confirmed for the spring semester my next step was to broaden our audience and reach people who weren’t PCS members to have them attend our meetings. One way to do this was to contact local high schools. I tried a few but they declined the offer. However, the adviser of the Girls Who Code chapter at Brooklyn Tech offered me hope. They weren’t able to attend our meetings because of the conflicting times, but offered for me to speak at their first meeting. We were allowed only 3 minutes, so we had to be concise. Kendra, vice-president of PCS, and I went there and delineated what Pace University had to offer in NYC and the tech field, and explained the Stem Camp and Summer Scholars program. Afterwards we offered them gifts. The teacher was very grateful and told me to send her more information on the summer programs. That event made me feel as though the publicizing of our club was an essential way to get us known to people who would not have known us otherwise. This motivated me.

Pace Seidenberg _ Brooklyn Tech — Zakiya Sims at Brooklyn Technical High School

My next mission was to get our name out there. I sought to do this by creating the PCS website and promoting the club’s events on Facebook page and Eventbrite. I also attended a Women Who Code front end development discussion group with Kendra. There we met female software development and coded in JavaScript… and raided their refrigerator. We were able to get the business card of one the employees which could be a potential opportunity. I continue on with the goal by accompanying Wilfredo, project manager for Seidenberg and Kendra to the WeWork headquarters. We got a tour from our first speaker, Jesse Middleton. He talked to us about the company’s goal which is to create a community through the work spaces. He also told us that there were a few “fast growing startups” that worked in the building and suggest that we can get a group of our members to tour their work spaces. It seemed like a great idea as several of our members’ are looking for jobs.

The break is starting to come to an end but I still aim to continue finding more speakers, events, and business opportunities for the members of PCS. This week I was planning on going to a Lunch Talk where I will practice my sketch noting skills in order to glean information to pass on to the members. Furthermore, I will be going to Playtest Thursdays at NYU Poly to perhaps procure more attendees for our events and get more ideas and connections. In addition, I will be attending a hackathon, sponsored by Spotify, to gain experience and exposure that I will share with other PCS members. I would not have thought a few months ago that PCS would be where it is now but I pulled a few strings, made it happen, and now we’re known by a bunch a girls at Brooklyn Tech, the speakers I’ve invited, people who saw me steal food at the WWC meeting, and soon the world.

-Zakiya Sims, 1st year Computer Science at The Seidenberg School & treasurer, PCS.