USITCC South Central Regional Student Conference

Schedule

USITCC South Central Regional Student Conference 2024 will offer seven technical competitions for participants to test their skills against the best and brightest IT students in the Region!

Check back often for changes in the schedule.

Thursday, November 7, 2024

Time	Location	Activity
3:00 PM – 7:00 PM	BYRD 1st Floor Lobby	Registration & Check–In
7:00 PM – 10:00 PM	BYRD 404 , CTF Byrd 213	Security Competition & Security CTF
7:00 PM – 10:00 PM	BYRD 204	Systems Analysis & Design Competition

Friday, November 8, 2024

Time	Location	Activity
7:30 AM – 5:00 PM	BYRD 1st Floor Lobby	Registration and Check–In, cont.
8:00 AM – 11:00 AM	PARC 406	Application Development Competition
8:00 AM – 11:00 AM	BYRD 404	Network Design Competition
11 AM – 12:30 PM	Badger Cafe	Lunch
12:30 PM – 3:30 PM	BYRD 408	Office Solutions Competition
4:00 PM – 7:00 PM	PARC 406	Database Design Competition
4:00 PM – 7:00 PM	BYRD 404	PC Troubleshooting Competition
7:30 PM – 10:00 PM	College Union Building (CUB), 2nd Floor Oak Room	Networking Social for Students, Faculty, & Sponsors

Saturday, November 9, 2024

Time	Location	Activity
11:30 AM	FirstBank Southwest Center, South Gym	Awards
After the Awards	FirstBank Southwest Center, South Gym	Grab and Go Lunch

Application Development

Showcase your object-oriented design and coding skills in this contest. you'll be asked to build an enterprise-quality solution to a complex coding situation. The world needs you because the world needs talented developers.

Skills and Resources

Successful teams will be skilled at either Java, C#, .Net, or VB.net and Object-Oriented Principles. Overall teams should have knowledge of:

• Multiple GUI forms, including menu creation
• User input validation
• Exception handling
• JSON
• Documenting Code
• Unit Testing
• Object-Oriented Principles (ex.encapsulation, inheritance, polymorphism)

Only the standard Microsoft Visual Studio 2019 Community Edition IDE is allowed for C# or Visual Basic development. No additional add-ins or tools are allowed. The standard Java IDE (SE11.xx). You can use Eclipse or a similar program for Java Development. However, only tools thtat are included with Java SE 11 can be used.

Protocol

Teams will be given the problem statement at the beginning of the contest time. Time will be allowed to read the problem statement and ask any questions in a common session. Once the question & answer time has closed, no further questions will be answered. Each team will submit their solution for judging prior to the contest closing time, at which point no further submissions will be accepted.

Database Design

Databases are at the core of virtually all critical information system. In this competition you will flex your database design and SQL muscles to show you’ve got the right stuff to make data work for you!

In this two-part competition, teams will be provided with a problem statement which will require them to design a database, create an entity relationship diagram reflecting their design, and generate SQL code to query and modify the database. Teams may also be asked to construct additional SQL code (DQL/DML) and/or respond to questions about general database design and management issues.

ERDs should be created using diagramming software such as Microsoft Visio, Visible Analyst, or LucidChart. All SQL code must be written using standard structured query language and must utilize Oracle, MySQL, or MSSQL Server. Each team is required to bring their own laptop/notebook PC, with their own diagramming and database software.

Skills and Resources

Successful teams will need skills in database design, entity-relationship modeling, and structured query language (SQL). Participants must use Oracle, MySQL, or MS SQL Server. MS Access and other development suites that support drag and drop are not allowed. For all objectives, only standard SQL commands may be used. Application specific commands, those unique to Oracle, MS SQL Server, or MySQL will result in a reduction of points.

The competition may contain all or some of the following components:

1. Database Design: Teams must submit a database design based on the given problem statement or SQL script. The design will be represented by an ERD with entities, relationships, attributes, primary and foreign keys, cardinality, and optionality; and the relational schema normalized to 3NF.
2. Data Definition Language (DDL): Teams will be required to write the SQL code to instantiate the design shown in their ERD into a physical database, including all keys.
3. Data Query Language: Teams may be required to write one or more SELECT queries to query an existing database or the database they have created.
4. Data Manipulation Language (DML): Teams may be required to write one or more DML statements to INSERT, UPDATE, or DELETE data from an existing database or the database they have created.
5. Knowledge demonstration: Teams may be presented with multiple choice, fill in the blank, or multi-section questions about their design or general database/SQL knowledge.

Protocol

Teams will be given the problem statement at the beginning of the contest time. A short time will be allowed to ask general questions about competition rules, however no specific questions about the problem or database concepts will be addressed. Once the question & answer time has closed, no further questions will be answered. Each team will submit their solution for judging prior to the contest closing time, at which point no further submissions will be accepted.

Network Design

Fast and reliable data networks are the lifeblood of modern business, and companies pay big bucks for engineers that can design and maintain robust networks. Prove that you have what it takes to tackle and solve thorny enterprise networking challenges by delivering a design that can accommodate a complex set of communication needs.

The USITCC network design contest is constructed to challenge participants on many levels. Teams will create a proposal for a network design given the problem statement scenario. Elements will include LAN design, WAN connectivity, network components, protocols used, security issues, network architecture and a budget.

Skills and Resources

Successful teams will have a good understanding of internetworked systems, critical thinking and evaluation skills for enterprise infrastructure design, the ability to construct a budget of all the items and services necessary to solve the problem, and the ability to create professional quality documentation that meets problem statement requirements for stated audience.

