No 2, 2017 n $5 Cyber War Games Competition teaches students to thwart hack attacks n STARTUP SCHOOL n BASKETBALL BAND Contents | Issue 2, 2017 22 30 38 22 30 38 Domain Defenders Fortissimo Fan Fare Strong Start Online connectivity has a With spirit, stamina and Launching new companies downside: Hackers want to game-day traditions, the from the innovative research steal personal data and wreck basketball pep band keeps and entrepreneurial vision of important infrastructure. KU Allen Field House fans loud, KU faculty and students is job students called e Jayhackers proud and humming along. one for Startup School@KU. are learning to ght back. By Chris Lazzarino By Heather Biele By Steven Hill Cover illustration by Susan Younger and Valerie Spicher Established in 1902 as e Graduate Magazine Volume 115, No. 2, 2017 ISSUE 2, 2017 | 1 Lift the Chorus lor Gray-Little is leaving. She and I agree with your assess- Your has been a wonderful leader ment of her superb leadership opinion counts for the University. skills. My appreciation to Please email us a note Jerry W. Johnson, g’62 Heather Biele for craing this Topeka at [email protected] story for us alumni to appreci- to tell us what you think of ate Ms. Huma’s humanitarian your alumni magazine. T Your traits. cover and feature story in the Jim Bredfeldt, c’70, m’74 most recent alumni magazine Bellevue, Washington Gray-Little at the helm seems could not have been better. I to be an inspiration that has was most impressed with Ms. T for featuring been sadly forgotten. Huma, her background, her Shegua Huma on the cover. I My reading of Timothy’s views and her accomplish- don’t know her, and have been letter is that the school and ments, and I am absolutely away from Kansas for a long state are living through a Hooray for Huma delighted that she is getting the time, but I recognize that the period of great negative social attention and admiration she decision took courage at this and cultural change. In recent I to see the so deserves. She is a shining time in America. I felt inspired days, two Indian nationals bright young woman, Shegua example of the advantages the reading about her, and hope were shot in Olathe, and the Huma, gracing the cover of the U.S. enjoys by engaging and KU continues to support all its shooter’s only issue was that current Kansas Alumni encouraging brilliant students students with dignity and these men “should get out of [“Champion for Change,” issue like her. compassion. my country.” is occurrence is No. 1]. ank you for celebrat- I wish her the best in I also enjoyed the article on sad, very sad! is is not the ing her remarkable achieve- England. is is not the last we the Sacco & Vanzetti book country of diversity I came to ment as a Rhodes Scholar. e will hear about her! collector [“Radical Lit,” and that was so accepting to timing couldn’t have been Susan Fischer, d’69 Hilltopics]. Rare and foreign nationals. better to recognize the immea- Prairie Village intriguing. I hope we are able to open surable contribution that Jane Mack, l’77 our minds and hearts and learn immigrants make to this I (as I Saipan, Northern from and be more accepting of country. always do) the most recent Mariana Islands others. Aer all, the United Bravo KU! Kansas Alumni. It almost States was founded by foreign Steve Angell, c’71 always brings tears to my eyes nationals (immigrants). Glenview, Illinois when I read the excellent Jayhawk concern Romesh Daftary, g’70 articles and review alumni Providence, Rhode Island T for a wonderful happenings. I T R’ article about the “Champion I must say the article about letter in the latest Kansas for Change.” Ms. Huma makes our most recent Rhodes Alumni magazine [“Jayhawk me proud to say I am an Scholar was particularly Pride,” Li the Chorus, issue PUPPE STEVE alumnus of KU. inspiring. As was the article No. 1]. I must say that I was immediately following [“e I spent two years, 1968 to embarrassed to read that she Few, e Proud”] about the KU 1970, as a graduate foreign had to endure the outrage and winners of the Marine Corps’ student in the School of stupidity of a part of the KU Lewich Trophy! Talk about Business at KU. ese years population that threatened or overachievers! were some of the most harassed her and other Steve Dillman, c’81 fullling and enjoyable of my minorities in the University Kansas City, Missouri 40-plus years in the United community. I guess there are States. racists everywhere, but I have I Unfortunately, substantial always wanted to believe that the lovely article about changes have occurred at KU KU students were more Shegua Huma, KU’s recent and in Kansas, and I regret that enlightened. Rhodes Scholar. Her story is so they have not been for the Chancellor Gray-Little