A large group of people stand on stairs and hold up their hands to create a hook symbol as two others hold up a golden banner with the East Carolina University logo.

Pirate Presence

ECU students, alumni and faculty participate in tech, cybersecurity conference

Published Oct 16, 2025 by
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Students, alumni and faculty from the East Carolina University Department of Technology Systems pulled double duty at the 2025 Triangle ISSA InfoSeCon Conference in Raleigh. Not only did they attend the event, but they volunteered to work in support of it as well.

Sponsored by the Information Systems Security Association (ISSA), InfoSeCon is one of the largest computer information and cybersecurity conferences in the Southeast. It brings together cybersecurity professionals, educators, students and industry leaders to share insights, demonstrate tools and strengthen the cybersecurity workforce pipeline across North Carolina.

A group of four students in purple shirts sit at a table and work with equipment and a yellow chain.

Students participate in a project as part of InfoSeCon, a computer technology and cybersecurity conference in Raleigh. (Contributed photo)

“Events like InfoSeCon show our students that cybersecurity isn’t just a classroom subject. It’s a community of professionals dedicated to protecting systems, organizations and people,” said David Carraway, an information and cybersecurity teaching instructor at ECU. “By volunteering and engaging with experts in the field, our students experience what it means to be part of that mission.”

Many of the ECU students volunteered as conference staff, helping with registration, logistics and session support while also gaining firsthand exposure to professional networking and industry engagement. Students and faculty also helped organize and monitor the conference’s “Capture the Flag” cybersecurity competitions.

As attendees, students participated in keynote presentations from top cybersecurity experts, breakout sessions focused on threat intelligence, incident response and AI-driven security tools, and live demonstrations showcasing the latest innovations in digital defense. These further strengthened the connection between their classroom learning at ECU to real-world cybersecurity applications.

Students also engaged with more than 100 technology vendors and employers in the field, meeting mentors and exploring internship and career opportunities. These connections provided students with a stronger understanding of how to position themselves for careers in cybersecurity, networking and digital forensics.

ECU senior teaching instructors Steve Baker and Amy Frank, professor Dr. Biwu Yang, and associate professor Dr. David Batts also attended the conference with Carraway. Batts and Frank represented the College of Engineering and Technology by working ECU’s information booth. They talked with attendees and answered questions about the university’s technology and cybersecurity programs, highlighting student successes and the innovative strategies used to develop tomorrow’s industry leaders.

The faculty members met with representatives from ISSA, InfraGard and the Carolina Cyber Network to discuss future collaborations and ways to bring more experiential learning events to the region. They helped strengthen visibility for the college’s technology and cybersecurity programs and highlighted the pathways ECU offers students interested in entering the cybersecurity and technology fields.

ECU’s participation in the conference reflected the vision of the College of Engineering and Technology to provide hands-on, industry-connected experiences that prepare students for leadership roles in technology and cybersecurity.