The 2026 Phishing Award Trophy was presented to University Police Communications Dispatcher II Jennie House in the President’s Conference Room recently during October CyberSecurity Awareness Month. 

“We send out roughly 1,000 emails per month for everyone on campus,” said Director-Chief Information Security Officer Eric Boughton of the Technology Department. “Every month we do one and (House) reported 11 out of the 12 months.”

House admitted she was surprised and also thrilled to win the trophy. "I do try to help my team,” said House. “I’m honestly humbled. Teamwork makes the dream work. It’s not one of us, it’s all of us.”

Additional notes. This past year, the university had ~1,000 malicious emails reported to the technology team and removed from inboxes. Overall in the past fiscal year, the university has received 26 million messages; 535k messages were rejected before getting into inboxes and 1.5 million messages were sent to spam.

This afternoon, the Fitchburg State University Career Services and Advising Center sponsored a Major and Minor Discovery Fair in the The Amelia V. Gallucci-Cirio Library. This gave students an opportunity to explore a diverse range of majors and minors for every interest. Students were able to engage with faculty members and current students who shared their experiences and insights, offering a deeper understanding of each program's unique offerings, career prospects, and real-world applications.

Double-alumnus Jason Polonsky ’02, ’04 returned to campus yesterday to share his role in the fascinating story behind Fitchburg State's beloved mascot. Driven to boost campus pride, Polonsky turned his master’s thesis into reality by pitching, funding, and designing the university's original mascot costume, debuting "Falcor the Falcon" in 2004 before its evolution into today's “Freddy”. That graduate project launched a remarkable professional career, leading Polonsky to entertain millions as Wally the Green Monster for the Boston Red Sox for eight years and as Blaze for the WNBA's Connecticut Sun for 11 years.

Communications Media Professors Rachelle A. Dermer (Writing the Series) and Charles Roberts (Introduction to Video Editing) are utilizing the newly renovated Film & Video teaching wing in the Conlon Building. You can visit us this fall for a Communications Media Department tour of the new spaces this Wednesday, Oct. 14 at 3:30 p.m. or Oct. 26 and Nov. 30 at 1 p.m. 

Engineering Technology Professor Ana Mesquita-Emlinger worked with students in her Engineering Graphics course to the quad for observational hand-drawing focused on the buildings and landscape. In this course, Students are introduced to traditional and modern methods in engineering and technology graphic visualization, drawing, drafting, CAD software, and 3D modeling. Emphasis is placed on how visualization is used in both design and production.

Students in Biology and Chemistry Professor Robert Pijewski's Human Anatomy & Physiology I Lab are learning about the skeletal system - more specifically, the skull -  in the Antonucci Science Complex. The course explores the structure and function of the human organism on the cellular, tissue, organ, and system levels. Cellular metabolism, histology, and the following systems: skeletal, muscular, and nervous (including the special senses) are examined. The laboratory emphasizes both physiology and the dissection of preserved mammalian specimens.  

Students in Communications Media Professor Kevin McCarthy's Multi-Camera Television Production course were at Fitchburg Access Television (FATV) to learn all the intricacies and roles involved in a  multi-camera production. FATV. Executive Director of FATV, Nathan Glenny assisted students with equipment, their role in the production and more.

This morning, on this National Coffee with a Cop Day, the Fitchburg State University community had the chance to meet with Chief Michael Cloutier and members  of the Fitchburg State University Police as they hosted Coffee with a Cop in the Falcon Hub. Fitchburg State University Police therapy dog Officer Zara was there as well. The mission of Coffee with a Cop is to break down the barriers between police officers and the citizens they serve.

Yesterday afternoon, The Center for Faculty Scholarship held a Faculty Book Launch in the The Amelia V. Gallucci-Cirio Library Archives. English Studies Professor  Kisha Tracy  discussed her newest book, Medieval Disability Heritage: The Museum Exhibition Reimagined. 
 

Engineering Technology Professor Nirajan Mani  brought students in his surveying course out to Mara Village. This course introduces the principles and practice of surveying. Surveying and use and care of surveying instruments, such as measuring tape, engineer’s level, theodolite, and total station. It includes horizontal and vertical measurements, layout, traverse, area computations, analysis, and adjustments of systematic and random errors, stadia surveying, and mapping.