Category Archives: IET Events

AFCOM Summer Internship in Data Center Operations Lifts-Off!

The AFCOM summer internship kicked-off on May 23rd at STACK Infrastructure with an impressive gathering of students, faculty, DCO program alumni, industry leaders and internship sponsors invested in the success of the Data Center industry, the community and NOVA’s DCO programs.

AFCOM is an association for career advancement of IT and data center professionals. The 10-week internship program lead by the AFCOM Potomac Chapter, connects students to industry partners and is centered around building the data center industry by partnering with NOVA’s IET Division and providing paid summer internships to students in the DCO programs. Historically, more than 70% of these internships will lead to job offers.

For the past 4 years the NOVA IET Data Center Operations (DCO) program has provided the bulk of the students for AFCOM internships, doubling the number of interns from last year, where we provided 8 of the 11 interns that participated. This year we are providing 16 of the 20 interns, answering the challenge to have 20 interns for the summer of 2023. 

During the internship, students experience working at 2 and sometimes 3 different companies, gaining a much broader understanding of how their role as a DCO technician impacts the business and keeps this critical infrastructure up and operational 100% of the time.

A couple of years ago many students did not know what a data center was, but now they are gaining invaluable experience alongside industry giants and through the internship are becoming equipped for high-demand, high wage careers.

In addition, each intern has a mentor from the organization they are interning with as well as an AFCOM industry steward who supports them on their educational pathway beyond the internship.

NOVA IET has another program that prepares students with professional interpersonal skills, the Career and Leadership Readiness Institute (CLRI). Of the 16 NOVA interns, 7 are from CLRI.

We anticipate another successful summer of career-enhancing data center internships and look forward to continuing the successful growth next year thanks to the hard work and dedication of the AFCOM leadership team and funding provided through the GO Virginia DEEP IET grant.

Applications for AFCOM Internships for summer 2024 will be open next February. They will be announced in February in our newsletter and through NOVA IET Twitter and LinkedIn.

For more background info about NOVA pathways to IT and Data Center careers, read this article

For more about Data Center Operations at NOVA, click here

CLRI Celebrates Spring Graduates at Networking Event

On March NOVA IET hosted the Executive Mentoring (EM) and Networking event at the Annandale Campus as the culmination of the Spring Career and Leadership Readiness Institute (CLRI). 

CLRI students completing the program networked with nine industry professionals from various organizations including Microsoft, Coresite, Iron Mountain Data Centers, HRTech, Simple Technology Solutions, Cytalks, AWS, and Lockheed Martin.

A total of 23 students completed the Spring CLRI program and were recognized for their efforts with a short ceremony where they received CLRI leather portfolios and a CLRI T-shirt. They participated in facilitated roundtable discussions with the industry professionals who shared insights into careers in the IT industry before a catered networking event with CLRI grads eager to learn and build their networks.

The industry professionals shared their stories, provided career advice, and encouraged learning and professional development as keys to starting an enriching career. The CLRI program depends on the participation from industry professionals both as workshop presenters and EMs.

The Spring CLRI program offered a blended approach including virtual and in-person workshops, Technical Resume Writing, in-depth discussions about Government vetting and clearances, Mock Interviews, a team project formulated around a case study with a community service component and the EM and Networking event.

All sessions were recorded and are available through Canvas.

NOVA IET’s Sedrick Settle and M. Andy Chaves lead this Spring cohort and served as mentors and guides to encourage attendance, participation and completion of the CLRI program elements.  Many of these students have applied for paid summer internships offered through various NOVA IET strategic partners.

For more about CLRI go to www.nvcc.edu/career-services/clri.html

 

 

IET Career Days Bring 400 HS Students to NOVA

Our inaugural NOVA IET Career Days were a huge success, with nearly 400 high school students attending from all over northern Virginia.

Held on March 23 (Woodbridge Campus), March 30 (Annandale), March 31 (Alexandria), April 14 (Manassas), and April 28 (Loudoun), Career Days are geared toward bringing students to a NOVA campus and informing them about in-demand technology education and career pathways. More about NOVA IET here.

Career Day events featured presentations and panel discussions by industry experts, including representatives from Google, AWS, Johnson Controls, Leidos, CBRE, QTS, Digital Realty, Deletek, and NOVA, covering a range of topics, including cybersecurity, cloud computing, data center operations, computer science and more.

