Minors in Informatics
- Minor in Computer Networks
- Minor in Informatics
- Minor in Information System
- Minor In Application and Game Development
- Minor in Computer Science
- Minor in Computer Engineering
Minor in Computer Networks
Requirements - 4 courses / 12 credits (32 ECTS)
Teaches students the technologies and protocols needed to design and implement a converged switched network. Students learn about the hierarchical network design model and the appropriate selection of devices for each layer. The course explains how to configure a switch for basic functionality and how to implement Virtual LANs, VTP and Inter-VLAN routing in a converged network. The different implementations of Spanning Tree Protocol in a converged network are presented, and students develop the knowledge and skills necessary to implement a WLAN in a small- to medium-network. Prerequisite(s): IT150, IT160, IT175 Credits: 3
Describes the architecture, components and operation of routers and explains the principles of routing and routing protocols. Students analyze, configure, troubleshoot and verify the primary routing protocols RIPv1, RIPv2, EIGRP and OSPF. By the end of this course students are to recognize and correct common routing issues and problems. Students complete a basic procedural lab, followed by basic configuration, implementation and troubleshooting labs in each chapter. Prerequisite(s): IT150, IT160, IT165 Credits: 3
Discusses the WAN technologies and network services required by converged applications in enterprise networks. The course introduces integrated network services and the selection of appropriate devices and technologies to meet network requirements. Students learn how to implement and configure common data link protocols and how to apply WAN security concepts, principles of traffic, access control, and addressing services. Finally, students learn how to detect, troubleshoot and correct common enterprise network implementation issues. Prerequisite(s): IT150, IT160, IT175, IT265 Credits: 3
Introduces voice and data networks and examines the challenges faced by the various related technologies. The course presents Cisco solutions and implementation considerations to address those challenges. In this course, students will learn about the architecture, components, functionality and features of the Cisco Unified Call Manager Express (CUME). They will also learn Voice over IP (VoIP) and Quality of Service (QoS) technologies and apply them to the Cisco CME environment. The course focuses on Call Manager Express, connecting to a PSTN network, connecting from one router across a WAN to another router running CME, and connecting from one CME enabled router to another CME-enabled router. Prerequisite(s): IT150, IT160, IT175, IT265, IT275 Credits: 3
Electives - 2 courses / 6 credits (12 ECTS)
Provides students with the knowledge to manage a network using the existing tools, methods and platforms. The students will also become acquainted with future trends in network management. The second part of the course familiarizes students with the current issues in security and provides a practical, up-to-date and comprehensive survey of network-based and Internet-based security applications and standards. Prerequisite(s): IT150, IT160, IT265 Credits: 3
Equips students with the knowledge and skills needed to prepare for entry-level security specialist careers. This course is a hands-on, career-oriented e-learning solution that emphasizes practical experience. The course is a blended curriculum with both online and classroom learning that leads to the CCNA Security Industrial Certification. It aims to develop an in-depth understanding of network security principles as well as of the tools and configurations available. Tools covered: Protocol sniffers/analyzers, TCP/IP and common desktop utilities, Cisco IOS Software, Cisco VPN Client, and Web-based resources. Prerequisite(s): IT150, IT160, IT265 Credits: 3
Introduces a wide range of topics in the field of information security and assurance including: information threats/vulnerabilities and attacks, legal and ethical issues related to risk assessment, security planning, communications systems, information security technologies, cryptography, physical security, security implementation and maintenance and security personnel. Prerequisite(s): IT150, IT160, IT200, IT320 Credits: 3
Teaches students to configure, implement and support wireless LANs in SMB and Enterprise networks. Upon completion of the course, students are able to install a basic WLAN, install wireless clients, install basic wireless security, operate WLAN Controllers and maintain WLANs. Prerequisite(s): IT150, IT160, IT265 Credits: 3
Minor in Informatics
Requirements - 4 courses / 12 credits (24 ECTS)
Introduces programming using an object-oriented language. The course emphasizes problem solving and structured programming. Students completing the course should be able to setup and use a visual software development environment; analyze and explain the behavior of simple programs involving the fundamental programming constructs covered by this unit; and modify and expand short programs that use standard conditional and iterative control structures and functions. Students design, implement, test, and debug a program that uses each of the following fundamental programming constructs: basic computation, simple I/O, standard conditional and iterative structures, and the definition of functions and write simple applications. Prerequisite(s): None Credits: 3
Provides students with a good understanding of object-orientation programming and Java technologies. Equally important, students get hands-on experience in engineering programs in Java. They learn the basic language constructs as well as the most commonly used libraries, strings, and exceptions. Students work mostly in the computer laboratory using a popular programming environment. Prerequisite(s): IT150 Credits: 3
Introduces the fundamental concepts and principles of designing, implementing and administering databases. Upon completion of the course students are able to create logical data models of medium complexity, design the tables of a database and create the queries and reports required for using the database. Concepts such as normalization, concurrent processing, database administration, data distribution, integrity and security are thoroughly examined. SQL language as a data modeling and query language is also presented and the basic expressions are introduced. Prerequisite(s): IT150 Credits: 3
Introduces students to the Project Management process and specific aspects of project-management methodologies such as PMI and Prince2. The course focuses on the field of software engineering as a way of enabling students to apply project management concepts to real life examples and experiences. The student will also receive hands-on knowledge of tools used to practice Project Management effectively.
