UC Professor Maciag Receives Prestigious SANS Difference Maker Award

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UC Professor Maciag Receives Prestigious SANS Difference Maker Award

Chester Maciag receives 2018 SANS Difference Maker Award in DC

Leading Cybersecurity Organization Awards Maciag After Student Nomination

Chester Maciag, adjunct professor of economic crime management and cybersecurity at Utica College (UC), was awarded the 2018 SANS Difference Maker Award at the SANS Cyber Defense Initiative 2018 in Washington, D.C. recently.

Maciag was nominated for this award by a Utica College master’s student. In the nomination, the student explained that Professor Maciag deserved the award because “He is an excellent teacher and truly cares about his students. He helped us learn more about the government and is very focused on helping students succeed.”

By day, Maciag is a principal computer scientist with the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) in Rome, NY, where he has worked for 28 years. He is currently on temporary assignment with the U.S. Department of Defense in Alexandria, VA. Maciag has been an adjunct professor at UC for 16 years and was recognized for his contributions in the Cybersecurity master’s program. Maciag teaches CYB 671-Open Source Intelligence and has inspired students in a wide variety of fields to apply open source intelligence concepts to their research and future careers. He is known to strongly encourage women to enter the field and has contributed to measurable increases in cyber security. He demonstrates innovation by applying open source intelligence concepts to the field of nuclear non- proliferation.

"Chet is a distinguished leader in the cybersecurity profession. He embodies the values and spirit of Utica College. We are fortunate to have him as an instructor in our program. This award from SANS further cements his reputation as an exceptional teacher and mentor to our students” said Austen Givens, assistant professor and director of the graduate cybersecurity program.

SANS Institute is a leading cybersecurity organization that was established in 1989 as a cooperative research and education organization. The organization created the SANS Difference Makers Award to “honor security professionals that are quietly succeeding and making breakthroughs in advancing security. By raising awareness of what works, SANS hopes to help others achieve similar cyber security success.” Nominations are evaluated by a team from SANS, security industry analysts and thought leaders.