Industry partners discussed the latest trends and technologies in IET fields and offered advice on career development. Attendees were able to ask questions and gain valuable insights into the skills and knowledge needed to succeed in these in-demand fields.

IET Career Days are an effective example of the burgeoning collaboration between industry and academia as we continue to connect students and professionals with industry partners. Overall, the events successfully showcased NOVA’s commitment to supporting students and professionals in the fields of IET and Computer Science. Many Career Day attendees expressed their desire for similar events in the future.

“My students and I had a great time. It was a great opportunity to hear from a diverse group of professionals about their career journeys, and I have already heard from a few students who got excited about studying computing/IT/security, and about opportunities at NOVA. My students seemed to especially enjoy the tour, and the tour guide did a fantastic job of getting them excited about the facilities and resources at NOVA.”

~ Chris Jones, Counselor, Wakefield High School


NOVA’s Career Days were organized by NOVA IET’s Career and Technical Education Coordinator, Amira Alexander. You can reach her at aalexander@nvcc.edu

 

CLRI Celebrates Fall Graduates at Networking Event

The Fall Career and Leadership Readiness Institute (CLRI) concluded on November 17 at the Woodbridge Campus (at the site of the future NOVA Data Center Training Facility). NOVA IET students put their newly enhanced career skills in action to make industry connections at a final networking session, the culminating event for students before they receive their certificates of completion. This was particularly notable this semester as it was the first in-person CLRI at NOVA since it was established in 2020.

Through an extracurricular 5-week course, CLRI students were trained how to interview, create a resume that stands out, manage interpersonal skills in a diverse workplace, and more. Students were also treated to two tours of an IET partner, STACK Infrastructure Data Center.

The final networking event kicked-off with remarks from VP of IET and College Computing Dr. Chad Knights before students and IET professionals gathered for a round table discussion and Q & A on relevant experiences and pressing needs in the tech workforce. After the discussion, Executive Director of the NOVA Foundation Kelly Persons addressed graduates and presented them with completion certificates and a leather CLRI portfolio. Graduates also receive a digital CLRI badge that they can add to their LinkedIn profiles.

Following the certificate presentation, CLRI students put their skills to the test during a catered meal where there were opportunities to network with the industry partners from the roundtable discussions. One of the major draws of CLRI and especially the final networking event is that graduates obtain immediate internship opportunities and receive priority consideration for our paid summer internships. 2-3 students from the fall CLRI cohort have been offered winter-break internships at Digital Realty and 3 CLRI students have already been extended an offer of employment from various industry partners.


Feedback from CLRI graduates included the following:

“CLRI helped me to get professional skills, to meet people, to make connections, to build my network. I really learned how to rebrand my resumé to attract hiring managers.” – Kanyin, NOVA IT Major

“I want to get better, I want to be better, I want to do better, and I want an opportunity to come my way. This gave me the opportunity. It was a lot of fun and definitely built my confidence” – Elizabeth, NOVA IT Major

“The nicest thing about CLRI is that you get to know a lot of people who are like-minded, and industry professionals who give you really good advice. It’s definitely worth joining.” – Hamid, IST Major

“I would 100% recommend CLRI. The networking aspect was what I got the most from. Tom (Tom Gerencer, CLRI’s Technical Resume Instructor), who I was able to contact via LinkedIn, turned my resume from OK to fantastic.” Tim, ET Major

“Once [NOVA students] come into the program, they will feel how impactful CLRI is on their career journey.” – Tahiba, IT Major


For the Fall 2022 cohort, 34 NOVA students are scheduled to complete CLRI (make-up sessions are due Dec 15) and 52 students attended at least one workshop. Overall, since it’s implementation, CLRI has surpassed 100 completers.

Special recognition goes to M. Andy Chaves, NOVA SySTEMic CTE Coordinator, and Sedrick Settle, IET Career Advisor for their exemplary work in running CLRI with excellence and enthusiasm from beginning to end this semester.