Prerequisite(s): GE105, GE106, GE115 Credits: 3
Prerequisite(s): GE105, GE106, GE115 Credits: 3
Electives - 2 courses / 6 credits (12 ECTS)
Networking and telecommunications fundamentals including LANs, MANs, WANs, intranets, the Internet, and the WWW will be covered. Data communication and telecommunication concepts, models, standards, and protocols will be studied along with installation, configuration, systems integration and management of infrastructure technologies. Prerequisite(s): None Credits: 3
Deals with the fundamentals of organizing and manipulating data efficiently using clean conceptual models. Students study several important conceptual data types and algorithms, which they then implement in a specific programming language, even if the principles are more generally applicable to most modern programming languages. Prerequisite(s): IT150 Credits: 3
Covers the systems development life cycle. The course examines the requirements and tools for collecting and structuring data, process modeling and data modeling, interface design and data management. Students acquire skills in using tools and techniques such as interviewing, producing use cases, prototyping and generating UML diagrams. The course provides hands-on experience in designing a system following the 3-tier architecture (presentation, middleware, data storage). Prerequisite(s): IT150, IT200 Credits: 3
Minor in Application & Game Development
Requirements - 4 courses / 12 credits (24 ECTS)
Introduces students to the fundamental concepts and notations of application design. Effective design and implementation of applications can have profound, positive implications on productivity, efficiency, accuracy, and satisfaction in a huge range of environments. Upon completion of the course students should be familiar with the application design process as well as with basic design principles. Moreover, the student will be able to gather and analyze the customer business functions and design an application solution to meet the prioritized business requirements. Prerequisite(s): IT150 Credits: 3
Enhances students’ Java programming skills and prepares them to successfully obtain professional certifications. The course teaches advanced object-oriented concepts such as inheritance and polymorphism and applies them to the Java programming language so that students can gain a better understanding of interfaces & abstract classes. Other important aspects covered are concurrency (threads), generics, inner classes and exceptions. Prerequisite(s): IT150, IT200 Credits: 3
The course introduces the basic methods and platforms used in game design. It focuses on analyzing the mechanics of gameplay and how these mechanics affect the player experience. It also introduces the student to the main game platforms available in the market. The students gain hands-on experience through practical assignments such as creating paper and digital prototypes and improving the overall gaming experience by iterative design processes. Special attention is paid to the Unity platform. Students practice on Unity by setting up a 2D project, creating Prefabs, working with movement buttons, action buttons and the physics of collisions, using a sprite sheet, and integrating the Dolby Audio API. Prerequisite(s): IT150 Credits: 3
Investigates the design and analysis of distributed systems from wide-area communication networks through local-area clusters of workstations, to shared-memory multiprocessors. Focus is on object-oriented client/server applications. Topics include building and consuming a web service, configuring and customizing a web service, calling web methods asynchronously, building a remoting client and server, creating and serializing remotable types, performing remoting operations asynchronously, and managing the lifetime of remote objects. Prerequisite(s): IT150, IT200, IT240, IT320, IT370 Credits: 3
Electives - 2 courses / 6 credits (12 ECTS)
Introduces students through hands on experience to the fundamental concepts of programming with the emphasis being laid on the whole of the software development process. More specifically, it introduces the fundamental concepts and principles of designing, implementing and testing software applications. Upon completion of the course students should be able to explain fundamental concepts of software development processes, including software development lifecycle, phases, iterations, and practices. Moreover, they will be able to apply basic techniques of requirements elicitation and modeling, including basic data and user interface modeling. Finally, programming best practices such as coding style standards and code documentation are thoroughly examined. Prerequisite(s): IT199, IT240 Credits: 3
Provides students with the fundamentals of programming for computer graphics and analyzes the hardware and software principles of interactive raster graphics. Topics include interactive graphics, animation, color, 2-D and 3-D modelling and transformations, viewing transformations, projections, rendering techniques, graphical software packages and graphics systems. Students will use a standard computer graphics API to reinforce concepts and study fundamental computer graphics algorithms. Prerequisite(s): IT150, MATH150, MATH300 Credits: 3
In IT, a platform is the basic hardware and software on which software applications or services can be hosted. This course covers common technical aspects of platform implementation as well as processes to effectively manage the implementation. Moreover, it allows students to learn tactical skills and responsibilities required based on their role as well as develop a holistic view of all team roles and responsibilities. Finally, hands on experience in the lab and group projects will provide students with the necessary knowledge and skills they need in order to apply platform implementation best practices. Prerequisite(s): IT199, IT240, IT299 Credits: 3
