Alec Rothenberg
SUCCESS STORIES > HACKING FOR DEFENSE
Alec Rothenberg
University of Florida, H4D Fall 2022
Team Bird’s Eye Security, Improving threat assessment capabilities for rapid response
About Alec
Alec is currently a junior at the University of Florida pursuing a degree in Computer Science. As part of the Fall 2022 Hacking for Defense cohort, Alec’s team was given this initial problem statement: “Security forces personnel need an integrated holistic feed from security technology to improve threat assessment and more rapidly respond to threats.”
His team, “Bird’s Eye Security,” came up with a solution consisting of a Graphical User Interface on the front-end and a Structured Query Language (SQL) database on the back-end with the ability to generate a Nuisance and False Alarm Report (NAR-FAR) automatically. The Space Force expressed interest in implementing Team Bird’s Eye Security’s solution.
Alec is an Engineering Ambassador at the University of Florida and recently accepted an offer to join Lutron Electronics as a Software Engineering Intern for Summer 2023. He has a passion for Artificial Intelligence and hopes to pursue an engineering career in this growing field.
Interview
Q: What value do you feel you got from taking this course?
A: "I got a lot of value from the course, especially in terms of the unique team-environment it created. The H4D program fostered a high-pressure team environment where we had to deliver our ideas and products to actual sponsors instead of hypotheticals in a classroom setting. This led to me developing the necessary skills to communicate not just with other students, but people and professionals waiting on deliverables. Being able to work in a multidisciplinary team was also a valuable experience, as the H4D course brings students from different academic backgrounds together. Being exposed to the entrepreneurial side of national security was also very valuable.”
Q: How did the H4D program impact your thoughts about working in government?
A: "At the University of Florida, a large number of engineering students enter careers in private defense contracting. The beneficiary interviews we conducted during the H4D course exposed me to the public sector and it was really interesting to see how each field differs. The field I want to progress into is Artificial Intelligence (AI), and our government sponsors mentioned trying to obtain AI to model decisions to help them operate on base."