CS Major Isabella Battish Named RSAC 2025 Security Scholar

A University of Maryland senior has been named an RSA Conference 2025 Security Scholar. This program brings together students from institutions worldwide to engage with cybersecurity professionals and industry leaders. Isabella Battish (B.S. '25, computer science; B.S. '25, government and politics) was one of two students from UMD selected for the program. The conference, scheduled for May 1, 2025, at the Moscone Center in San Francisco, is considered one of the largest gatherings of cybersecurity professionals and researchers.

The Security Scholar program provides participants with access to keynote addresses, numerous cybersecurity sessions, networking events and resume reviews. Attendees will also have the chance to explore exhibits from more than 600 organizations specializing in cybersecurity technologies and services. Associate Professor of Computer Science James Purtilo encouraged Battish's selection and advised her to apply for the program.

"I'm so excited to attend the RSA Conference this year," Battish said. "In past years, Security Scholars have been such a highly engaged group of people who go on after the program to do such interesting and meaningful work. I'm excited to learn more about cybersecurity in the industry and join such a wonderful, intelligent group of people."

She currently works as a research assistant at the Applied Research Laboratory for Intelligence and Security (ARLIS), where she focuses on data analysis and modeling in the security field. In addition to her computer science research, she is involved in the Gemstone Honors Program, where she contributes to research on Black maternal mortality rates in Prince George's County through Team BMM.

Battish's work involves understanding how improved security practices can be implemented across different technology areas.

"My work as a Security Scholar will enable me to implement better cybersecurity practices into my work and learn more about cybersecurity," Battish said. "Cybersecurity is critical in every computer science field, so I can't wait to learn more and implement those skills into my current research at ARLIS and the work I will do after college."

Battish hopes to continue her research in cybersecurity and data science after graduation. 

"In the future, I hope to do more research and work in the cybersecurity or data science fields," she said. "So cybersecurity is important because we increasingly use the internet and computers to store sensitive information. People often don't know much about cybersecurity and keeping their data safe, so I think the importance of cybersecurity lies in keeping people and their data safe."

The RSA Conference is an annual cybersecurity event series that attracts approximately 45,000 attendees worldwide. Initially established in 1991 as a small cryptography conference, it has since expanded to include events in the United States, Europe, Asia and the United Arab Emirates.

—Story by Samuel Malede Zewdu, CS Communications