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Talwar College of Engineering and Computer Sciences Roundup
Academic Roundup
Dusseau receives award from SME
Dr. Steve Dusseau, professor of industrial and manufacturing engineering, was chosen in October as one of five university professors in the nation to receive the Society of Manufacturing Engineers’ 2021 Distinguished Faculty Advisor Award. Established in 2011, the award is presented to SME student chapter faculty advisors to recognize their continued oversight and engagement efforts advocating for students and the manufacturing industry.
Faculty advisors share their expertise to integrate real-world design projects into their classrooms, offer on-site research lab experience, sponsor attendance at industry conferences and co-author scientific papers published in peer-reviewed journals and professional conferences.
“Professor Dusseau is always looking to provide his students with enhanced learning opportunities that reinforce what they are learning in their books,” said Dr. Ying Shang, dean of the College of Engineering. “This is a well-deserved recognition for Steve and we are very proud of him.”
Cybersecurity major recaps prestigious internship opportunity
In the spring issue of Indiana Tech Magazine, we introduced cybersecurity major, Param Mehta, and told you about the prestigious summer internship he earned from the Army Cyber Institute at the United States Military Academy in West Point, New York.
This eight-week course was designed to give interns real-world experience in futuristic cyber research as it relates to the security of the nation. Fresh back from his internship, Param, who is also a member of the U.S. Army Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC), sat with Indiana Tech Magazine to share his experience.
ITM: Where do you hope your cybersecurity degree and this internship experience will take you?
PM: I want to be a part of the Army’s Cyber Command* as my long-term career because I have always wanted to serve my country while doing what I love best, cybersecurity!
ITM: How much closer are you to achieving this goal as a result of your internship?
PM: I feel I am a stronger and more competitive candidate in contrast to my peers. During my internship, I was able to quickly learn and adapt to different programming languages and cyberrelated soft skills. These skills and experiences are helping me pursue independent research for my senior project on malware family analysis.
ITM: Give a brief recap of your internship experience.
PM: I worked alongside a cyber officer/cyber researcher as a cyber research intern to study and develop an API-analyzer to attribute and detect various types of malware families. While on this project, I learned how different types of programming languages (C++, Python, Rust, etc.) can be used to develop a robust tool that will detect a malware’s behavior within the operating system. I also researched different types of malware families to understand how they function and behave with Windows processes and system calls. This research helps with developing malware attribution rules for the API-analyzer to efficiently detect and flag instances of specific malware families. My senior project is an extension of the research and work I was doing during my internship.
*Launched in 2014, the U.S. Army Cyber Command integrates and conducts fullspectrum cyberspace operations, electronic warfare and information operations, insuring freedom of action for friendly forces in and through the cyber domain and the information environment, while denying the same to our adversaries. Positions within the Cyber Command are very competitive.
’72 grad organizes donation to EE program
Al Hernandez’s Indiana Tech education served as his launching pad toward a successful career in the world of the electrical power grid.
In August, the 1972 electrical engineering graduate was back on campus, giving back to a university and an industry that helped him achieve a great level of success.
Hernandez, the founder and current minority owner of Powerserve Technologies of Jupiter, Florida, and his wife, Linda, orchestrated a donation of two electrical relays from Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories (SEL) of Pullman, Washington. He and SEL application engineer, Jon Larson, traveled to Fort Wayne in August to make the donation to the university’s electrical engineering program and to train program lead, Professor Zakariya Al-Hamouz, how to use the equipment.
“I thank Powerserve Technologies and Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories for this generous donation to our university,” said Dr. Ying Shang, dean of the College of Engineering and School of Computer Sciences. “Our students will be able to use this equipment to gain hands-on experience that will make them more marketable in the power systems and automation job market.”
According to Hernandez and Larson, they wanted the donated relays to match up with what protection and control engineers would see in a real energized substation control house. With them, students will be able to perform complex protection and control work on a live system and in accordance with industry standards.
“My hope is that Indiana Tech will be able to get some recruiting benefit out of this donation,” Hernandez said. “If the university creates a lab with this equipment, that would give students a very unique learning experience, especially at the undergraduate level. Then any engineer who takes the lab and likes the work will find there are vast opportunities out there because there is a national shortage of these types of engineers. It benefits Indiana Tech and the whole electric power industry and, hopefully, some engineers for Powerserve Technologies.”
Hernandez has been a part of the electric power industry since leaving Indiana Tech. After graduating, the Miami native moved back south to join Florida Power and Light, where he worked until 1995 when he was downsized from his position of manager of substation engineering. Then, Hernandez founded Powerserve Technologies, a subcontractor that provides engineering, construction and testing services for an array of utility and industrial clients. Florida Power and Light is Powerserve’s top customer. Recently, Hernandez sold a majority of the company to key employees, including his son, with provisions that will make sure the company will always be employee-owned. He still goes into the office to help out with some engineering work and special projects. But now he spends more time playing tennis and enjoying cruises with his wife.
“My wife and I have endured some very tough times, but I think that because we always tried to do the right thing we were greatly blessed in the end,” Hernandez said.
He added, “I was fortunate to choose Indiana Tech. Its small classroom learning environment helped me earn my electrical engineering degree and obtain the knowledge to pass the PE (Principles and Practice of Engineering) exam. That provided me with opportunities for advancement and increased responsibility. Today, I see an outstanding college campus with the same small classroom environment, but with greater opportunities for students.”
Al Hernandez, right, stands with Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories engineer, Jon Larson, during their visit to Indiana Tech in August.
Dr. Su is the 2021 Leepoxy Award winner
Assistant professor of mathematics, Dr. Yun (Suky) Su, was awarded the 2021 Leepoxy Award for Teaching Innovation in September.
This award was established in 2008 by community supporter and owner of Leepoxy Plastics, Larry Lee. It is given annually to a full-time faculty member who challenges students to continually progress to higher levels of thinking, engages students in active learning activities and connects to students in innovative ways to positively impact their experiences at Indiana Tech. “Suky’s contributions to our university are amazing, and I am so happy for her,” said Indiana Tech’s Vice President for Academic Affairs, Dr. Kate Watland. “She is a beloved professor, a wonderful colleague and a true team player whom this university and its students can always count on for excellence.”
