Welcome to the spring 2019 edition of DataBytes. We have had much to be thankful for in the School of Engineering and Computer Science over the past year! One year ago we were on the hunt for three new faculty members to fill vacant positions. God blessed, bringing three highly qualified professors to fill the vacant positions. You'll meet them below.

You'll also read about the success of our newest major, civil engineering, which has far exceeded our enrollment expectations. In fact, the Trustees recently approved construction of a dedicated civil engineering facility, which should be ready fall 2020. 

Finally, we have experienced much growth in the cyber operations concentration in our computer science (CS) program. The cyber concentration underwent scrutiny by a visiting team of ABET evaluators during their fall visit as part of a pilot program to accredit cyber majors. Having been recognized by the NSA for the strength of our cyber operations content, our CS program has become a growing endeavor. Additionally, Dr. Seth Hamman was appointed the Director of Cedarville University’s new Center for the Advancement of Cybersecurity, positioning Cedarville as a major supplier of cyber graduates to companies looking to strengthen their defense against cyber attacks.

My hope is that this spring’s newsletter will bring you joy and gladness of heart, and raise your level of awe in our God who showers us with every spiritual blessing, both eternal and temporal.

Robert Chasnov, Ph.D., P.E.
Dean

This fall, we were pleased to welcome three new professors to the School of Engineering, each bringing years of experience and expertise to our School.

Dr. Xiaowei Chen is Associate Professor of Electrical Engineering. Dr. Chen's graduate research was in Very Large Scale Integrated Circuits (VLSI) for machine learning purposes. His current research includes on-chip memory design, machine learning hardware design, and embedded systems design.

Dr. Cherish Lesko is Instructor in Mechanical Engineering. Dr. Lesko has previously been an instructor at Johns Hopkins University, University of Delaware, and Clark State Community College. She has worked for DuPont CR&D, WebCore Technologies, and as a contractor for Wright-Patterson Air Force Base Air Force Research Laboratory, gaining industrial and government experience in polymer and composite research and development. Dr. Lesko also has research experience in active and adaptive methodologies to improve engineering education and STEM student retention.

Dr. Tom Ward is Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering. He previously worked for 13 years as an Associate Professor in Malaysia at Heriot-Watt University, the University of Malaya, and the Universiti Teknologi MARA. At Heriot-Watt University, he also served as an elected Senator, the Associate Dean (Engineering and Science), and the Associate Director of Research (for the School of Engineering and Physical Sciences). Prior to becoming a university professor, Dr. Ward worked for 18 years as an aerospace engineer (civilian) with the U.S. Air Force at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. 

We nearly tripled our enrollment projections for the first year of our newest major, civil engineering. To meet the demands of this growing program, the Board of Trustees recently approved the construction of a new civil engineering building, to be completed for fall 2020. We are especially excited about the potential for our students to do mission-driven civil engineering in the future.

A senior engineering design team designed and built a remote control airplane that they took to the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) International Aero Design East Competition in Fort Worth, Texas. The team finished seventh overall and third among U.S. teams. 

Dr. Seth Hamman, Associate Professor of Computer Science and Director for Cedarville’s Center for the Advancement of Cybersecurity, traveled to Palm Springs, California, in January to co-design and develop an Introduction to Cybersecurity course. 

The new Center for the Advancement of Cybersecurity is off to a productive 2019 and continues to gain momentum! Cedarville alumnus and Columbus lawyer Dino Tsibouris spoke on cyber law in our inaugural Cyber Speaker Series event (see link to the presentation below). Our student Cyber Competition Team competed in the National Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition (CCDC), and our student Cyber Awareness Team presented "How to Stay Safe Online" to a homeschool co-op in Beavercreek. We have also been active in cyber operations research. In work sponsored by the NSA, Dr. Seth Hamman and an undergraduate Cyber Center fellow have been researching the escalatory dynamics of cyber warfare in partnership with faculty from the University of Cincinnati.