RSA Conference 2017 debuts education program
RSA Conference announced the debut of RSAC AdvancedU – a new series of programs to educate and encourage more people to pursue a career in cybersecurity and also invigorate veterans with decades of experience – at RSA Conference 2017, February 13-17, in San Francisco.
“This is such a pivotal time in the industry in which we are in need of cybersecurity professionals to come in with new and fresh ideas to address the changing threat landscape,” says Sandra Toms, vice president and curator for RSA Conference. “Through RSAC AdvancedU, we bring together rising talent with some of the brightest industry minds. By expanding our educational scope to offer students more real-world insight, we hope to encourage young people to pursue a career in cybersecurity.”
RSAC CyberSafety Initiative
The RSAC CyberSafety Program at RSA Conference 2017 will include three components:
RSAC CyberSafety Village exhibit – The RSAC CyberSafety Village (CSV) showcases services agencies and non-profit organizations that provide education and guidance to parents seeking to learn how to teach their children to be safe and responsible online. Some of these partnering organizations provide connections and opportunities for InfoSec professionals who would like to volunteer in their own local communities to spread education about cybersafety for kids.
CyberSmart: Parents Education – This seminar provides an overview to parents and caregivers on how to best support and secure their child’s online activities. This year’s session “The Always-On Generation and the Evolving Digital Landscape” will provide an overview of how to support and secure a child’s online activities. Attendees will hear about the latest brain research on sleep and addiction, learn how to recognize and address cyberbullying, and find out what youth and teens are saying about the rewards and challenges they experience in a networked world.
CyberSafety Presentation Stage – Located within the CyberSafety Village, the Presentation Stage will host the Workshop as well as a daily schedule of industry influencers with expertise in the specifics of cybersecurity and parent education.
RSAC Security Scholar
In its second year, RSAC Security Scholar has grown to 60 students from more than twenty leading universities. Participating scholars engage and discuss with industry luminaries to share knowledge, gain experience and forge connections. The RSA Conference community can meet the selected scholars at Wednesday’s Open Poster session. To take full advantage of the RSA Conference experience, students are also given access to the 400+ sessions and expo halls.
New universities participating in 2017 include:
- Columbia University, Center for Cybersecurity
- George Mason University
- Georgia Tech
- Michigan State University
- North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University
- Northeastern University
- Rice University
- United States Military Academy West Point
- University of Maryland
- University of Massachusetts Amherst
- University of North Carolina at Charlotte
- University of Southern California, Viterbi School of Engineering
RSAC College Day
All current university students are invited to attend RSA Conference for free on RSAC College Day, Thursday, February 16. Opening with a continental breakfast, students will hear from industry experts discussing the career paths in different information security sectors.
Attending students will then have access to more than 500 exhibitors and startups, as well as 50+ sessions featuring experts in legal, technical advancement, policy, hackers and threat research. The day completes with RSAC College Day Open House, a reception for students to meet with 10 companies to find out more about those organizations including job openings, culture and more.
