Fleming College

An advanced research project to determine the ability of portable electronic devices to host and hide online criminal activity is currently underway at Fleming College. Computer Security and Investigations students Chris Rice, Mitch Hayes and David Flagler are spending their entire sixth-semester on the project as part of the Technology Applied Projects program at the college. The group is testing specific devices such as the iPod Touch and Nano, Nokia N800, the Play Station 3 and the Play Station Portable to analyze how simple – or difficult – it is to store illegal data such as child pornography on these devices instead of on a personal computer, where evidence is more easily detected. “We want to know how easy it is to do, how common it is to disguise it, and how to detect it,” said Rice. “(Computer) forensics is a big part of this project and it’s one of the reasons we joined the Computer Security and Investigations program.”  The end goal of the group is to produce a how-to guide for investigators in the computer security field and to raise awareness of the use of evolving technology for criminal purposes, said Hayes. Finding technical solutions. Their innovative project is one of more than 20 completed by 40 students that will be featured at Fleming College’s Technology Showcase on Tuesday, April 15. The event is generously sponsored by Bell Canada. Students, working with real-world industry sponsors or on college research projects, spend their entire final semester working on the applied projects. The end results – highlighted at the Tech Showcase – feature a variety of inventive and original designs that range from new web sites to databases to robots that can automatically measure room sizes.“The applied projects give the students a tremendous opportunity to develop not only their technical skills but also to find new and innovative ways to apply them to real world problems,” says Applied Projects Coordinator Noel Briones. “For most, this is their first experience taking on a leadership role in a professional environment. This type of learning is very difficult to simulate in classroom-based courses.“At the same time, sponsors from business and industry recognize real and potential benefits from the technical solutions our project teams develop to meet their needs.”The client companies include McCloskey International Ltd., Kawartha Food Share, and the PVNC Catholic District School Board.   Another project, a new website that automatically updates weather conditions measured from antennae at the Sutherland Campus, is promising an accurate forecast for the college community. Stacey Knapp and Adam Palmer in the Computer Engineering Technology program are working on the wireless weather station they hope to have up and running by the end of April. Air pressure, humidity and dew point readings will be transmitted wirelessly from a unit located on the roof of the building to the college’s radio room. From there the readings will be automatically posted on an Internet site and would be updated instantly. In working on the project, the students have learned a lot about short wave radio – they wrote the amateur radio exam, on which they needed to achieve 80 per cent to be able to maintain and operate radio equipment. They are using much of their software and hardware course work in the project too. “We’re covering the entire spectrum of the two-and-a-half years we have been here, put together. We’re using all of our skills,” said Palmer. The Technology Showcase will take place at the Sutherland Campus, 599 Brealey Dr. in Peterborough, on Tuesday, April 15. The public is invited to attend the Showcase Open House taking place between noon and 5 p.m., and 7 and 9 p.m. The projects are judged and awards handed out at a special dinner at the college that night. For more information, contact Noel Briones, Applied Projects Coordinator at 705-749-5530 ext. 1222.