SATIRE: Greek students oppressed with tailgate proposals, page 5 CRIME BRIEFS: Man arrested for credit card theft, page 2 lsunow.com/daily
FRIDAY, APRIL 8, 2016
thedailyreveille
@lsureveille
thedailyreveille
Volume 121 · No. 53
GRETA JINES / The Daily Reveille
DARE TO DISCOVER Discover Day inspires through undergraduate research, keynote speaker
BY KATIE GAGLIANO | @katie_gagliano The University’s third annual Discover Day brought together 119 undergraduates and one astronaut to celebrate research and the achievements of University students. Retired Col. Al Worden, an Apollo 15 astronaut and the Discover Day keynote speaker, said supporting education and research is key to humanity’s success in the future. “Humankind needs to be saved, but we don’t have the tools, we don’t have the attitude and we don’t have the philosophy to really do what needs to be
done today,” Worden said. “It’s going to take a lot of research to get us where we need to be. Research is critical to our welfare in the future. If we give up on research we’re dead, we’re dead in the water.” Encouraging interest in research opportunities and supporting undergraduate researchers through workshops, financial support and job matching is the mission of LSU Discover, said coordinator Sarah Ferstel.
see DISCOVER, page 7
TECHNOLOGY
Local hacking enthusiast group puts tech to creative use BY TRENT PARKER @trentparker_TDR Lax computer security measures can cost companies and individuals dearly, increasing the demand for those skilled in prevention. DEF CON 225 — a local community for both professionals and amateurs interested in hacking, computer security and related fields — meets regularly to discuss and learn from each other. “Before you start thinking we are those bad types of hackers who break into banks, install credit card skimmers at the gas station, or send e-mails to your
grandmother purporting to be a Nigerian prince stuck on the moon in need of cash … think about the whole ‘Life Hacker’ movement,” said computer security incident response specialist and LSU alumnus James Smith. According to Lifehack, “life hacks” are any advice, resource, tip or trick that helps increase efficiency and productivity. Hackers find creative ways to make technology and computer security more useful and efficient, said Smith, who refers to those who use their skills for criminal purposes as “crackers.” DC225 participants share
info on their current software projects, create cryptographic puzzles to solve and encourage thinking outside the box with technology. DC225 member Josh Richard created a simple robot using a Raspberry Pi computer and Roomba vacuum cleaner in a single day. DC225 is the local chapter of DEF CON, one of the oldest and largest hacking conferences in the world. “Many of us work in the computer security industry and are tasked with keeping the bad guys out of our computer networks
see DEFCON, page 7
courtesy of JAMES SMITH
DC225, local chapter of DEF CON, uses hacking skills for security, as well as creative projects.
april 8th, 2016 | LSU PMAC