WIE DAY'25
July 3, 2025 · 1:30 PM - 4:00 PM @ Online event
Description
The IEEE Women in Engineering (WIE) Student Branch Affinity Group of SLTC proudly celebrated the International IEEE WIE Day 2025 on the 3rd of July 2025 through a highly impactful virtual event that brought together young minds from across Sri Lanka’s STEM and IT communities. Held under the theme “Pioneering Safe Cyberspace: Bridging Technology and Light for Security,” this year’s celebration focused on addressing the growing concerns surrounding cybersecurity while continuing to uplift and empower women in the technological and engineering space. Hosted via Zoom from 7.00 p.m. to 9.00 p.m., the event attracted undergraduate participants from universities islandwide and succeeded in delivering both technical insight and personal inspiration. WIE Day ‘25 was organized to address the growing reliance on digital systems and rising cybersecurity threats. It aims to educate and inspire young engineers, especially women, to actively contribute to creating ethical, inclusive, and secure digital ecosystems.. The session commenced with opening remarks that acknowledged the importance of WIE Day in the global context and emphasized the significance of cultivating cyber-resilience in the university community. The welcome speech, which was given by the chairperson of WIE Day ‘25, Ms. Ganguli Kaluarachchi, offered a warm start to the session, and participants could feel the genuine excitement shared by the organizing team, speakers, and audience alike. The WIE Day Ambassador of SLTC, Ms. Nishadi Dissanayake, then shared a heartfelt message, reinforcing the importance of empowering women in all areas of tech, including cybersecurity, a field often dominated by male professionals. The ambassador's words left a lasting impression, particularly as she spoke about bridging the gap between capability and opportunity for young women in Sri Lanka. The first guest speaker of the evening, Ms. Chathuri Upeksha, Head of the Department of Software Engineering at SLTC, led an engaging session that laid the foundation for the night’s discussions. Ms. Upeksha’s ability to break down the core concepts of cybersecurity and make them relatable to everyday university life instantly captured the attention of the audience. She spoke on how simple practices, like maintaining strong passwords, recognizing phishing attempts, and managing digital footprints can dramatically enhance one's digital safety. Using real-world examples, she highlighted how seemingly harmless behaviors can have unintended consequences online. Her session struck the perfect balance between theory and application, especially for attendees unfamiliar with the deeper technical aspects of the field. Beyond technical points, Ms. Upeksha’s message also carried a deeper motivational layer. She emphasized the need for us in cybersecurity, not just as users and learners, but as architects of digital safety and decision-makers in tech spaces. Her encouragement of continuous learning, ethical practice, and confidence in skill-building resonated especially with the female students, many of whom later shared that this session helped them feel more seen, heard, and encouraged to step forward in male-dominated spaces. After a brief token of appreciation, the event transitioned into the main session by Mr. Lahiru Hewawasam, Manager of Cyber Security at Fortude, and the Tech Lead of AWS User Group, Colombo. With an air of calm authority and storytelling finesse, Mr. Hewawasam dove into a deep yet accessible discussion on modern cyber threats and how organizations tackle them in real-time. From explaining ransomware to elaborating on internal threat management systems, his talk covered a wide spectrum of topics, offering both technical insight and industry perspective. What stood out most in Mr. Hewawasam’s session was his repeated emphasis on the diversity of roles within the cybersecurity field. He broke the misconception that cybersecurity is only for coders or network engineers. Instead, he presented it as a multidisciplinary field that values policy analysts, compliance officers, auditors, digital forensics experts, and user education specialists. This inclusive view opened new doors in the minds of many participants, especially those who had previously felt they didn’t have the right skill set to belong in cybersecurity. Mr. Hewawasam also took time to guide students on how to get started in the field. He recommended beginner-friendly platforms like TryHackMe and Google’s Cybersecurity Certificates, and he spoke about the power of self-learning through community challenges and ethical hacking labs. He was transparent about the challenges of the field but equally enthusiastic about the opportunities, especially in South Asia, where cybersecurity talent is in growing demand. The Q&A session that followed was an engaging exchange where attendees asked a variety of technical, practical, and ethical questions about cybersecurity. Mr. Hewawasam provided thoughtful answers, inspiring students and helping many finalize their decisions on courses, internships, and projects. The event concluded with a cheerful group photograph, capturing the enthusiasm of a community connected not just by screens but by shared aspirations and purpose. The vote of thanks delivered by the project secretary, Ms. Dulakshi Edirisinghe was heartfelt and sincere, acknowledging everyone, from academic advisors and guest speakers to the volunteers and students, who made WIE Day ’25 a memorable success. WIE Day ’25 was more than just an event, it inspired students to build a responsible digital society and emphasized the importance of equity and support for women in technology. It sparked ongoing meaningful conversations and served as a call to action for awareness, learning, leadership, and inclusivity in shaping the future through technology.
Agenda
07.00 PM - 07.05 PM Opening Remarks 07.05 PM - 07.10 PM Welcome Speech 07.10 PM - 07.15 PM Speech by the Ambassador 07.15 PM - 07.35 PM Session 1 by Ms. Chathuri Upeksha 07.35 PM - 07.37 PM Token of Appreciation (Ms. Chathuri Upeksha) 07.37 PM - 08.37 PM Session 2 by Mr. Lahiru Hewawasam 08.37 PM - 08.39 PM Token of Appreciation (Mr. Lahiru Hewawasam) 08.39 PM - 08.50 PM Q & A 08.50 PM - 08.55 PM Group Photograph 08.55 PM - 09.00 PM Vote of Thanks and Closing Remarks