2016 Scholarship for Women Studying Information Security Winners Announced

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SWSIS LogoOriginally posted in a press release.

Hewlett Packard Enterprise Continues Dedication to Diversity in IT Security Education

HPE, Applied Computer Security Associates and CRA-W Award Third Annual Recipients of Scholarship for Women Studying Information Security

Hewlett Packard Enterprise (NYSE: HPE), in collaboration with Applied Computer Security Associates (ACSA) and the Computing Research Association’s Committee on the Status of Women in Computing Research (CRA-W), today announced 16 new recipients and 8 continuing recipients of the 2016 Scholarship for Women Studying Information Security (SWSIS).

Now in its third year of funding by HPE, the scholarship program has supported 46 collegiate women working to join the growing security industry, which is faced with a significant talent gap. In fact, the lack of access to skilled security resources was the number one concern of Security Operations Center leaders interviewed in a 2016 report from HPE.1 This ongoing scholarship reinforces the company’s dedication to addressing that challenge by supporting talented women interested in building a career in IT security through academic funding and hands-on internship opportunities.

“In today’s digital economy, organizations must invest in the expert resources needed to protect their most critical assets and stay ahead of increasingly sophisticated cybercriminals,” said Sue Barsamian (@suebarsamian), senior vice president and general manager, HPE Security Products, Hewlett Packard Enterprise. “The women receiving this year’s SWSIS scholarships represent the future leaders of our industry and our commitment to proactively foster diversity, passion, and expertise to succeed against adversaries.”

While the volume and cost of enterprise security breaches rise2, security and business leaders struggle to fill positions that allow them to better defend and protect their organizations.3HPE is committed to doing its part to address these industry-wide challenges by providing resources in support of both education and training initiatives. To simultaneously ensure diversity, as women only represent ten percent of the information security workforce,4 HPE committed a $250,000 four-year grant to the SWSIS scholarship program, initiated in 2014.

In 2016, HPE, ACSA and CRA-W are funding 24 scholarships for undergraduates and masters’ degree candidates from colleges and universities across the United States including:

  • California Polytechnic State University – San Luis Obispo
  • California State University, Northridge
  • Carnegie Mellon University
  • Cornell University
  • Dakota State University
  • DePaul University
  • Eastern Michigan University
  • Embry Riddle Aeronautical University
  • Ferris State University
  • George Mason University
  • Indiana University at Bloomington
  • Marshall University
  • Pennsylvania State University
  • State University of New York at Albany
  • University of Colorado at Boulder
  • University of Maryland Baltimore County
  • University of Maryland University College
  • University of North Texas
  • University of Northwestern
  • University of South Florida
  • Wilmington University
  • Youngstown State University

“CRA-W is proud to be part of the SWSIS scholarship program,” said Rebecca Wright, professor at Rutgers University (@RutgersU) and co-director of the ACSA/CRA-W SWSIS scholarship program. “SWSIS has the potential to make a positive impact both on these students’ lives and on the information security workforce.”

“There weren’t many computer classes offered when I was in high school, and I really didn’t know much about cybersecurity until I entered undergrad,” said Kaitlyn Kelly, rising senior at SUNY Albany (@ualbany) and one of this year’s SWSIS scholars. “Now more than ever, it’s so important to raise awareness about opportunities in the security field, and to show women that it’s something they can be a part of. I look forward to continuing down this path, and hope to participate in more initiatives like the SWSIS program that are actively encouraging women to pursue cybersecurity as a career.”

SWSIS scholarship details
The SWSIS program was founded by ACSA, a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the understanding, theory and practice of cybersecurity. The SWSIS scholarship program is a joint effort between HPE, ACSA and CRA-W.

For more information on the program please visit the SWSIS website.

1 “State of Security Operations Report 2016,” HPE Security Intelligence and Operations Consulting (SIOC), January 2016.
2 “2015 Cost of Cyber Crime Study: United States,” Ponemon Institute (@PonemonPrivacy), October 2015.
http://www8.hp.com/us/en/software-solutions/ponemon-cyber-security-report/
3 “Analytics and Intelligence Survey 2015,” SANS Institute, November 2015.https://www.sans.org/reading-room/whitepapers/analyst/2015-analytics-intelligence-survey-36432
4 “(ISC)2 Global Information Security Workforce Study,” (ISC)2, April 2015.https://www.isc2cares.org/IndustryResearch/GISWS/

2016 Scholarship for Women Studying Information Security Winners Announced