Effective software engineers need to understand the activities performed during each stage of the development cycle including analysis of requirements, design, implementation, testing, documentation and transition. Hands-on experience is gained throughout the duration of the course on selected aspects of the software engineering lifecycle. Lectures will take place mostly in a computer laboratory. Prerequisite(s): IT150, IT200, IT280 Credits: 3
Introduces web application development, covering configuration of web and application servers, and development of client and server-side scripts. It explores web application security, web authentication, session state management, and web services. Emphasizes contemporary and adaptable technologies, such as RESTful approaches and modern development frameworks, for creating dynamic web applications. The course covers techniques for web application development, custom user controls, and binding user interface controls to data sources. Additionally, it introduces advanced programming concepts and modern tools for developing graphical user interfaces. Prerequisite(s): IT150, IT200, IT320 Credits: 3
Minor in Computer Science
Requirements - 4 courses / 12 credits (24 ECTS)
Addresses current and future trends in Information Technology. The course presents current market and research directions as influenced by consumers, industries and universities. Students learn the core concepts of information technology and its rapidly expanding role in solving problems and influencing decision making. This course discusses how emerging technologies evolve, how they can be identified and how they are affected by international, political, social, economic and cultural factors. Topics include the accuracy of past technology forecasts and means of improving such forecasts, international perspectives on emerging technologies, future customer trends and forecasting methodologies such as monitoring, expert opinion, trend analysis and scenario construction. Prerequisite(s): IT150, IT200, IT280 Credits: 3
Introduces basic concepts and methods of artificial intelligence from a computer science perspective. Emphasis will be placed on the selection of data representations and algorithms useful in the design and implementation of intelligent systems. The course will contain an overview of AI languages like Prolog and Lisp, and some discussion of important applications of artificial intelligence methodology. Prerequisite(s): IT150, IT160, MATH200 Credits: 3
Effective software engineers need to understand the activities performed during each stage of the development cycle including analysis of requirements, design, implementation, testing, documentation and transition. Hands-on experience is gained throughout the duration of the course on selected aspects of the software engineering lifecycle. Lectures will take place mostly in a computer laboratory. Prerequisite(s): IT150, IT200, IT280 Credits: 3
Introduces discrete and continuous probability spaces, statistical independence, distributions, discrete and continuous random variables, expectations, moment generating functions, limiting distributions, estimation of parameters, confidence intervals, hypothesis testing with applications, linear regression and correlation and multiple linear regressions. Students learn to define probability as a measure of uncertainty and as a set function, apply the algebra of sets and use various counting techniques to determine elementary probabilities. The class includes calculation of probabilities, means, variances, and moment-generating functions, and investigates approximation theorems. Students also study basic statistical inference theory. Prerequisite(s): MATH150 Credits: 3
Electives - 2 courses / 6 credits (12 ECTS)
Introduces students to the fundamental concepts and notations of application design. Effective design and implementation of applications can have profound, positive implications on productivity, efficiency, accuracy, and satisfaction in a huge range of environments. Upon completion of the course students should be familiar with the application design process as well as with basic design principles. Moreover, the student will be able to gather and analyze the customer business functions and design an application solution to meet the prioritized business requirements. Prerequisite(s): IT150 Credits: 3
Introduces students through hands on experience to the fundamental concepts of programming with the emphasis being laid on the whole of the software development process. More specifically, it introduces the fundamental concepts and principles of designing, implementing and testing software applications. Upon completion of the course students should be able to explain fundamental concepts of software development processes, including software development lifecycle, phases, iterations, and practices. Moreover, they will be able to apply basic techniques of requirements elicitation and modeling, including basic data and user interface modeling. Finally, programming best practices such as coding style standards and code documentation are thoroughly examined. Prerequisite(s): IT199, IT240 Credits: 3
Covers all aspects of computer networks, from the physical transmission of signals, through the protocols required for the safe transmission of data, to the end-to-end services built on the communications backbone. Wired and wireless networks are covered, and special emphasis is placed on the transportation of real-time audio and video media. There is also a strong focus on support and services for wired and wireless communication systems. Prerequisite(s): IT150, IT160 Credits: 3
