Elton S. Carter Award for Excellence in a Master's Thesis
- published: 2024/12/13
- contact: College of Information Science & Technology
The University of Nebraska at Omaha's Office of Graduate Studies is pleased to announce that Scott Reiling, a master's student in cybersecurity, has been selected as the recipient of the Elton S. Carter Award for Excellence in a master's thesis. Established by the School of Communication in honor of Dr. Elton S. Carter—who served as Graduate Dean at UNO from 1966 to 1975—this award recognizes graduate students whose research and presentation demonstrate exceptional quality and significance.
Scott's thesis work was conducted under the mentorship of Dr. Bill Mahoney, the Charles W. and Margre H. Durham Distinguished Professor of Cybersecurity in the School of Interdisciplinary Informatics (Si2) at the College of Information Science & Technology. Dr. Mahoney's research focuses on areas such as intermediate representation vulnerability analysis, software fingerprinting and obfuscation, as well as industrial control system security. When asked about Scott, Dr. Mahoney said, "Scott’s thesis deals with browser fingerprinting, a method websites frequently use to track users who may not be aware of methods other than ‘cookies’ to identify site users. It is a great study and Scott’s award is well deserved."
Scott, who received a commemorative plaque earlier this year, will also be awarded a one-time payment of $800 at the end of December. The School of Interdisciplinary Informatics, the NebraskaCYBER center, and the faculty in Cybersecurity join the Graduate Studies office to congratulate Scott on this outstanding achievement. We extend our best wishes for continued success in his academic and professional endeavors.