You can reach M. Andy at machaves@nvcc.edu and Sedrick at ssettle@nvcc.edu


Industry Partners who attended the CLRI Networking Event:

Keron Taylor, Data Center Operations Manager, Google
Troy Hill, Director of Data Center Operations, Iron Mountain Data Centers
Jay Mitchell, Operations Manager, Iron Mountain Data Centers
Scott LaCasse, Supervisor of Workstation Support, PWCS
Darlene Armenta, Director of Talent Acquisition, Red River
Koren Flint, Senior Director of Customer Experience, Red River
Christopher Lettiere, Director of Data Center Operations, Coresite
Rob Morgan, Director of Project Management, CompuDynamics
Sal Amado, Director of Learning & Development, Simple Technology Solutions


Spring CLRI Opportunities:

If you are a NOVA student and want to get ahead in your career, CLRI will continue in Spring 2023, with a kick-off event on Feb 16 and workshops beginning the following week on Feb 21. You can sign up for our Spring 2023 Interest Form at https://www.nvcc.edu/career-services/clri.html to be notified when applications are available. We will also keep you up to date through our monthly Newsletter, which you can sign up for at http://newsletter.novastem.us

Another good resource to keep up with IET and future CLRI sessions and feedback is the NOVA Engage App, which you can find on Apple and Google Play. Some CLRI students who received internships applied directly through the App.

Data Center Tours and Career Info

Data Centers are on the rise, especially in Northern Virginia. Demand for Data Center Technicians is soaring and NOVA has the only fully accredited 2-year data center degree program in the state of Virginia.

Last month NOVA faculty and staff as well as Loudon County Public School educators participated in a tour of STACK Infrastructure, which is a leading data center company built from the ground up to address the full stack of client critical infrastructure needs, today and into the future.

Participants were guided through the facility by STACK employees and provided descriptions of data center equipment and procedures. TJ Ciccone, VP of critical operations STACK who also serves as a NOVA adjunct instructor in Data Center Operations (DCO), conducted the tour and educated participants on the mission-critical fields of DCO and engineering technology (ET).

Some of the points about Data Center careers that TJ Ciccone highlights are:

  • The pay is incredible. Students typically make $30-$35 with no experience.
  • Demand is very high in the field. There are 2 million people working data centers worldwide, with that number expected to increase to 2.2mil in the next five years. We need 40,000 people a year with very little outlets to create new candidates.
  • This is a career and not just a job. Outside of data center engineering, there are a multitude of career paths you can take once you are in. These include project management, sales, sales engineering, HR, legal, and more.
  • Data centers are global. You could literally transfer anywhere in the world.
  • Data center skills are transferable. You could work at any number of data center providers once you are trained on the theory of how they work.

NOVA faculty and staff were able to network with LCPS educators and provide them with information such as the points above for upcoming NOVA programs that will help build pipelines for K-12 students into the DCO and ET career fields.

More tours of STACK are currently planned for April 22 and May 20. Contact TJ Ciccone at tciccone@nvcc.edu for more information.

#WeDoSTEM #InDemandTech #HighTechHighWage

IET Events In November

IET Speaker Series: Joshua Powers
Thurs 11/4: 6:30-8:00 pm.

Information Technology professionals are in high demand and essential to just about every modern business model, the need for qualified professionals is immediate! Joshua Powers is the Technical Director for Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning at Dev Technology Group. Josh has 25 years of experience in researching and applying artificial intelligence technologies to a wide variety of business and public sector challenges. Join us virtually for the third installment of our monthly NOVA IET Speaker Series and learn more about artificial intelligence, machine learning, and how they can be applied to Information Technology!

Register to attend at iet.novastem.us/Register


IET Speaker Series: Dolica Gopisetty and Christian Ramirez
Weds 11/10: 6:00-7:30 pm.

Dolica Gopisetty is a Solutions Architect at AWS in the Public Sector team and works specifically with customers in Higher Education. She helps them achieve their business objectives by hosting their mission critical applications in the AWS cloud.

Christian Ramirez is an Associate Solutions Architect at AWS, where he entered through the TechU Program. Christian made the career switch after completing a Cloud Computing Certificate at East Los Angeles College, where he gained the fundamental knowledge to attain an AWS Solutions Architect – Associate certification.

In the fourth installment of the NOVA IET Speaker Series, Dolica and Christian will share their journeys to becoming an AWS Solutions Architect, provide a brief introduction to Cloud Computing, and share tips on how to navigate a career in Cloud Computing.

