WOMEN IN APPSEC

Let's transform information security once more

For the first time, the OWASP Foundation gathered sponsors for a program to increase the participation of women in the field of application security. OWASP used funding to sponsor women from around the United States to attend a one day OWASP AppSec USA 2011 training course and the OWASP AppSec USA 2011 conference talks. The value of this package, which includes travel and lodging, was estimated at $2,500 per grant recipient.

OWASP AppSec USA 2011 Women in AppSec Grant Recipients

Congratulations to Tara Wilson and Chandni Bhowmik in securing the first ever OWASP Women in AppSec grants to attend OWASP AppSec USA 2011!

The following information was current as of the OWASP AppSec USA 2011 conference and is retained for historical purposes.

Tara Wilson

Tara Wilson is currently pursuing her B.S. In Cybersecurity at Utica College, focusing on Information Assurance. In addition to going to school, Tara works full-time as an Associate IT Reporting Analyst for AngioDynamics, a leader in designing, developing, and manufacturing innovative, propriety, therapeutic medical devices. She has a background in web design and development, holding an A.A.S. in Web Design from Hudson Valley Community College. Currently, Tara is devoted to building the foundation of her career as she continues on with her personal and professional endeavors.

Chandni Bhowmik

Chandni Bhowmik is currently completing an M.S. in Computer Security and Information Assurance at the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT). Her first introduction to OWASP was through the project WebScarab during an application security lab last spring at RIT and her interest in OWASP grew ever since. Over the summer, she started programming open source web applications using built-in security features of Django and Python. She is interested in becoming an information security researcher, and hopes to leverage learning at OWASP AppSec USA 2011 in ad-hoc architecture, mobile platforms and over-all concepts of web application security. Besides secure programming, Chandni enjoys her current research involving digital image forensics and machine learning. In addition to attending school, she has interned in IT security and compliance at Paychex, a Rochester based payroll processing company, and gained industrial experience working an assistant systems engineer for Tata Consultancy Services, a global IT firm.

Sponsor

To sponsor future events, please e-mail [email protected]. We thank The Wells Fargo Foundation for generous seed funding of $4,000 for grants to women interested in attending OWASP AppSec USA 2011 to launch their career in this growing field.

About the Grant

The OWASP Foundation Women in AppSec Grant provides merit-based funding for women to attend OWASP AppSec USA. Applicants must be employed in information technology or studying in college and have an interest in application security (but not already be employed in the field of application security).

Eligibility

Each applicant must be a woman not already employed in the field of application security who either

• Is a part- or full-time student at an accredited four-year college or university in the United States.
• Is or has worked in information technology and would like to explore a career in application security.

Application

Applications and letters of reference by two distinct people (co-worker, manager, or professor/instructor were acceptable sources) were due August 15, 2011. Applicants are notified regarding their application status.

Applicants are responsible for gathering and submitting all necessary information. Applications are evaluated on the information supplied. Incomplete applications are not evaluated. All information received is considered confidential and is reviewed only by the OWASP Women in AppSec Grant committee.

Selection of Recipients

The OWASP Women in AppSec Grant committee makes travel and lodging arrangements and facilitates training and conference attendance for selected individuals.

Obligations

Recipients have no obligation to the OWASP Foundation.

Revisions

OWASP reserves the right to review the conditions and procedures of this grant program and to make changes at any time including termination of the program.

Additional Information

Questions regarding the grant program? E-mail [email protected].