GCU receives nominations for inaugural Cyber Community Awards

The cyber security expertise at Glasgow Caledonian University has been recognised ahead of Cyber Scotland Week.

GCU has received two nods from the Scottish Business Resilience Centre for its inaugural Cyber Community Awards.

Kyle Williamson is up for the SBRC Student Community Champion award; while the GCU Cyber Clinic at Glasgow Central Station, run by the Department of Cyber Security and Networking, is in the running for the SBRC Outstanding Cyber Community Event prize.

Kyle is a fourth-year student on the BSc (Hons) Cyber Security and Networking programme. This award nomination is on the basis of his honours project, the aim of which is to develop cyber-security training materials, which will be utilised by all GCU students, to ensure they have the appropriate knowledge and awareness to stay safe online.

The Cyber Clinic has been nominated after it offered free online safety advice to rail passengers at Glasgow Central Station last year. The team has advised thousands of members of the public since it was founded in 2019.

Each of the nominees has been recognised for their contributions to keeping Scotland’s online community safe, spotlighting those making an impact in their local area.

Dr Jackie Riley, Head of Department for Cyber Security and Networks in the School of Computing, Engineering and Built Environment, said: “This is the first year of the SBRC Cyber Community awards and I am delighted to see two shortlisted nominations from the department.

“At a time when the world has moved at such speed to be even more online than it was pre COVID, which the threat actors are taking full advantage of, these initiatives are very timely, and exemplify the University’s mission.”

Taking place on February 25, the virtual awards will feature as part of Cyber Scotland Week and be will hosted by Scottish comedian Fred MacAulay.

The winners will be determined by both the public and a judging panel.