Teenaged girls from across Glasgow have taken part in a ground-breaking tech event hosted by Glasgow Caledonian University.
The ‘Empowering Women in Cybersecurity’ event brought together S3 pupils from schools across the city.
Organised as part of the British Council-funded project, the three-day programme introduced young women to cyber security through hands-on workshops. Participants explored topics such as securing emails with artificial intelligence and cyber physical systems − technology that integrates computers with physical processes such as smart grids, automated factories or self-driving cars. They also participated in digital forensics workshops, which concluded with a challenge on the final day to assess their understanding and awareness.
S3 pupil Zoe Dixon of St Andrews High School, Glasgow, said: “We’ve learned how to structure an investigation into cyber-attacks and we had to lay [our plans] out in a table for a judge. It does seem really interesting; I could definitely get into [this subject area] in the future.
Namaseko, also of St Andrews High School, added: “We also learned today how to analyse files and how to access deleted files in a user’s history [as part of an investigation]. I’m really interested in this and could see myself doing this in the future.”
The event formed part of the wider Empowering Women in Cyber Security project, delivered in collaboration with Aswan University in Egypt. The initiative is designed to inspire and educate women and girls in the UK and Egypt − from secondary school pupils and first-year university students to women over 30 − and runs until January 2026.
So far, the project has included outreach events in Egypt, with a February session engaging women over the age of 30 in partnership with the Egyptian Centre for Women’s Rights, and an April programme focused on university students. UK engagement is now under way through a series of workshops, beginning with this week’s schools event.
Notable speakers across the programme have included Dr Jackie Riley, former Head of Department at Glasgow Caledonian, and Professor Marianne Azer, a distinguished Egyptian cyber security expert recognised internationally for her work in ICT policy, women’s leadership and governance. Participants also benefit from networking and mentoring opportunities through contacts at Glasgow Caledonian, guest speakers and professionals from the Egyptian National Telecommunication Institute.
Dr Salma Darwish Mohamed, Lecturer in Cyber Security and Networks in the Department of Computer Science at Glasgow Caledonian, runs the programme with Professor Emad Farrag. She said:
“Cyber security is fast becoming one of the most critical areas of our digital age, yet it remains heavily male dominated. By engaging school pupils at this early stage, we can raise awareness of the opportunities available and show that this is a field where women can thrive.”
Dr Mohamed added that the project’s impact would be “both immediate and long lasting” by encouraging more women into cyber security careers and, over time, helping to foster greater gender equality and diversity in the industry.
Dr Anand Philip, Head of the Department of Computer Science at Glasgow Caledonian, said:
“We are proud to collaborate with Egyptian universities on this project, which brings global partnerships and local opportunities together. By opening our labs to pupils from schools across Glasgow, we hope to spark curiosity, inspire ambition and create pathways for the next generation of women in STEM.”