PNC Computer Students Win Networking Competition

Westville – Purdue University North Central students placed first in the Cisco Networking Academy Retreat for College Student (CNARCS) held recently at Ball State University.

The competition gave college students the opportunity to analyze and solve real-world computer networking problems, explained Nipul Patel, PNC assistant professor of Computer & Information Technology, who served as the faculty leader and sponsor for the PNC group. All students are in the Local Area Networks course taught by Patel.

The PNC students were Bryan Simms, of Valparaiso; George Nolan, Jr., of LaPorte; Mark Kelly, of Michigan City; Dan Teets, of LaPorte and David Surbey, of LaPorte. All are in the Computer & Information Technology program.

The event at Ball State also featured a resume workshop and mock interviews to help students prepare for the workforce. Team PNC was sponsored in part by Quiznos Sub of Michigan City.

Patel explained that during the competition the students were given a case study involving complex networking infrastructure issues. They had about an hour to present a working solution while staying within financial and other constraints.

“This was a first experience of this type for these students and some were intimated,” said Patel. “Other teams were well prepared in some proprietary software packages. However, our students were able to pull ahead given the real world experience they have as most of our students already are employed in the field.”

The students were diligent in their preparation, said Patel. They researched and discussed case studies for presentation; they analyzed problems and various problem-solving approaches and they discussed and practiced presentation styles as well as resume preparations.

#