• Charles Sturt’s Girls in Cyber Security Advancing (GiCSA) project takes out third place at 2020 Asia-Pacific Triple E Award

Charles Sturt University’s Girls in Cyber Security Advancing (GiCSA) project placed third in its category at the 2020 Asia-Pacific Triple E Awards on Entrepreneurship and Engagement Excellence in Higher Education.

The Charles Sturt GiCSA project, which focuses on cyber security education for girls in Years 9 and 10 through awareness and entrepreneurship workshops, came third in the Community Engagement Initiative of the Year category.

The Triple E Awards were held as part of the International Conference on Sustainable Globalization in India last week.

This is the second accolade for the project in the past six months after winning a national level industry award in September last year at the 2019 Cyber Security Online Women in Security Awards.

GiCSA project leader Professor Tanveer Zia in the Charles Sturt School of Computing and Mathematics in Wagga Wagga said the award win was exciting for the organisers and students involved in the project.

“We are thrilled and excited, although we wish we had won the first place,” Professor Zia said.

“But we are looking at an international landscape, so I think we should appreciate that the project has made an impact and communities around the globe have recognised the need for involvement of women in cyber security.”

“We are sitting in the top 10 per cent in making an impact and engagement.”

There were 300 entries and 60 finalists from 17 countries over the 12 categories.

Professor Zia said for the program to gain international recognition among such a large number of entrants and finalists proves it is making an impact.

“This international recognition will provide a boost to the morale and confidence of those involved,” Professor Zia said.