FCTUC alumna honoured by Altice Labs with prize for best students in TICE and STEM fields
In this first edition, 12 students selected by their institutions were awarded a prize of 2,500 euros.
Inês Marçal, an alumna of the Department of Computer Engineering (DEI) at the Faculty of Sciences and Technology of the University of Coimbra (FCTUC), has been awarded the Alcino Lavrador Recognition by Altice Labs for her exceptional performance during her Master's degree in Cybersecurity. The award ceremony took place on 26 November in Lisbon.
This initiative recognises the top Master's and Bachelor's students in Information Technology, Communications, and Electronics (TICE), as well as Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM), from Altice Labs' partner universities and polytechnics. The award honours the legacy of Alcino Lavrador, the former CEO of Altice Labs, and underscores Altice Portugal's commitment to academic excellence and fostering young talent.
"I'm really happy. I'm very determined to always go beyond my expectations, and this award is proof of that, recognising all the effort and dedication I've put into my studies," said the winner. "I think my dedication, tenacity, and perfectionism have been strong allies in achieving this success. The fact that I love the field made everything easier and allowed me to see every opportunity and obstacle as a chance to learn and explore even more," added Inês Marçal.
The former DEI student's Master's thesis focuses on evaluating the performance of Static Application Security Testing (SAST) tools in detecting vulnerabilities outlined in the Open Web Application Security Project (OWASP) Top 10. Her research assessed these tools' ability to identify the most critical risks associated with web applications.
In this inaugural edition, 12 students, selected by their educational institutions, were each awarded a prize of 2,500 euros.