In IT, a platform is the basic hardware and software on which software applications or services can be hosted. This course covers common technical aspects of platform implementation as well as processes to effectively manage the implementation. Moreover, it allows students to learn tactical skills and responsibilities required based on their role as well as develop a holistic view of all team roles and responsibilities. Finally, hands on experience in the lab and group projects will provide students with the necessary knowledge and skills they need in order to apply platform implementation best practices. Prerequisite(s): IT199, IT240, IT299 Credits: 3
Introduces a wide range of topics in the field of information security and assurance including: information threats/vulnerabilities and attacks, legal and ethical issues related to risk assessment, security planning, communications systems, information security technologies, cryptography, physical security, security implementation and maintenance and security personnel. Prerequisite(s): IT150, IT160, IT200, IT320 Credits: 3
Develops different mathematical techniques and investigates various examples and applications, emphasizing in techniques and applications of derivatives and integration, multiple integrals, limits, continuity, series and polar coordinates. Prerequisite(s): MATH150 Credits: 3
Develops different fundamental methods of solving first and higher order equations and analyzes essentials of matrix algebra, linear and nonlinear systems, power series solutions and Laplace transforms. Prerequisite(s): MATH150 Credits: 3
Minor in Computer Engineering
Requirements - 4 courses / 12 credits (24 ECTS)
Introduces programming using an object-oriented language. The course emphasizes problem solving and structured programming. Students completing the course should be able to setup and use a visual software development environment; analyze and explain the behavior of simple programs involving the fundamental programming constructs covered by this unit; and modify and expand short programs that use standard conditional and iterative control structures and functions. Students design, implement, test, and debug a program that uses each of the following fundamental programming constructs: basic computation, simple I/O, standard conditional and iterative structures, and the definition of functions and write simple applications. Prerequisite(s): None Credits: 3
Provides students with a good understanding of object-orientation programming and Java technologies. Equally important, students get hands-on experience in engineering programs in Java. They learn the basic language constructs as well as the most commonly used libraries, strings, and exceptions. Students work mostly in the computer laboratory using a popular programming environment. Prerequisite(s): IT150 Credits: 3
Introduces the fundamental concepts and principles of designing, implementing and administering databases. Upon completion of the course students are able to create logical data models of medium complexity, design the tables of a database and create the queries and reports required for using the database. Concepts such as normalization, concurrent processing, database administration, data distribution, integrity and security are thoroughly examined. SQL language as a data modeling and query language is also presented and the basic expressions are introduced. Prerequisite(s): IT150 Credits: 3
Introduces students to the Project Management process and specific aspects of project-management methodologies such as PMI and Prince2. The course focuses on the field of software engineering as a way of enabling students to apply project management concepts to real life examples and experiences. The student will also receive hands-on knowledge of tools used to practice Project Management effectively. Prerequisite(s): GE105, GE106, GE115 Credits: 3
Electives - 2 courses / 6 credits (12 ECTS)
Networking and telecommunications fundamentals including LANs, MANs, WANs, intranets, the Internet, and the WWW will be covered. Data communication and telecommunication concepts, models, standards, and protocols will be studied along with installation, configuration, systems integration and management of infrastructure technologies. Prerequisite(s): None Credits: 3
Deals with the fundamentals of organizing and manipulating data efficiently using clean conceptual models. Students study several important conceptual data types and algorithms, which they then implement in a specific programming language, even if the principles are more generally applicable to most modern programming languages. Prerequisite(s): IT150 Credits: 3
Covers the systems development life cycle. The course examines the requirements and tools for collecting and structuring data, process modeling and data modeling, interface design and data management. Students acquire skills in using tools and techniques such as interviewing, producing use cases, prototyping and generating UML diagrams. The course provides hands-on experience in designing a system following the 3-tier architecture (presentation, middleware, data storage). Prerequisite(s): IT150, IT200 Credits: 3
Minor in Information Systems
Electives - 6 courses / 18 credits (36 ECTS)
Enhances students’ Java programming skills and prepares them to successfully obtain professional certifications. The course teaches advanced object-oriented concepts such as inheritance and polymorphism and applies them to the Java programming language so that students can gain a better understanding of interfaces & abstract classes. Other important aspects covered are concurrency (threads), generics, inner classes and exceptions. Prerequisite(s): IT150, IT200 Credits: 3