Register to attend at iet.novastem.us/Register


Women in IET & Computer Science Networking Event
Weds 11/17: 4:00pm

Join us in our third and final Women in IET and Computer Science Coffee Chat of the semester. In this virtual session, we will feature a panel of women in IT to discuss their personal journeys into IT, how taking the initiative to learn has helped them advance in their career and how they have built their own personal toolkit to help them persevere in the face of adversity.

Register to attend at iet.novastem.us/techwomen


IET and Computer Science Clubs

NOVA Coding Club Annandale Campus

The Coding Club is held on Fridays from 12:30pm – 1:30pm for students interested in programming (coding) or computer science.  It is open to any student interested in coding of any type.  Meetings focus on coding challenges, upcoming events, and current events in the industry.

For more information contact Aren Waheed at asw2167@email.vccs.edu

IET Events In October


October 13: IET Virtual Job and Internship Fair

NOVA IET and NOVA Workforce are hosting a virtual Information and Engineering Technologies Job and Internship Fair for NOVA students and alumni in Career Connection on Wednesday, October 13, 2021 at 12-3 PM EST. Companies from various IT industries will be represented including Cybersecurity, Data Center Operations, Cloud Computing, and more. Get connected with the companies in your field for networking and internship & job opportunities. Contact novacareerservices@nvcc.edu with questions

Register to attend at iet.novastem.us/JobFair


October 14: Women in IET Coffee Chat

Join us for the October Women in IET and Computer Science Coffee Chat where we will dive into how following your passions can lead to career opportunities. In this 1-hour panel discussion, panelists will discuss how they made the switch to a STEM career after starting out in a completely different field and how you can carve out the career you want by following your own unique journey.

Register at http://iet.novastem.us/TechWomen


October 18 – October 22: NOVA IET Cyber Week

As part of National Cybersecurity awareness month, the NOVA IET division will host a series of virtual events and workshops during Cyber week 2021 to educate, engage and inspire students interested in pursuing careers in cybersecurity. Each day we will host a different workshop that addresses a relevant topic including taking the CompTIA Security+ exam, navigating a career in Cyber security, and writing a cybersecurity resume. For an overview of the week’s events see the list below. You can register for all NOVA IET Cyber Week Events at iet.novastem.us/Register

Monday, Oct 18 6:00 PM- 7:00 PM – Acing the CompTIA Security+ Exam Part 1

Kick-off NOVA IET Cybersecurity Awareness Week with a deep dive into what it takes to ace the CompTIA Security+ Exam. This is a two-part workshop with Part 1 being led by NOVA IET Professor, Kwabena (KK) Konadu. In this one-hour virtual workshop, Professor KK will cover best practices and resources for preparing for the CompTIA Security+ Exam, exam topics, and walk attendees through a practice round of answering multiple-choice questions. iet.novastem.us/Register

Tuesday, Oct 19 6:30 PM-7:30 PM – Cybersercurity Resume Writing with Katia’s Cylife

You can’t land a job in Cybersecurity without a good Cybersecurity resume. Join professional Cybersecurity Resume writer and founder of Katia’s Cylife, Katia Dean as she walks you through actionable steps to build a dynamic resume tailored for cybersecurity roles. In this session you will discuss resume action verbs, design tips and tricks, and how to consider positioning yourself. Katia will also walk you through a live resume feedback session and a brief demo on the NIST 800-181 Cybersecurity Workforce Framework. iet.novastem.us/Register

Wednesday, Oct 20 1:00 PM – 2:30 PM – Landing a Job in Cybersecurity Recruiters Panel

On day 3 of NOVA IET Cyber Week a panel of cybersecurity recruiters will share their perspectives on what it takes to land a job in cybersecurity. If you are job searching, making a career switch into cyber, or just curious about what a career in cybersecurity looks like, join us for this virtual panel discussion to get your questions answered. iet.novastem.us/Register

