University of Kentucky Information Technology Services announces UK_CYBERCON 2024 invites UK community, public to free event
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: September 11, 2024
Corinne Boyer
UK Information Technology Services
Communications Officer
University of Kentucky Information Technology Services Announces UK_CYBERCON 2024 invites UK community, public to free event
Lexington, Kentucky – October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month. To encourage everyone to take charge of their digital footprint, University of Kentucky Information Technology Services (UK ITS) will host its third annual UK_CYBERCON on Wednesday, October 9, 2024. The one-day event provides opportunities for the UK community and the public to learn about the importance of cybersecurity. The first 200 attendees will receive a free 1Password family password management account for one year. Anyone is welcome to attend this free event — regardless of cybersecurity knowledge, major or profession. Attendees can RSVP via the UK_CYBERCON website at its.uky.edu/UKCYBERCON.
CYBERCON will bring together community members and UK students, faculty and staff to participate in presentations, gaming, and conversations with cybersecurity companies, government agencies to explore the latest trends, challenges and careers within cybersecurity.
“CYBERCON is designed for everyone. So, folks can participate in whichever sessions they’d like – come for 15 minutes, an hour or stay for the entire day,” said UK’s Director of Cybersecurity Awareness and Training, Jennifer Edwards. “We welcome anyone — whether attendees are interested in basic cybersecurity awareness — or are career professionals interested in networking sessions. It’s an opportunity to have one-on-one discussions with speakers, agencies or vendors featured throughout the day, and at 4:00 PM, we’ll be giving away prizes.”
Thanks to UK_CYBERCON sponsors, participants will enjoy breakfast from Chick-fil-a, lunch from Pasta Garage, a networking reception and giveaways that include t-shirts, bags and hats. The event will also include prizes such as Stanley cups, gift cards and UK gear. This year the event is sponsored by 1Password, Cisco, Trace3, Converge, Blackwood, paloalto, Arista, Splunk and University of Kentucky Federal Credit Union.
Event Highlights
- Welcome & About CyberCon: Stephen Burr, UK ITS & UK HealthCare Enterprise CISO, will kick off the event with an introduction to CyberCon and its mission.
- State of Cybersecurity: Insights from Palo Alto’s Unit 42 on the current landscape of cybersecurity.
- Federal Agency Briefing: Featuring Jared Wells, Supervisory Special Agent, FBI Cyber Squad and Colin Glover, Cybersecurity Coordinator, Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency.
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“Deep Fake in the Age of Generative AI” by Mark Liu, Ph.D., Director of MS Finance Program, UK Gatton College of Business & Economics.
- “Robocalls & Mobile Tracking in 5G/Next-G” by Yang Xiao, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, University of Kentucky College of Engineering.
- Student Experiences: Jacob Alteri & Ayah Abdeldayem, UK College of Engineering.
Networking Opportunities
- Luncheon with Networking Tables: Attendees can join various themed tables to discuss topics such as cybersecurity sales, women in cybersecurity, cyberops jobs, security in healthcare, protecting your family, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity marketing, training and awareness and more.
- Cybersecurity Career Panel: Facilitated by UK ITS Technical Project Specialist Paul London, featuring experts like Jason Wheat (UK Staff), Kristi Corum (UK Staff), Nicki Wilkins (Blackwood), Jared Wells (FBI), Colin Glover (CISA), James Wong (UK Student) and Chris Vazquez (Splunk).
- Cybersecurity Career Exploration & Networking: An opportunity to meet with speakers and explore career paths in cybersecurity.
Join us at UK_CYBERCON 2024 for an enriching learning experience that bridges the gap between cybersecurity and the community, fostering collaboration and innovation at UK and beyond.
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