It started with a tweet from one of our Review Board members, Jeremiah Grossman, when he stated that he would no longer speak at industry events unless the event hosts agreed to offer two free passes on his behalf to students.
So, we decided to take that challenge a step further and introduced the Black Hat Student Scholarship Program. For every Briefing accepted, we offer the speaker(s) two free Academic Briefings passes for students.
We know that today's students are tomorrow's community leaders and we want Black Hat to be top of mind when the next generation of researchers, hackers, pen-testers and security pros think about where they want to be seen and heard.
We will also be awarding up to 100 additional complimentary Academic Passes to students who demonstrate a passion for Information Security and/or a history of related coursework and experience. Students can read more about the program and apply here: blackhat.com/us-15/specialevents.html#scholarship.
In addition, and new for Black Hat USA 2015, Black Hat and The Executive Women's Forum are pleased to announce the launch of the Future Female Leaders Scholarship Program. This program will award up to 50 scholarships especially for female students with the mission to attract, retain and advance women in the Information Security, IT Risk Management and Privacy industries.
As we strive to minimize the gender gap among InfoSec professionals, and introduce the next generation of female leaders to the Black Hat community, our hope is to give students the opportunity to learn, network, and collaborate with the industry's brightest minds. Read more about the Future Female Leaders Scholarship Program and apply here: blackhat.com/us-15/student-scholarship-program.html.
Black Hat USA 2015 will take place August 1-6, 2015 at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. Each Academic Pass allows full access to all Briefings on Wednesday, August 5 & Thursday, August 6 in addition to the Keynote, Arsenal, Business Hall, and more.