Attending WISC: Workshop for Women in Security and Cryptography

I barely unpacked from the summer school in Crete before heading off to a new event, this time in Bochum. It was a workshop for Women in Security and Cryptography - WISC. While cryptography and security are still a male-dominated fields, events like WISC bring women together to share knowledge, experiences, and inspiration.

The talks varied from privacy to security and cryptography. On top of that, there were pratical workshops on soft skills, such as presenting science slams, empowering your voice and taking leadership. I’ve met a lot of other nice female researchers in the field through the organised speeddates and connected with them on Linkedin.

While Bochum itself didn’t exactly steal my heart, the Jahrhunderthalle - an industrial urban venue - was the perfect location for this event. During the event, every participant got a CASAfant - which is a small elephant mascot from the CASA lab. I named mine Cassie. Now my desk buddy Pim has a friend!