Job Alert: SYSTEMS PROGRAMMER/SERVER ADMINISTRATOR

Applications are invited from suitable candidates to fill the position of:

SYSTEMS PROGRAMMER/SERVER ADMINISTRATOR

in the Finance & Information Technology Division located at the Head Office located at Kirkvine.

　

Candidates should have:

· A B.Sc. degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Software Engineering or any other related discipline.

· At least three (3) years’ work experience as a Systems Programmer/Administrator.

Main responsibilities include:

· Providing technical and operational support for the systems software of the central computers (AS/400 & MS Windows servers) and liaising with the hardware vendors, software vendors, and users.

· Maintaining systems backup and business recovery plans in a state of readiness.

· Planning, maintaining and monitoring capacity requirements.

· Maintaining standards and procedures relating to software implementation and ensuring compliance throughout the company.

Certification in MCSE, training in Windows 200X server administration, and knowledge of TCP/IP would be an advantage. The position further requires that the incumbent keeps abreast of technological offerings in the computer industry.

The ideal candidate should have highly developed leadership skills, strong written and oral communication skills and the ability to work effectively in cross-functional groups within the organisation, as well as with contractors.

Apply in confidence by Friday, 11 January 2013 to the:

Human Resources Officer

West Indies Alumina Company

Head Office

Kirkvine P.O.

Manchester

E-mail Address: employment@windalco.com

Please state the position in the subject line of your e-mail.

CIS Graduands (2012)

M.Sc. in Information Systems

• Beadle, Roger
• Kendley, Matthew
• Simpson, Rohan
• Tooma, Keron

B.Sc. in Computer Science

• Dennis, Michela
• Gentles, Stephen
• Hugg, Dudley
• Powell, Karey*
• Sterling, Terrence
• Thompson, Ricardo

B.Sc. in Computer Information Science

• Berry, Ramon
• Campbell, Andre'
• Campbell, John-James
• Henry, Theodore
• Hunter, Franklyn
• Hylton, Elyandra
• Katragadda, Arun
• Lewis, Alex
• Lewis, Jaison
• Lodge, Nicholas
• Mair, Raymond
• Malcolm, Marsha
• Maxwell, Christopher
• Nelson, Kadeen
• Samuels, Haydn
• Shaw, Rhodrey
• Smith, Jovane
• Stephenson, Kaydonna
• Stewart, Dainan
• Swaby, Christine
• Wallace, Howard**
• Williams, Beverley
• Williams, Emron
• Williams, Roland

Graduation list as of Friday July 27, 2012

NCU Fee Schedule (Aug. 2012 - July 2013)

As you may (or may not) have heard, tuition rates for the upcoming academic year have been increased. Here are the new rates:

• Tuition (per credit) - $8,400.00
• General Fees - $29,685.00
• Health Insurance - $5,280.00
• Accident Insurance - $460.00
• Copyright Fee - $1,020.00
• USM Fee - $1,820.00
• CIS Student Fee - $6,050.00
• CIS Lab Fees:
• CPTR240/385 - $10,290.00
• CPTR110/120 - $2,420.00

 As such, the cost to pursue 16 credits, without student and lab fees, is $172,665.00.

Web Password Hashing: Revamping Password Storage and Ensuring the Security of Users

Abstract 

This article explores the rudiments of web password hashing, the current trends that computer users apply when creating passwords, and the benefits and shortcomings that are associated with web password hashing. 

