Rowan College Team Presents Invention At National Conference

A team from Rowan College at Burlington County was recently selected to present its newest invention at the 2019 Hackaday Supercon, the college announced. That invention is known as IRIS, which provides a secure and convenient system for transferring data between computers.

IRIS combines a variety of software and hardware components into a platform through which users can easily create segregated operating systems dedicated to running a set of “Access Control” rules for users interacting on the network.

In turn, this allows users to use beautiful web app interfaces written in popular programming languages (like Javascript) to detect, log and prevent malicious network activity. Simply, the IRIS tool solves a multitude of issues industry partners face in keeping outside hostile actors from interfering with its organizational operations.

“It was truly a blessing to work with such talented and hard-working individuals on a major, cutting-edge endeavor,” Rowan College at Burlington County Computer Science and Mathematics dual-major Jordan Jiosi said. “In my humble opinion, this is not just the stuff scholarships and employment offers are made of; these students are the archetypes of intellectual spirit, second only to Nobel Laureates themselves.”

Jiosi helped create the system, along with Shanni Prutchi, Jeffrey Wood, Christopher Hendrix, Dalton Gravott, Christopher Hurley and Hannah Marthaler. They presented IRIS at Hackaday, a well-known tech organization that brings together hardware hackers, builders, engineers and engineering enthusiasts around the world.

The organization aims to reverse the often negative connotation surrounding the art of hacking and promotes the free and open exchange of ideas and information.

The common intersection among the members of the Project IRIS team is their overarching passion for cybersecurity. In fact, this is what drove several of the team members to study in Rowan College at Burlington County’s 3+1 option in cybersecurity, choosing the community college over other schools.

“I started off my college education at Salisbury University studying Computer Science but while there I began an interest in cybersecurity,” Wood said. “When I left Salisbury and came back home, I looked for affordable places to study cybersecurity and was pleased to learn that RCBC offered an associate degree program in cybersecurity. I later learned about the 3+1 program with Rowan University.”

“I started off at Rowan University studying Electrical and Computer Engineering, but while taking a semester break, I developed a deeper interest in cybersecurity,” Prutchi said. “I researched options for studying cybersecurity in the area and was pleased to learn that RCBC offered an associate program in cybersecurity and a 3+1 program in the field! Transferring my credits from Rowan University was easy, so I was able to jump right into my major-related courses.”

Hurley, on the other hand, was interested in the way that RCBC presented cybersecurity and that it was being taught with a hands-on approach.

“Being in an environment where thorough research, critical thinking and problem-solving are encouraged was definitely a great opportunity, and I hope to find the same principles wherever I land in the future,” Hurley said.