A large group of Middlebury Institute students went to the RSA Cybersecurity Conference in San Francisco on February 27th, where they networked with professionals from the private sector, as well as government agencies like the FBI, the NSA, and Department of Homeland Security.
The RSA Conference has been a driving force behind the world’s cybersecurity agenda for over 30 years. Institute students, mostly but not exclusively from the Nonproliferation and Terrorism Studies degree program attended the conference with complimentary student passes.
“RSA Conference has been both a learning and enriching experience,” shares Ana-Maria Musteata MANPTS ‘20. “The most valuable takeaway was learning first hand what are the necessary skills for a future career with companies such as Lockheed Martin, Microsoft, Dell Technologies, NBCUniversal, and Intuit. The panel featuring these companies agreed unanimously that the best hires were the ones with the most unusual trajectories, as well as the candidates with varied expertise across multiple domains that are trained to see patterns, gauge risks, and understand the bigger picture. I am confident the current MIIS academic trajectory will help me hone those skills and set me up for success.”
First year student Jasmine Sturdifen MANPTS ‘21 says that attending the conference was a great opportunity to engage with vendors on their emerging technologies in the field of cybersecurity. Sturdifen is pursuing the Financial Crime Management specialization. “Along with exploring with the expo floor, I found my schedule packed with fascinating keynote speakers and workshops. If you are interested in cybersecurity and have the opportunity to attend RSAC in the future, I recommend checking it out!”
Eva Gudbergsdottir
eva@middlebury.edu
831.647.6606
UPDATE: The second annual Monterey Threat Financing Forum focusing on Cyber-Enabled Financial Crime has been postponed from March 16-18, 2020 to September 16-18, 2020 due to concerns related to the spread of Covid-19.
| by Eva Gudbergsdottir
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