Hi I'm Alex Gartner. I enjoy working with computers, specifically in the areas of programming, networking, and security. I specialize in solving complex problems with out of the box solutions.
Fall 2017 - Present
Senior Software Systems Engineer
Summer 2016
Intern
2015 - 2016 School Year
Adjunct CS Instructor
Summer 2015
iSAFE (Interns for Security, Arms Control, and Force Protection Engineering)
2014 - 2015 School Year
Campus Tour Guide
Summer 2014
Application Development Intern
2013-2014 School Year
Office Assistant
Summers 2012 & 2013
Engineering Technician
Fall 2015 - Spring 2017
After graduating with my Bachelors degree, I decided that I should continue on to a masters degree. I'm very interested in learning about the fundamentals of computer science that I may have glossed over in my undergraduate work. I'm also excited for the opportunity to research interesting things and work more autonomously.
Fall 2013 - Spring 2015
I chose this program because it combined two of my favorite things: networking and programming. These skills are fundamental to understanding computer security. I couldn't find any other degrees that offered the broad spectrum of classes this one. I graduated the spring of 2015. I gradated very quickly because I completed the general education requirements in high school. During my enrollment in this degree, I've had the opportunity to establish a very strong technical skill base via acedemics and extracurriculars.
Fall 2012 - Spring 2013
During the last two years of high school, I took classes directly through Ridgewater Community College. During my junior year, I took classes part time, while I still took the majority of my classes at my high school. During my senior year, I only took classes at Ridgewater. The classes I took satisfied my general education requirements such as composition, speech, physics, and sociology.
CCDC is a defensive security competition comprised of teams from various colleges. Teams are given identical networks and tasked with their defense. The intent of these networks is to simulate a real business network. As you attempt to secure your network, a group of security professionals actively attempts to breach your network. There are two phases of the competition, regionals and nationals. If your team wins regionals, they also win an all expenses paid trip to nationals.
I was a member of the 2014 DSU CCDC team. We won the North Central Regional and were given the opportunity to go to nationals. While we didn't place at nationals, we came in 2nd place in a secondary offensive security contest. I indent to compete again in 2015.
NCL is a offensive security competition aimed towards college students. In this competition, participants are tasked with penetrating a set of vulnerable computers. This competition consisted of three parts: a pre-season, regular season, and post-season. During the pre-season, participants are provided a set of training courses to familiarize themselves with how systems can be penetrated. During the regular seasons, individuals compete to see who can penetrate the most systems. During the post-season, individuals form teams and compete against other teams.
I participated in all three portions of NCL in 2013 and 2014. Throughout the entire competition, I learned a great deal about information security, and the vulnerabilities that can be used to exploit systems. During the regular season of 2013, I was ranked in the top third. In 2014, I was ranked second. In the post-season, DSU's team was ranked first in the nation in both 2013 and 2014.
FRC is a high school competition where teams build robots to play a game. This game changes every year, and requires participants complete the entire robot in six weeks. While core components are provided to every team, a great deal of ingenuity is required to create a competitive robot.
I participated in FRC in 2012 and 2013 as a participant, and 2014 as a mentor. I was the captain of the team and control-systems lead during my time as a participant. Our team scored 2nd at the Milwaukee Regional in 2012.
4-H is a youth development and citizenry organization. Members learn communication, leadership, and learning skills throughout their experience. They also work to better their community through volunteer service.
During my time in 4-H, I held the positions of Treasurer, Vice President, and President. I also had many opportunities to serve my community by planting flowers, mowing lawns, and vising the local nursing home. Some notable awards include Grand Champion Market Goose Pen at the 2010 Minnesota State Fair and 2nd place team at the 2010 National 4-H Poultry Bowl.