I am sad to see that Chancel- remarkable and inspirational, better. Having Bernadette 2 | KANSAS ALUMNI March 2017 20 Publisher Heath Peterson, d’04, g’09 2 Lift the Chorus Editor Jennifer Jackson Sanner, j’81 Letters from our readers Creative Director Susan Younger, f’91 Associate Editors Chris Lazzarino, j’86 5 First Word Steven Hill e editor’s turn Photographers Steve Puppe, j’98 Dan Storey 6 On the Boulevard Graphic Designer Valerie Spicher, j’94 KU & Alumni Association events Sta Writer Heather Biele 8 Jayhawk Walk Advertising Sales Representative Football foolery, our not-so-nutty neighbors, Teri Harris a rodeo writer and more Editorial and Advertising Oce KU Alumni Association 1266 Oread Avenue 10 Hilltopics Lawrence, KS 66045-3169 News and notes: Union redo awaits student vote; 785-864-4760 researcher says we really don’t know clouds at all. 800-584-2957 www.kualumni.org [email protected] 16 Sports Player-of-the-year candidate Mason leads basket- KANSAS ALUMNI MAGAZINE (ISSN 0745-3345) is published by the ball into March; vault champ gets back on track. KU Alumni Association six times a year in January, March, May, July, September and November. $55 annual subscription includes member- ship in the Alumni Association. O¡ce of Publication: 1266 Oread Avenue, Lawrence, KS 66045-3169. Periodicals postage paid at 44 Association News Lawrence, KS. Network reboot encourages alumni participation; student alumni engage. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Kansas Alumni Magazine, 1266 Oread Avenue, Lawrence, KS 66045-3169 © 2017 by Kansas Alumni Magazine. Non-member issue price: $7 48 Class Notes Proles of a tiny-home enthusiast, a White House insider, an Elkhart theatre owner and more 68 In Memory Letters to the Editor: Deaths in the KU family Kansas Alumni welcomes letters to the editor. Our 72 Rock Chalk Review address is Kansas Alumni magazine, 1266 Oread Avenue, Professor takes constructive approach to habitat Lawrence, KS 66045-3169. Email responses may be sent to rehab; student design wins aeronautical prize. the Alumni Association, [email protected]. Letters appearing in the magazine may be edited for space and clarity. For letters published, we’ll send a free gift of KU 76 Glorious to View Campus Playing Cards, a $5 value. Scene on campus ISSUE 2, 2017 | 3 by Jennifer Jackson Sanner First Word that prospects for new busi- nesses will follow suit. STEVE PUPPE STEVE e Startup School and Information Security Club are only two of countless KU opportunities for “experiential learning,” higher education’s owery rendition of Nike’s no-nonsense credo. We all learn at a young age that every endeavor demands practice. As computer coder ompson says, “We can talk about it all day long but ... until you sit down and do it, and do it over and over again. ...” e maxim certainly holds true for KU’s basketball band musicians, whose precision and panache add immeasurably to the incomparable home court advantage of Allen Field House. Conductor (and band alumna) Sharon Ramsey dam ompson craves screen time, but not for checking Members of the KU Toulouse, f’97, g’05, leads the ATwitter or Snapchat. He hones his cra. As a computer Information Security Club band through performances science major, the Topeka senior ne-tunes and nesses intricate (aka Jayhackers) are that combine spine-tingling code to prepare for cutthroat cyber warfare competitions. omp- tradition with new twists every son and his fellow members of the KU Information Security Club learning to safeguard season. In our third feature (aka Jayhackers) are learning to safeguard computer networks computer networks story, Associate Editor Chris against the insidious intrusions of the true hackers, those who against the insidious Lazzarino, j’86, oers the seek to steal the secrets, solvency or safety of individuals, corpora- musical play-by-play of game tions and governments. As he compares his classes and weekend intrusions of the true night. Each high-stakes competitions, ompson borrows an analogy from one of his hackers, those who seek performance results not only teachers: “You can listen for years to someone talking about how to steal the secrets, from the students’ KU classes to play an instrument, but you’re never going to learn how until and rehearsals but also from all you pick it up yourself,” he says. solvency or safety of the years of lessons and In our cover story, Associate Editor Steven Hill describes how individuals, corporations practice that have gone before. these brilliant computer science and electrical engineering and governments. Even if we can’t play a note students gain valuable experience—and prospects for scholarships or make our computers behave, and careers—by braving high-stress contests.