News

Graduate students gathered recently for the 2024 GEECS x WiCyS Academic Development Workshop, an event offering insights into excelling in graduate programs and exploring academic careers. The workshop featured a panel discussion with Professors Athina Markopoulou, Zhou Li, and Hyoukjun Kwon, alongside senior Ph.D. students Robert Marosi and Joann Chen. They shared insights on navigating grad school expectations, essential skills, and the academic job search process. The workshop provided valuable guidance for graduate students, equipping them with knowledge to thrive in their academic journeys and beyond.

Special thanks to the Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Department, Stacey Nicholas Office of Outreach, Access & Inclusion in the UCI Samueli School of Engineering, and the UCI ProperData Center (https://properdata.eng.uci.edu/) for supporting this event!

The WiCyS community gathered for a delightful afternoon in Aldrich Park for the WiCyS Spring Social. The event was filled with laughter, games, and food, and attendees had the opportunity to socialize with fellow WiCyS members. Participants enjoyed a potluck-style picnic, bringing an assortment of snacks and beverages to share, which added a personal touch to the event. The WiCyS Spring Social also served as an opportunity for members to learn more about the community and its upcoming initiatives and events.

Special thanks to the Stacey Nicholas Office of Outreach, Access & Inclusion in the UCI Samueli School of Engineering for helping us to host this event.

Olivia Figueira, President of the WiCyS student chapter at UCI, was invited to speak on a panel at the National Center for Women in Information Technology (NCWIT) Aspirations in Computing (AiC) Awards Ceremony on April 20, 2024, hosted by the UC Irvine ICS Office of Outreach, Access and Inclusion (OAI). This event celebrated over 100 Orange County high school students who have been awarded Aspirations in Computing awards for their achievements and aspirations in computing. The goal of the NCWIT AiC program is to connect 9th-12th grade students, who identify as a woman, non-binary, or gender-queer, with the resources, community, encouragement, and guidance to pursue computing academically and professionally. Olivia spoke on a panel to share her story, highlight her research, share challenges she has faced and overcame in computer science, and to offer these students guidance and encouragement. She also participated in the event’s networking session where she met with awardees interested in cybersecurity and the WiCyS organization. Thank you to NCWIT AiC and ICS OAI for inviting us to participate in this event!

Check out the article from UCI ICS about the event and the panelists here!

Ismat Jarin, Secretary of the WiCyS student chapter at UCI, was invited to attend the CRA-WP 2024 Grad Cohort for Women in Minnesota. Ismat’s journey at the conference was not only an honor but also a testament to the strides being made in fostering diversity and inclusion in the field of computing.

Representing both herself and her affiliations with the WiCyS student chapter at UCI and ProperData center, Ismat seized the opportunity to showcase her research and graduate school experiences. Her active participation in workshops tailored for graduate students revealed various research paths within computer science.

One of the highlights of Ismat’s experience was the opportunity to network with leading women from academia and industry. Through mentorship and meaningful conversations, Ismat gained valuable insights that will undoubtedly shape her academic and professional journey. Furthermore, Ismat found immense value in connecting with peers in computing, including PhD and Masters students across the country. Engaging in discussions about research, leadership, and the role of women in the field served as a source of inspiration and empowerment.

As Ismat continues her journey in computing, her experience at Grad Cohort serves as a reminder of the importance of supporting and uplifting women in the field. Through initiatives like Grad Cohort and organizations like WiCyS, the future of computing is undoubtedly brighter and more inclusive.

The Women in Cybersecurity (WiCyS) 2024 Conference (https://www.wicys.org/events/wicys-2024/) was held in Nashville, Tennessee this past April, coinciding with the organization’s 10th anniversary! The conference brought together a multitude of voices and experiences within the cybersecurity community, showcasing the diversity and richness of the WiCyS community. Several of our WiCyS at UCI student chapter officers and student members had the opportunity to attend through student scholarships, and we share their insights and reflection from the conference below. 

Olivia Figueira (President) expressed gratitude for the opportunity to attend the conference, highlighting the invaluable experience of hearing from WiCyS founder Dr. Ambareen Siraj and her journey through academia and creating the WiCyS organization, as well as engaging with peers, academia members, and industry partners in the cybersecurity community.

Renascence Tarafder Prapty (Vice President), worked to maximize her conference engagement. From presenting a research poster to arranging meetups and navigating the career fair, Prapty proactively engaged in networking and conference opportunities for personal and professional growth.

Yu Duan (Program Coordinator) was deeply inspired by the conference’s keynote speakers and the insights they shared. Reflecting on themes of transparency, accountability, and resilience, the keynotes underscored the importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in fostering a thriving community in cybersecurity and personal career development.

