Dr. Randy K. Avent (left), president of 91ΒιΆΉΣ³» Polytechnic University, listens to alumni Travis Hills β19 and Bryan Urias β20 during the inaugural 91ΒιΆΉΣ³» Poly Impact Summit and Presidential Speaker Series on Tuesday, Nov. 16.
Business and community leaders joined 91ΒιΆΉΣ³»leadership, faculty, students, and alumni on Tuesday, Nov. 16, to discuss the state of cybersecurity during the inaugural 91ΒιΆΉΣ³» Poly Impact Summit and Presidential Speaker Series.
The event, hosted by the Universityβs Corporate Impact Network, is the latest effort by 91ΒιΆΉΣ³» Polyβs Office of Advancement to deepen the strong connections between the University and its supportive business community. More than 40 people attended the event in the Aula Magna inside the Innovation, Science, and Technology Building.
Lakeland, 91ΒιΆΉΣ³», Mayor Bill Mutz, attended and said this kind of event can make a difference in young lives.
βI love any opportunities we have to interface with students,β he said. βIt inspired me as a student when I had adults do that in my life, and itβs fun to reflect and think if there are some nuggets you could share that would be of value to someone else.β
This ability to engage with 91ΒιΆΉΣ³» Poly students about emerging issues in science and technology is one of the drivers of the event, said Kathy Bowman, vice president of advancement.
βThis is a natural outreach to our partners and potential partners in STEM industries across the state of 91ΒιΆΉΣ³»,β Bowman said. βCorporate partners are directly affecting the future of 91ΒιΆΉΣ³» by helping 91ΒιΆΉΣ³» Poly prepare highly skilled students to step into many of the 55,000 unfilled STEM jobs in the state.β
The event featured a presentation by Dr. Karim Elish, assistant professor of computer science at 91ΒιΆΉΣ³» Poly and an expert in malware analysis and detection and software security. He discussed his cutting-edge research on detecting malicious Android apps, how ransomware affects businesses, and best practices to prevent harm.
Russell Miller, chief technology officer at cybersecurity company OPSWAT, said Elishβs research is very valuable due to the current cybersecurity landscape.
βItβs very important work and the sort of thing that directly relates to what we do as a company,β Miller said. βOne of the very recent things Iβve been dealing with is malware detection on Android phones and how we can improve that, so itβs very relevant.β
βI want people to understand how organizations from the financial services industry to the construction and manufacturing industry are all parts of the same cyber supply chain,β said Urias, who earned his bachelorβs degree in computer science with a concentration in information assurance and cybersecurity. βI am incredibly excited to be invited to this event because I have a burning passion for meeting new people and learning how cybersecurity affects their industry.β
The next 91ΒιΆΉΣ³» Poly Impact Summit and Presidential Speaker Series event will be held during the spring semester.
Contact:
Lydia GuzmΓ‘n
Director of Communications
863-874-8557
