Carnegie Mellon University
October 17, 2013

Press Release: Carnegie Mellon's Information Networking Institute, Alta Associates Award Fellowship for Study in Information Technology and Security

Fellowship Recognizes Importance of Educating Future Thought Leaders

Contact: Chriss Swaney / 412-268-5776 / swaney@andrew.cmu.edu

PITTSBURGH—Carnegie Mellon University's Information Networking Institute (INI) and Alta Associates' Executive Women's Forum (EWF) on Information Security, Risk Management and Privacy will award CMU student Grace Kihumba with a fellowship to pursue her graduate studies. The award will be presented Oct. 22-24 at the 11th Annual EWF National Conference in Scottsdale, Ariz.

Kihumba is receiving the EWF-INI Fellowship, an educational award providing full tuition and a mentor to support her studies in the university's Pittsburgh-Silicon Valley Master of Science in Information Technology-Mobility program through the INI.

"I would like to conduct research on mobile learning and intelligent tutoring systems for mobile devices. My interest is in educational technology and e-learning, and I hope to work in research center that has this focus," said Kihumba of Nairobi, Kenya. "I also hope to get into a doctorate program after the INI. I plan to go back to Kenya and work in the field of educational technology because it can go a long way to complement learning resources in developing counties," she said.

Kihumba wants to be part of the digital revolution in Sub-Saharan Africa, home to 650 million mobile phone subscribers, 50 million Facebook users and an increasing number of technology hubs.

"The EWF-INI Fellowship is like rocket fuel for the careers of these young women, who would otherwise face some major barriers — hurdles related to their culture or their geographic location, gender biases and financial hardships, even self-doubt, to name a few. Grace shows exceptional potential, offering both talent and a passion for a future career in technology leadership," said Dena Haritos Tsamitis, director of the INI and director of education, training and outreach for Carnegie Mellon CyLab, one of the largest university-based research centers for cybersecurity studies in the U.S.

The INI and EWF have offered the scholarship since 2007 to support a student from a historically underrepresented population.

"The Executive Women's Forum is proud to partner with CMU's INI to offer scholarships to deserving future thought leaders. Having the ability to make such a tangible positive change in a young woman's life is one of our proudest accomplishments," said Joyce Brocaglia, CEO of Alta Associates and founder of the Executive Women's Forum  (EWF).

The EWF (www.ewf-usa.com) is a prominent community of more than 750 of the nation's most influential female executives within the information security, privacy and risk management industries. The EWF community is a home base for women to grow their professional skills, build important networks and gather industry business intelligence. Dialog that begins at the national conference continues throughout the year during regional meetings, meet and greet events, peer mentoring, outreach, scholarship programs and thriving individual networks.

The EWF National Conference is hosted by Alta Associates Inc., a national recruiting firm specializing in placement of top-tier executives in a variety of information technology, risk management and security venues.  
                
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