Sid Stamm

Security Informatics PhD Student

"I feel really lucky to have such a great group of professors with whom to collaborate and learn. When asked what led me into computer security, I usually tell people I fell into it; I was interested in it as a kid, but moved on and ended up at IU for my grad studies. When Informatics hired all their new faculty (including the security people) I got really excited and immediately switched focus. I've had the great experience of working with Markus Jakobsson and Steve Myers directly, and chatting with Jean Camp and XiaoFeng Wang in many occasions."

"The CACR has actually become one of my favorite groups at IU. Not only do they host great speakers, but the faculties who run the group are incredibly diverse, and very interested in collaboration on new ideas and learning. On many occasions I've had the opportunity to chat with Prof. Fred Cate (Law), and each time walk away feeling a ton smarter."

"Coming from a small, close-knit undergraduate program (Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, 2003), I was a bit worried about being lost amongst the crowd at IU. The IUCS faculty and staff are really amazing when it comes to their grad students, and I immediately felt welcomed when I arrived. The department has lots of great minds, and its nice to see that the new security informatics faculty are surely no exception."

"First of all, I've had the opportunity to work with a variety of great people: Dan Friedman (CS), David Wise (CS), Markus Jakobsson (INFO), Steve Myers (INFO), and they've all been incredibly inspirational and a load of fun to work for. I've decided to concentrate in security since that is something I can obsess over and really get my hands dirty."

"I began working with Markus shortly after he began at IU. He sent out an email with a long list of projects, asking if any students would be interested in collaborating. I saw one project on the list that perked me up, and the rest is history."

"It's taking a bit of ramp-up time, but Informatics is making a pretty good series of connections. They employ many professors who have connections out into other universities and industry (which is very important for placement in both grad and undergrad programs), and the program seems to be growing reputation and connectivity to other employers and think-tanks. Here's a list of some (but not all) opportunities Markus, my advisor (and the info faculty) has been able to help me obtain:
- Exposure to CACR guests who come to visit (by scheduling their visits)
- A summer office at Purdue's CERIAS
- A semester of visiting research at University of Wollongong, Australia
- Publication opportunities (see my website)
- Industry connections (leading to an internship at Google)"

"Grad students don't have free time. I find hobbies: I do a little consulting, play with toys (like cheap RC airplanes), fix my car, go hiking, the usual."