On 10 June, Virtual Routes Co-Director James Shires spoke at the annual Research & Teaching Day of the US Consortium of Cybersecurity Clinics, organized by the Center for Long-Term Cybersecurity at the University of California, Berkeley. The Consortium of Cybersecurity Clinics is the US-based sister program to the Cybersecurity Seminars program run by Virtual Routes in Europe, Middle East, and Africa, and is also supported by Google.org. 

Taking place at the Indiana University campus in Washington, D.C., the day featured presentations and workshops from universities running cybersecurity clinics across the US. Dr Shires gave a lightning talk introducing the Cybersecurity Seminars to the US universities. He provided an overview of the universities involved, key metrics, and the various resources provided by Virtual Routes to help universities implement their cybersecurity seminars – including online introductory courses and a matchmaking platform to facilitate students’ cybersecurity assistance to local community organizations.

The rest of the day featured workshops focusing on key areas of the cybersecurity clinics model, including measuring impact through improved local community cybersecurity; standardizing cybersecurity curricula and student skills gained through the program; and ensuring the program reaches underrepresented communities. University representatives presented key findings from current clinics, and role-played student-client interactions to understand how best to support students in this challenging but rewarding task.

As both programs grow in tandem, Virtual Routes looks forward to extending and deepening our engagement with the Consortium of Cybersecurity Clinics, and ensuring that best practices, insights, and resources can be shared between the programs wherever possible.