Aurora Vasconcelos, a master's student in Cybersecurity at the Polytechnic Institute of Viana do Castelo (IPVC), was the Portuguese representative in the Lightning Talks challenge in TNC25, the largest annual networking and technology conference in Europe.
This year, TNC25 took place between June 9th and 13th, in Brighton (United Kingdom), in an event organized by GÉANT.
On the main stage of the event, in just 5 minutes, the student stood out with an innovative presentation on the Zero Trust security model, under the title “Zero trust for NRENs: because even your network lies”, developed within the scope of the European mentoring program for young talents, the Future Talent Programme.
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Zero Trust as a proactive approach to digital security
In the presentation, he explained how this approach strengthens security through the core principle “Never trust, always verify”.
"My idea revolves around an app, which would be very interesting for NRENs to use, especially to test it and see if it works. This was the perfect stage and audience to share what I've been discovering," Aurora explains after her presentation at the event.
The proposal aims to develop an application to support the implementation of Zero Trust policies, offering an additional layer of protection to academic digital infrastructures, so that the reaction does not only occur in the face of threats, but is proactive.
Future Talent Programme to support scientific communication
The student joined the Future Talent Programme, an initiative by GÉANT, which in Portugal is promoted by FCCN, the digital services unit of the FCT, and which offers specialized mentoring. The program includes training in communication, effective presentation development, and public speaking techniques, culminating in a presentation at TNC.
"We are accompanied by experts who help us create a 5-minute session. They not only help us write what to say and deconstruct highly technical terms, but they also support us on topics ranging from stage presence to how to build our own slides”, reinforces the student.
Portuguese participation marked by opportunities for networking
In addition to technical growth, the student highlighted the networking and the opportunity to connect with experienced professionals, especially women, in the field of cybersecurity.
"I also think it's very important to highlight that at TNC I had the opportunity to meet other women who also work in cybersecurity, perhaps much further along in their careers, which is a great inspiration," she emphasizes.
Encouragement for future participants
At the end of her testimony, Aurora leaves some advice for students considering participating:
"The 'no' is taken for granted, and we have absolutely nothing to lose, only to gain. We have incredible people around us, a lot of support during the program so we can share our idea in the best way possible, and even if we can't make it in person, we always have the opportunity to record a video and post it on the website. So, our idea will reach the right audience. Go for it."