The information that will be presented features excerpts from various studies and scholarly references that provide related information about hashing web passwords. The paper has three segments: the foundation, the problem and the solution. The foundational aspects of the paper provide information about hashing, its origins, and the rationale for its creation. This section explores the message digest algorithms (MD5, MD4 and MD2) and also the Secure Hash Algorithm (SHA-1). The second section of this document uncovers some user trends as it pertains to creating passwords for their web accounts, and it identifies some of the bad practices they undertake. The final section of this paper will identify how web password hashing continues to evolve, how it solves various problems and how it is often compromised. Tools such as PwdHash, a web browser hashing plugin, and other tools available in popular programming languages are also highlighted.

by Oshando Johnson

Read full paper: http://goo.gl/BMpfM

The Right APP.ti.tude

In May of this year, the Ministry of Education in collaboration with the Department of Information and Technology of the Office of the Prime Minister, and the Central Information Technology Office (CITO) launched the inaugural BlackBerry Developers Competition sponsored by Research In Motion (RIM) and Digicel. The competition challenged entrants to create applications for either the Blackberry Smartphone or Playbook.

The objectives of the competition were as follows:

• Utilization of technology to uplift youth, stimulate enterprise and broaden the overall learning/education environment.
• Provide entrants in learning institutions across Jamaica with the opportunity to enter the world of application development for mobiles devices and further, to  showcase  their  talents  to  both  local  and  international  industry professionals.
• Foster team spirit and facilitate work in a competitive but friendly environment.
• Establish the kernel of a new industry in Jamaica and one that will hopefully result in an ever increasing number of persons entering this sphere of work in the future.

Entering from the Department of Computer and Information Sciences was Team Methods. The team,comprising Rhodrey Shaw, Terrence Sterling, Carlene Stewart, and Ricardo Thompson, and supervised by Henry Osborne, envisioned and created the MathBerry app.

MathBerry is a stunning BlackBerry PlayBook app for helping 4th and 5th form high school students prepare for their CSEC Mathematics examination. The current version offers tutelage in Trigonometry, Matrices, and Quadratic Equations. 

Team Methods and mentor with 1st Place plaque

The team worked tirelessly to develop their app for the competition and, after submission, waited anxiously to hear the results from the judges. Not only were they overjoyed to know they had been selected as one of the finalists but, they had outclassed their peers, the University of the West Indies (UWI), The University of Technology (UTech), and the Caribbean Institute of Technology (CIT), to claim 1st Place in their category.

This win follows the Department’s very recent success in the EduVision 2011 Technology competition and demonstrates the drive and work ethic that is fostered within its walls.

Team Methods with the Hon. Andrew Holness

The Department of Computer and Information Sciences is continuing to make significant marks in the technology landscape of Jamaica and is positioning itself as the premier source of training in computing and information technology.

by Henry Osborne
Technology Specialist

CIS Team Wins EduVision 2011 Competition

On December 1^st and 2^nd a delegation from the Department of Computer & Information Sciences of Northern Caribbean University (NCU) attended the bi-annual EduVision conference, held at the Jamaica Conference Center in Kingston. EduVision is Jamaica's premier conference highlighting the use of technology for advancing educational objectives.

 
This conference is organized by the Ministry of Education in partnership with the Institute of Education at the University of the West Indies (UWI), the Jamaica Teachers' Association, e-Learning Jamaica, ICT4D Jamaica and the Department of Information and Communication in the Office of the Prime Minister. The theme for this year was “Sustainable Innovations: New Opportunities for Education and Business Collaboration.” Emphasis was placed on the role of technology in human resource development and entrepreneurship.

This year’s conference saw the addition of an exciting component, aptly called, “Mission Impossible: Possible”, where students were given a challenge to solve in approximately 1 ½ days or 27 hours. The details of the challenge were presented at approximately 8:40am, where all students were simultaneously charged to develop a Library Management System (LMS) to address the needs of colleges in Jamaica. A team comprising Terrence Sterling, Rhodrey Shaw, Ricardo Thompson, Romario Hall, and supervised by Damion Mitchell, entered and competed against other teams from tertiary institutions across Jamaica. These teams included Knox Community College, and two others from the University of Technology.