Thursday, Oct 21 6:00 PM-7:30 PM- IET Speaker Series featuring Nick Espinosa

Cybersecurity is an exploding industry and with over five million vacant positions available around the world, the need for qualified professionals is immediate! In our second installment of the IET Speaker Series, Nick Espinosa, cybersecurity thought leader, TEDx Speaker, and regular columnist for Forbes, will talk about the state of the world today as it relates to cybersecurity for everyone and the issues we all face together. Join us virtually on Thursday, October 21, 2021, at 6 PM EST as Nick will help us understand what a career path in cybersecurity looks like so everyone who is interested can join the ranks of those who are defending our governments, businesses, educational institutions, healthcare, and more, around the world! iet.novastem.us/Register

Friday, Oct 22 10:00 AM- 11:30 AM – Acing the CompTIA Security+ Exam Part II

End NOVA IET Cyber Week by finishing up your CompTIA Security+ Exam Prep with Zach Lawrence, NOVA IET Cybersecurity Professor. In this 90-minute session Zach will walk you through how to approach answering performance-based questions on the CompTIA Security+ Exam. iet.novastem.us/Register


 IET and Computer Science Clubs

Cyber.OPS – Cybersecurity Club Manassas Campus

Cyber.OPS Club is held every Thursday in Trailside room 249 on the Manassas campus from 5:30PM – 7:00PM.  Fall semester meetings will focus on the following topics: Computer Hardware, Operating Systems and Services, Cloud Computing, Computer Networking and Advanced topics: Firewalls, UTM and IDS/IPS.  Spring semester meetings will focus primarily on offensive security.  Club members will be exposed to a broad range of topics Including but not limited to intro to Windows and Linux, Web servers and more.

For more info contact Zach Lawrence mlawrence@nvcc.edu or Santwana Das sdas@nvcc.edu

 

 

IET Speaker Series featuring Mayuko Inoue

IET Speaker Series featuring Mayuko Inoue

Sept 23: 6-7:30 PM EST

Registration opens on September 1st at iet.novastem.us/Register

After working in Silicon Valley tech companies like Intuit, Patreon, and Netflix for six years as an iOS Engineer, Mayuko became a full-time creator in 2020. With over 400,000 YouTube subscribers, Mayuko uses her platform to help people find their way through the tech industry by sharing her own experiences navigating this world through technology, as well as sharing career advice and lifestyle videos. She is passionate about discussions around mental health, cultural identity, and creating technology with empathy and compassion. Join us on Thursday, September 23, 2021, 6 PM EST to be inspired, learn more about computer science and software engineering, and dive into how to follow your passions and create technology with care.

*This event is open to the public

#WeDoSTEM

IET Convocation Fall 2021

 

The Fall 2021 IET Convocation was held in-person on August 18 at the NOVA Pender 3 Administrative Building. Even behind masks, everyone was happy to see one another after almost a year-and-a-half of remote learning! There were a lot of pressing and relevant items to cover that will move IET forward in preparing students equitably to build regional STEM talent.

Dean Paula Ford began the event with Faculty & Staff self- introductions.  Everybody was able to meet IET’s new Associate Dean Christianne Nieuwsma for the first time in person, as well as the new IET Advising Specialists, Allison McElfresh and Sara Ali. New Faculty introduced were Laura Kelley (AN – IT), Shirley Cash (MA – IT), Mohammad Iftikhar (WO – IT), Xue “Peter” Bai (LO – IT), Ronnie Dasgupta (IT/Engineering Technologies) and Amir Mehmood (LO– Engineering Technologies).  With introductions came a few departures.  It was announced that both Kurk Lew (MA) and Kevin Reed (AL) have retired; and, Tierney Pitzer (LO) and Zahra Ogun (IET Staff) have recently resigned.

VP of IET & College Computing, Chad Knights spoke about IET’s promising enrollment and G3 funding. The subjects of mask mandates, CSC guidance and vaccines brought several questions.  Dr. Knights also spoke of DCTP (Data Close To Practice) for this Fall, and presented a common read for the division, “Equity Talk to Equity Walk” by Estela Mara Bensimon, Lindsey E. Malcom-Piqueux, and NOVA College Wide Convocation speaker Tia Brown McNair. All were asked to read this book for ongoing discussions by September 30th (NOVA libraries have options for obtaining the book for Staff & Faculty).