Information systems are viewed from the needs of management. Areas covered include organizational foundations of systems and their emerging strategic role; Introduction to real-world systems, with a focus on their relationship to organizations and management; Technical foundations of information systems; Data processing, collection, storage, updating, and retrieval. Redesigning organizations using information systems, including reengineering of critical business processes. Capturing and distributing organizational knowledge and enhancing management decision-making. Emphasis is placed on using information technology to redesign an organization's products, services, procedures, jobs and management structures. Prerequisite(s): IT150, IT200, IT260 Credits: 3
Effective software engineers need to understand the activities performed during each stage of the development cycle including analysis of requirements, design, implementation, testing, documentation and transition. Hands-on experience is gained throughout the duration of the course on selected aspects of the software engineering lifecycle. Lectures will take place mostly in a computer laboratory. Prerequisite(s): IT150, IT200, IT280 Credits: 3
Information Systems (IS) are playing a vital and expanding role in business and society in general. Organizations and businesses of all sizes have sizable network and computer infrastructure and require highly skilled administrators who have the experience and knowledge to manage these seemingly complicated and complex operations. This course will cover the basics of supporting an Information System in a hands-on lab environment. More specifically, the course will provide the students with a comprehensive skill set geared towards installing, configuring, and updating hardware and software, as well as fixing any issue related to a company’s equipment that may come up on a daily basis. Prerequisite(s): IT150 Credits: 3
Introduces students to the fundamental concepts and notations of application design. Effective design and implementation of applications can have profound, positive implications on productivity, efficiency, accuracy, and satisfaction in a huge range of environments. Upon completion of the course students should be familiar with the application design process as well as with basic design principles. Moreover, the student will be able to gather and analyze the customer business functions and design an application solution to meet the prioritized business requirements. Prerequisite(s): IT150 Credits: 3
Information Systems (IS) are playing a vital and expanding role in business and society in general. Organizations and businesses of all sizes have sizable network and computer infrastructure and require highly skilled administrators who have the experience and knowledge to manage these seemingly complicated and complex operations. This course will expand the knowledge of using and administrating an Information System by focusing on Information Systems Maintenance methods in a hands-on lab environment. More specifically, the course will provide the students with a comprehensive skill set geared towards modifying an information system to continually satisfy organizational and user requirements. Prerequisite(s): IT198, IT240 Credits: 3
Introduces students through hands on experience to the fundamental concepts of programming with the emphasis being laid on the whole of the software development process. More specifically, it introduces the fundamental concepts and principles of designing, implementing and testing software applications. Upon completion of the course students should be able to explain fundamental concepts of software development processes, including software development lifecycle, phases, iterations, and practices. Moreover, they will be able to apply basic techniques of requirements elicitation and modeling, including basic data and user interface modeling. Finally, programming best practices such as coding style standards and code documentation are thoroughly examined. Prerequisite(s): IT199, IT240 Credits: 3
Information Systems (IS) are playing a vital and expanding role in business and society in general. Organizations and businesses of all sizes have sizable network and computer infrastructure and require highly skilled administrators who have the experience and knowledge to manage these seemingly complicated and complex operations. This course will cover the basics of using and administrating an Information System in a hands-on lab environment. More specifically, the course will provide the students with a comprehensive skill set geared towards administration of computer networks and systems, including installation, configuration, maintenance, monitoring and troubleshooting. Prerequisite(s): IT198, IT240, IT298 Credits: 3
In IT, a platform is the basic hardware and software on which software applications or services can be hosted. This course covers common technical aspects of platform implementation as well as processes to effectively manage the implementation. Moreover, it allows students to learn tactical skills and responsibilities required based on their role as well as develop a holistic view of all team roles and responsibilities. Finally, hands on experience in the lab and group projects will provide students with the necessary knowledge and skills they need in order to apply platform implementation best practices. Prerequisite(s): IT199, IT240, IT299 Credits: 3
For Undergraduate not Informatics students that includes the required 4 courses (12 credits), and the election of 2 courses (6 credits).
