People’s pays museum admission
SCSU remakes grad computer studies
histOry FOr Free tWice a WeeK in FairField
A
long time ago in saltwater shallows not very far away, Native Americans and Europeans met and the great gears that would become modern America began turning. In honor of the 375th anniversary of Fairfield’s founding, Bridgeport-based People’s United Bank — no neophyte itself at 172 years old — will sponsor free admission at the Fairfield Museum and History Center every Monday and Tuesday in 2014. “People’s United Bank has been a longtime and generous supporter of the museum and its educational programming for families throughout this area,” said Mike Jehle, executive director, Fairfield Museum and History Center on Beach Road in Fairfield. “Its sponsorship will help ensure as many visitors as possible can enjoy our exhibits and events.” “Our 172-year history and the history of the Town of Fairfield have always been closely intertwined,” said Armando Goncalves, senior vice president and market president, People’s United Bank. “We
hope that this sponsorship will afford many people the opportunity to visit the Fairfield Museum and learn more about our wonderful heritage.” The Fairfield Museum and History Center welcomes more than 16,000 visitors annually and provides educational programming to more than 5,000 students. Currently on view is the handson exhibition “Creating Community: Exploring 375 Years of Our Past” featuring Native American and Revolutionary War items, plus maps showing the area’s changes over time. The oldest object is a Bible from 1608. People’s United will cover the cost of regular admission — $5 for adults, $3 for students and seniors — for all museum visitors Mondays and Tuesdays. People’s maintains 410 retail locations in Connecticut, New York, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine. Through its subsidiaries, People’s United Financial provides equipment financing, brokerage and insurance services. — Bill Fallon
T
he Southern Connecticut State University’s Computer Science Department has restructured its Master of Science degree program at the New Haven school. The department has replaced its previous tracks with those having more relevance in today’s tech landscape: network and information security (cybersecurity) and software development. “Previously, the M.S. program was designed primarily for students who had earned a bachelor’s degree in computer science,” said Lisa Lancor, graduate coordinator for the department. “But we had been getting increased interest from individuals who had bachelor’s degrees in other disciplines and wanted to move into the computer field. We have students who majored in music, political science and other disciplines not closely related to computer science. So, we revamped the program to make it more flexible.” Among the changes enacted is the establishment of a single prerequisite course, instead of three such courses. The new prerequisite is a four-credit course on computer programming and data struc-
tures. Students then take 12 core credits, as well as 18 credits in either of the two tracks. Students are then required to pass a capstone, typically a six-credit thesis. One of the new courses in cybersecurity is “Ethical Hacking and Penetration Testing,” where students learn to test whether networks are secure and how to enhance that security. Lancor said companies actually hire individuals to try to break into their network system (without causing any damage). The idea is that if they can hack into it, the system needs to be upgraded and fixed. “As cyber attacks become more sophisticated, demand will increase for workers with security skills,” she said. Lancor pointed to U.S. Department of Labor projections that indicate employment of network and computer systems administrators (which includes security specialists) is expected to increase by 23 percent from 2008 to 2018. Similarly, the department projects the number of software engineers and computer programmers will increase 21 percent in that same decade. — Bill Fallon
A N E X T R A O R D I N A R Y H O T E L AT Y O U R F I N G E R T I P S 1 1 1 4 E P U T N A M AV E . G R E E N W I C H , C T 0 6 8 7 8 / / 2 0 3 - 6 9 8 - 6 9 8 0 WWW.JHOUSEGREENWICH.COM FAIRFIELD COUNTY BUSINESS JOURNAL • Week of January 13, 2014 11