NOVA Systemic Director Josh Labrie spoke about grants that we have been awarded and new grants we will be applying for.  Jack Bidlack, IET Director of Strategic Initiatives, spoke specifically about our partnership with the United States Naval Community College (USNCC) and the speakers series that Brittany Hollis, IET Career Coach, is putting together this fall and spring for IET students. The morning session concluded and participants broke for lunch. Following lunch, breakout sessions regarding news on curriculum, and students filled the remainder of the afternoon. It was a successful start to our fall semester!

For more on NOVA IET programs, including Cloud Computing, Data Canter Operations and Information Technology go to https://www.nvcc.edu/iet

Follow us in Twitter @NOVAIET 

#WeDoSTEM

 

NOVA Cybersecurity Team Finalists at Mid-Atlantic CCDC

Congratulations to the NOVA Cybersecurity team that placed 7th in qualifying for the Mid-Atlantic Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition (MACCDC). Under the leadership of NOVA Cyber Faculty Kwabena Konadu and William McLaughlin, NOVA students Marijane Dicello (captain), Ardian Peach (co-captain), Ho Lee, Kiran Sameem (pictured above) and Tharwat Ghet, Jonathan Kim, and Obaid Rahman Sabori (not pictured) will advance to the MACCDC regional championship on April 2nd and 3rd.

Click Here for our Cybersecurity promo video featuring NOVA students.

Click Here for more info on NOVA’s Cybersecurity Program

The MACCDC is presented by Raytheon Intelligence & Space and run by the National CyberWatch Center.  It provides a unique experience for higher education students to test their knowledge and skills in a competitive environment.  The competition focuses on the operational aspects of managing and protecting an existing network infrastructure. The NOVA team prepared for the competition the entire semester by working through challenging problems in the areas of computer and network design, forensics, system configuration, and infrastructure protection.

The competition focuses more on operational task of assuming administrative and protective duties for an existing commercial infrastructure.  Groups of students from different universities and colleges in the Mid-Atlantic Region were assessed based on their ability to detect and respond to outside threats, maintain availability of existing services such as mail servers, database servers, web server, respond to business requests such as the addition or removal of additional services, and balance security needs against business operational requirements.

This year (2021), NOVA is among the 8 Qualifying MACCDC Round Finalists which includes the following 4 year colleges and universities: George Mason University, University of Maryland Baltimore County, Liberty University, University of Pittsburgh, Old Dominion University, Millersville University, and Capitol Technology University.

NOVA placed 7th out of the 23 colleges and universities below.

Qualifying Round Teams 

  1. Bowie State University, MD
  2. Capitol Technology University, MD
  3. Christopher Newport University, VA
  4. Community College of Baltimore County, MD
  5. East Carolina University, NC
  6. George Mason University, VA
  7. James Madison University, VA
  8. Liberty University, VA
  9. Marshall University, WV
  10. Millersville University, PA
  11. Northern Virginia Community College, VA
  12. Old Dominion University, VA
  13. Rutgers University, NJ
  14. Saint Vincent College, PA
  15. The Penn State University, PA
  16. The University of Virginia’s College at Wise, VA
  17. Towson University, MD
  18. University of Maryland Baltimore County, MD (2 teams)
  19. University of Maryland College Park, MD
  20. University of Maryland Global Campus, MD
  21. University of Pittsburgh, PA
  22. University of Virginia, VA (2 teams)
  23. West Virginia University, WV

NVCC Students/Team Members

Marijane Dicello: Captain
Ardian Peach: Co-Captain
Romaric Agondohoui
Tharwat Ghet
Jonathan Kim
Ho Lee
Obaid Rahman Sabori
Kiran Sameem

Team Judge, Coaches, and Management

Evelyn Adu-Gyamfi: CCDC Judge (Volunteer)
Michael Hancock:  Coach/Executive Director, AllCyber.org/Professor (Volunteer)
Tyrone Guiden:  Coach/Deputy Executive Director, AllCyber.org (Volunteer)
Kwabena Konadu (KK):   Coach/Management/NOVA Professor
William McLaughlin (Mac):  Coach/Management/NOVA Professor

Team Trainers

Bishnu Karki:  Director of Training, AllCyber.org (Volunteer)
Tyler Quigley:  Red Team Captain/Director of Engineering, AllCyber.org (Volunteer)
Jessica Lee:  Blue Team Trainer (Volunteer)

Sources/Links: https://maccdc.org/competition/