Requirements - 4 courses / 12 credits (24 ECTS)
Introduces programming using an object-oriented language. The course emphasizes problem solving and structured programming. Students completing the course should be able to setup and use a visual software development environment; analyze and explain the behavior of simple programs involving the fundamental programming constructs covered by this unit; and modify and expand short programs that use standard conditional and iterative control structures and functions. Students design, implement, test, and debug a program that uses each of the following fundamental programming constructs: basic computation, simple I/O, standard conditional and iterative structures, and the definition of functions and write simple applications. Prerequisite(s): None Credits: 3
Provides students with a good understanding of object-orientation programming and Java technologies. Equally important, students get hands-on experience in engineering programs in Java. They learn the basic language constructs as well as the most commonly used libraries, strings, and exceptions. Students work mostly in the computer laboratory using a popular programming environment. Prerequisite(s): IT150 Credits: 3
Deals with the fundamentals of organizing and manipulating data efficiently using clean conceptual models. Students study several important conceptual data types and algorithms, which they then implement in a specific programming language, even if the principles are more generally applicable to most modern programming languages. Prerequisite(s): IT150 Credits: 3
Information systems are viewed from the needs of management. Areas covered include organizational foundations of systems and their emerging strategic role; Introduction to real-world systems, with a focus on their relationship to organizations and management; Technical foundations of information systems; Data processing, collection, storage, updating, and retrieval. Redesigning organizations using information systems, including reengineering of critical business processes. Capturing and distributing organizational knowledge and enhancing management decision-making. Emphasis is placed on using information technology to redesign an organization's products, services, procedures, jobs and management structures. Prerequisite(s): IT150, IT200, IT260 Credits: 3
Electives - 2 courses / 6 credits (12 ECTS)
Introduces students to the organization and architecture of computer systems, digital logic, low level instructions execution and system design. In particular, by the end of the course the student should be able to understand digital logic, fundamental building blocks (logic gates, flip-flops, counters, registers, PLA) and logic expressions; explain how a computer fetches from memory and executes an instruction; explain the relationship between the representation of machine level operation at the binary level and their representation by a symbolic assembler; write small programs and fragments of assembly language code to demonstrate an understanding of machine level operations; and use computer simulation packages to investigate assembly language programming. Prerequisite(s): IT150 Credits: 3
Covers the systems development life cycle. The course examines the requirements and tools for collecting and structuring data, process modeling and data modeling, interface design and data management. Students acquire skills in using tools and techniques such as interviewing, producing use cases, prototyping and generating UML diagrams. The course provides hands-on experience in designing a system following the 3-tier architecture (presentation, middleware, data storage). Prerequisite(s): IT150, IT200 Credits: 3
Introduces students to the Project Management process and specific aspects of project-management methodologies such as PMI and Prince2. The course focuses on the field of software engineering as a way of enabling students to apply project management concepts to real life examples and experiences. The student will also receive hands-on knowledge of tools used to practice Project Management effectively. Prerequisite(s): GE105, GE106, GE115 Credits: 3
Effective software engineers need to understand the activities performed during each stage of the development cycle including analysis of requirements, design, implementation, testing, documentation and transition. Hands-on experience is gained throughout the duration of the course on selected aspects of the software engineering lifecycle. Lectures will take place mostly in a computer laboratory. Prerequisite(s): IT150, IT200, IT280 Credits: 3
Image: Visual representation of research activities in IT and Engineering