 All competitors were placed in a “boiler room”, where they worked tirelessly and passionately on the given challenge. The team proved the concept of TEAM-Together Everyone Achieves Much, as each person used their skillsets to realize a working prototype of the given challenge. On the final day, team NCU presented to a panel of four judges, and was drilled extensively on the practicality of the system, and also the prospect for future growth. The team expertly handled the questions, and gave a good account of themselves, which once again demonstrated the virtues of the holistic educational approach adopted by NCU. At the end of the presentation, it was announced that team NCU outdid their competitors, and was crowned champions. This challenge certainly exposed the competitors’ technical skills as well as their team work and ability to work under pressure – all valuable competencies for successful techpreneurship. The team showed that what is impossible, with hard work and determination can be made possible. Once again, this is another great achievement that highlights the Department of Computer & Information Sciences’ standing in the Information Technology sphere in the region. Congratulations again to team NCU.

by Damion Mitchell
Assistant Professor

Department of Computer Information Sciences

by Damion Mitchell
Assistant Professor

Department of Computer Information Sciences

Department of Computer and Information Sciences Delegation Visits MIT and Harvard

On Monday, October 17, 2011, an enthusiastic delegation of faculty, students and recent graduates from the Department of Computer and Information Sciences, headed by Department Chair, Kenrie Hylton, embarked on a trip that would take them to visit two of the most prestigious institutions of higher learning in the United States of America.  The purpose of this visit was to expose them to research opportunities and graduate study at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Harvard University in Boston, Massachusetts.  This trip was partially sponsored by Dr. Byron Robinson, an alumnus of Northern Caribbean University.

Upon our arrival at MIT, on Tuesday, October 18, the delegation was met by Christopher Jones, Assistant Dean for Graduate Education, who hosted us at breakfast and introduced us to MIT while giving us a heads-up on the activities planned for the day.  Our visit started out with a brief tour of the campus and an extensive visit to the Media Lab conducted by a Research Assistant, Kenton Williams.  At the Media Lab an unorthodox research approach to envision the impact of emerging technologies on everyday life, technologies that promise to fundamentally transform our most basic notions of human capabilities, is applied.  He also gave us a very comprehensive introduction to some of the cutting-edge research activities being conducted by him and other members of the Personal Robots Group in their research laboratory.  We concluded the tour with a brief stop at the MIT Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL).
 

Group at MIT's Media Lab

Our visit to MIT continued with a working luncheon with representatives from the School of Engineering, Graduate Admissions, and the International Students Office who gave presentations about research and graduate study opportunities available at MIT, along with pertinent application and immigration procedures relevant to international students.  Presenters included Danielle Guichard-Ashbrook, Associate Dean and Director at the International Students Office, and Cardinal Warde, Professor of Electrical Engineering.  After our luncheon current graduate students of MIT conducted a very informative Graduate Clinic which highlighted not only what graduate study entailed, from the application process through to final research, but also their own journey as students of MIT.

On Wednesday, October 19, our trip to Boston continued with a visit to Harvard University.  After being met by Marie Dahleh, Associate Dean of Academic Programs at Harvard, Gloria Anglόn, Assistant Director of Graduate Admissions & Administrative Fellow in the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS), provided us with an overview of SEAS, their research activities and graduate study opportunities.  Jorge Pozo, Coordinator of Educational Programs, continued with an enlightening discourse about his own continuing journey as a graduate student within SEAS.  In spite of continuous rain, typical of Boston at this time of year, we were given a very extensive tour of the Harvard campus, during which we were exposed to the very rich history of this prestigious 375 year old university.  Our visit at Harvard concluded with a stop at the Harvard International Office where we had discussions with Darryl Zeigler, Advisor to International Students and Scholars, about attending Harvard University and living in Boston as an international student.
 

This trip was of benefit to all of us.  Prospective graduate students were energized as they were introduced to the joys, challenges and benefits of research and graduate study in Computer Science at MIT and Harvard.  Faculty and staff left with renewed interest in research and fuelled with fresh ideas for the continued development of the Department of Computer and Information Sciences.   Added to which we were all impressed by the strong commitment to scholarship that was very evident in the environment of both universities.  

by Halzen G. Ashton Smith
Assistant Professor, Department of Computer Information Sciences