Zhuoyi Yang (student chapter member) was a first-time attendee, and she had an exhilarating experience at the conference. From volunteering at the career fair to participating in unexpected activities like a tractor hacking competition, Zhuoyi appreciated the chance to connect with peers, engage with recruiters, and contribute to qualitative research on women in cybersecurity.

Across these diverse perspectives, a common thread emerged: the WiCyS 2024 Conference served as a platform for celebrating community, fostering collaboration, and empowering women in cybersecurity. As attendees look forward to future conferences, they carry with them the insights, connections, and inspiration gained from this transformative event.

Whether it was through academic presentations, career development opportunities, or simply connecting with like-minded individuals, the WiCyS 2024 Conference had a lasting impact on all who attended, reinforcing the importance of diversity, inclusivity, and collective action in advancing the field of cybersecurity. The WiCyS at UCI student chapter expresses gratitude to WiCyS for providing them with such a valuable opportunity.

WiCyS at UCI is thrilled to recap the highlights of our recent Research Seminar featuring Joann Chen, a PhD candidate in the EECS Department at UCI. Joann’s presentation, serving as a practice run for her forthcoming job talks, delved into the theory and application of differential privacy. She explored cutting-edge technologies in this domain, including privacy-enhancing techniques and their implications in machine learning. Attendees had the invaluable opportunity to witness firsthand the academic job market process and offer feedback to Joann. We extend our gratitude to Joann for her engaging presentation and to all who attended!

Stay tuned for more exciting events from WiCyS at UCI!

WiCyS at UCI is excited to share key moments from our recent Research Seminar featuring Habiba Farrukh, Assistant Professor in Computer Science. Her presentation delved into pioneering technologies for analyzing security and privacy threats on emerging computing platforms, leveraging multimodal sensing, computer vision, and machine learning. Additionally, she provided insights into enhancing the security of modern mobile and IoT devices while safeguarding users’ privacy. We extend our appreciation to the speaker and everyone who participated!

Stay tuned for more exciting events and join our emailing list to receive event announcements (click on “Join” above and fill out the email list sign-up form).

WiCyS at UCI is thrilled to present the highlights of our recent Security & Privacy Research Mixer. This gathering featured enlightening talks by graduate student researchers who specialize in cybersecurity and privacy research. Following these thought-provoking research talks, we facilitated a networking social, bringing together undergraduate students, graduate students, and researchers across research labs at UCI to share about their research projects and interests related to security and privacy. We extend our gratitude to the speakers as well as everyone who joined us!

Stay tuned for more exciting events and join our emailing list to receive event announcements (click on “Join” above and fill out the email list sign-up form).

We are thrilled to recap our first event of the academic year: last week, WiCyS at UCI held our Welcome to WiCyS Social! It was a fantastic opportunity for students to come together, connect with the vibrant WiCyS community, and familiarize themselves with our chapter. We also had a plethora of goodies and snacks for attendees to enjoy! Thank you to everyone who attended, and we look forward to seeing you at our next event!

Last week, we co-hosted the GEECS X WiCyS Academic Development Workshop. Thank you to all our panelists, presenters, and attendees! We had a wonderful time learning from the faculty and graduate student panelists in this event about how to be a successful graduate student in various phases of our graduate school journeys. Stay tuned for future events!

Thank you to everyone who came! It was great to chat with you all!

Thank you all for coming, and thank you to Professor Al Faruque for the fantastic talk!

SWE (Society of Women Engineers) at UCI hosted a Research Mixer recently, and a few of our WiCyS officers attended to talk about our research, our research labs, and undergraduate research opportunities in our labs. Thanks for having us, SWE!

Thanks everyone for coming to the WIL x WiCyS Alumni Mixer–we had such lively discussions! The panelists discussed many topics, including their journeys in undergraduate and graduate school, advice for internship and job searches, and how their experience has been since leaving UCI.

June 20 – July 1, 2022

WiCyS officers participated in the second Privacy and IoT Research Exploration Workshop hosted by ProperData in 2022. Thanks for having us!

Program Website: https://properdata.eng.uci.edu/events/privacyiot-workshop-2/

WiCyS officers tabled at the VenusHacks hackathon, and we met so many hackathon participants interested in cybersecurity and privacy. Thanks for having us, VenusHacks!

March 17-19, 2022

Rozhin Yasaei attended the WiCyS annual conference in Cleveland, Ohio. Read about the conference and her experience here: https://engineering.uci.edu/news/2022/5/eecs-grad-student-works-promote-gender-inclusivity-cybersecurity

Important Update: All WiCyS@UCI events have been POSTPONED until further notice due to efforts to minimize the spread of COVID-19.

We are excited to announce our CTF competition on April 4th 2020 co-hosted with Cyber@UCI. The top 3 teams will be awarded with prizes! Please check our CTF 2020 page for more details.

Thank you to all who attended our first event! We hosted a kick-off event on Nov 6, 2019, where members could meet each other and learn about WiCyS at UCI.