No specific software packages are required for the competition, however professional presentation of your design is key. To this end, diagramming tools such as Visio, Lucid Chart or yEd, software to generate Microsoft Word or PDF documents, and an Internet browser for looking up technical specs and pricing will be useful. Final documents much be submitted as a file that can be read using Microsoft Word 2003 or later, or as a PDF.

Protocol

Teams will be given the problem statement at the beginning of the contest time. Time will be allowed to read the problem statement and ask any questions in a common session. Once the question & answer time has closed, no further questions will be answered. Each team will submit their solution for judging prior to the contest closing time, at which point no further submissions will be accepted.

Microsoft Office Solutions

Today’s high tech office environment calls for sophisticated solutions for analyzing and presenting business data. This unique event integrates database (Access), spreadsheet (Excel), presentation (PowerPoint), and word processing (Word) skills to create an end to end data management and presentation solution using the world's most widely used office productivity software suite.

Skills and Resources

Successful teams will demonstrate creative thinking to solve business problems and an in depth knowledge of the MS Office suite. In each of the four applications, contestants should be able to:

Word :

• Format text/margins/pages.
• Insert and modify clip art.
• Integrate information from other MS Office applications into Word.
• Creatively write/edit documents.

Excel:

• Format Excel worksheets based on instructions.
• Create formulas, including nested formulas.
• Use the built-in functions of Excel.
• Use the security features of Excel to protect workbook/worksheet/selected information.
• Create/modify/format different types of charts.
• Organize an Excel workbook.

PowerPoint:

• Create and modify PowerPoint presentations.
• Use the basic rules of creating a PowerPoint presentation.
• Add animation and automate the presentation options in a PowerPoint presentation.

Access:

• Determine the proper design of a database and make decisions on how many tables must be used for the database to meet its minimum requirements and how those tables are related to one another.
• Import data into the database from either Excel or a text file.
• Create forms based on specifications provided during contest.
• Create queries that will return both static information and calculated values.
• Create reports that meet formatting specifications, data retrieval specifications, and calculated values.

Protocol

Teams will be given the problem statement at the beginning of the contest time. Time will be allowed to read the problem statement and ask any questions in a common session. Once the question & answer time has closed, no further questions will be answered. Each team will submit their solution for judging prior to the contest closing time, at which point no further submissions will be accepted.

PC Troubleshooting

Quick — the computer died and this report has to be submitted in an hour!

Your knowledge and help are needed in order to get the machine running smoothly again. In this competition, you will complete a PC Troubleshooting knowledge exam similar to what you will encounter on popular certification exams.

Skills and Resources

The PC Troubleshooting competition will focus on a wide range of skills a PC Technicians might encounter including hardware, software, networking and security on Microsoft Windows, Apple, Linux and Android platforms. The exam will consist of 60–100 questions and will require a computer with a web browser capable of viewing standard HTML, ASP and JavaScript pages. No reference materials of any kind (books, notes, CDs, etc) nor Internet access will be allowed during the written test.

Security

Are you among the guardians of the modern IT galaxy? Find out in this fun event. In this competition, you will complete a computer security knowledge exam similar to what you will encounter on popular certification exams and the top scorers will then go head–to–head against vexing security challenges.

Skills and Resources

The qualifying round will consist of 50–70 multiple choice questions similar to questions found on popular certification exams, as well as questions that will relate to the CTF Finals Competition. In addition, participants should be knowledgeable with topics and tools such as those listed below. Please note this list is not exhaustive, and that not all of the following topics will necessarily be included in the qualifying exam or the CTF finals:

• IP configuration and testing
• Database Security Vulnerabilities
• Web Server Vulnerabilities
• Web Application Vulnerabilities
• Social Engineering
• Password Crackers
• Penetration Testing Tools
• Open Source Intelligence
• Log Analysis
• Network Traffic Analysis
• Reconnaissance Techniques
• Cryptography
• Vulnerability Identification and Exploitation
• High-level understanding of security regulations
• Physical security/access control
• Policy implementation in a Windows environment
• Current business security regulations, U.S.A. laws involved with trans-border data flow (PCI, PATRIOT Act, etc.)

Systems Analysis & Design

Systems Analysts Needed Now! What will you recommend when presented with a complex enterprise scenario? Use either traditional (structured) design tools or agile/object-oriented tools to prepare a model of your innovative solution.

Teams will be given a business problem statement and approximately a three hour time frame to analyze and design. Any widely used methodology may be used such as Object Oriented Analysis, Structured Analysis, Information Engineering, Prototyping, etc.

Skills and Resources

The problem statement will allow multiple analysis and design methodologies, which may include:

• Structured analysis
• Object–oriented analysis
• Information engineering
• Rapid application design and prototyping
• Any other widely accepted methodology

Teams are expected to utilize ONE and ONLY ONE Analysis and Design approach. Using a combination of components from both the Structured/Information Engineering approach and the Object Oriented approach should be avoided. The business model does not have to be fully implemented; however, a system design that allows user prototyping with screen/window/web page interaction will be considered in the over-all grading. This contest is software and methodology independent.

Teams must provide own business modeling software. This could include any CASE, I-CASE or other model-based development product. Example tools may include: Oracle Designer/Developer, Unified Modeling Language, Visible Analyst, CA Cool Gen, Cool Jex, etc. Solutions should be submitted as Microsoft Word or PDF files.

Protocol

Teams will be given the problem statement at the beginning of the contest time. Time will be allowed to read the problem statement and ask any questions in a common session. Once the question & answer time has closed, no further questions will be answered. Each team will submit their solution for judging prior to the contest closing time, at which point no further submissions will be accepted.