Whether it's through the free-flowing exchange of insights to advance practical applications of research or ensuring that the next generation of industry professionals is exposed to the larger online and mobile anti-abuse community, integrating academia into M3AAWG general meetings has proved invaluable for everyone.

At M3AAWG’s 65th General Meeting, held last month in Charlotte, North Carolina, that connection was felt in full force.

• M3AAWG invited several first-generation college students from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte (UNCC), who are pursuing degrees in computer science, to attend the meeting.
• M3AAWG Expert Advisor John Levine provided a roundtable on the UNCC campus.
• UNCC faculty and PhD students presented research findings from a large-scale smishing survey.

First-Generation College Students Experience M3AAWG

Academic engagement has long been a cornerstone of M3AAWG meetings; in recent years, this commitment has evolved into a broader effort to bring new talent and diverse perspectives into the conversation.

 L. Jean Camp, who serves as the Bank of America Distinguished Chair in Cyber Analytics at UNCC, presented at M3AAWG 65 and views this outreach as especially vital given the additional hurdles faced by first-generation college students.

"I was extremely grateful to M3AAWG for hosting our five students who are first-generation college students at the meeting. Being at M3AAWG gave them an opportunity to understand the numerous roles available and how they can make a difference in the future. It was incredibly generous, and I truly appreciate it," she said.

Jean added that nearly a third of UNCC students are first-generation college students.

"Being a first-generation college student is a significant commitment. We are asking students to trust us—that if they spend four years here, we will improve their lives," she said. "With that trust comes a big responsibility. Having first-year students participate in M3AAWG is a great opportunity, allowing them to mingle, attend keynotes, and talk to industry leaders is an incredible experience for these students."

Tam Bond (they/them), M3AAWG Board of Directors Representative: “It can be hard as a student to visualize what your career might look like. Part of that is just not knowing that groups like M3AAWG exist, or what our meetings look like. It can also be daunting figuring out how to shape your career - or even feeling pressure to have a direction at all. One of the things I love most about our community is the diversity of how we all ended up in our roles. It was great to sit with the students and talk about our career journeys; most of us - myself included - didn’t finish up college imagining a career in security or anti-abuse. We took opportunities where we saw them, stepped up and contributed where we saw space, and organically shaped our careers into what they are today. Sharing our journeys and providing reassurance that you don’t have to have it all figured out to be able to make a difference is a great step towards encouraging the next generation of experts.”

Expert Advisor John Levine Delivers Roundtable

M3AAWG Pioneer and Expert Advisor John Levine visited UNCC in Charlotte and conducted a roundtable with faculty and students. Folks on hand listened attentively as he shared insights about engaging with M3AAWG and the broader computer security community.

"Nobody is born knowing who the internet’s greats are... but John most definitely is one of them, and he has such a profound understanding of the internet, especially spam. It was invaluable to have him visit our community and speak," Jean said.

UNCC Faculty and PhD Students Present Research Findings

UNCC faculty members from the College of Computing and Informatics—Heather Richter Lipford and Cori Faklaris—alongside PhD students Narges Zare and Sarah Tabassum, presented findings from a large-scale survey of 1,007 U.S. adult mobile phone users and in-depth interviews with 29 participants.

The survey revealed that younger individuals and college students are particularly susceptible to smishing, as they shared with attendees on the second day of M3AAWG 65.

"Academics have the advantage of analyzing data repeatedly and conducting hypothesis-driven research, which industry professionals may not have time for," Jean remarked. "M3AAWG members are actively dealing with threats in real time and these meetings provide a vital platform between academia and industry.”

Next Up: M3AAWG Heads to San Diego

The collaboration between M3AAWG and UNCC brought a free-flowing exchange of ideas and intellectual capital, benefiting industry, the next generation of cybersecurity professionals, and the internet users they protect. We want to continue this momentum at M3AAWG’s 66th General Meeting in San Diego. M3AAWG is currently accepting submissions for the San Diego meeting through December 2, 2025. Visit the Call for Proposals page to learn more and submit a session proposal.