ACES Student Studies Abroad in Denmark

This semester, ACES student Lauren Kosub ‘20 is studying abroad at the Technical University of Denmark (DTU) as part of an exchange program through the A. James Clark School of Engineering.

Lauren completed the ACES LLP and is now a part of the ACES Minor. She decided to join the LLP because of the many academic opportunities that it was able to offer. She says, “The program allowed me to explore my interest in Cybersecurity by exposing me to technical coursework and professional networking. I wanted to learn something new in a supportive, hands-on environment - and that was ACES.”

She decided to take the opportunity to study abroad in order to take technical, challenging courses in a new environment. DTU was able to offer that. Lauren has quickly taken to the Danish way of life. She says, “Something big here in Denmark that I have fully embraced is “hygge”, a Danish word for a mood of coziness with feelings of wellness and contentment. Copenhagen is packed with atmospheric restaurants and cafes, beautiful gardens, charming winding waterways, and countless places and ways to experience Danish hygge.”

Hygge isn’t the only difference between College Park and Denmark. The classes that she is taking also have a different feel. “Here at DTU,” Lauren says, “the teaching environment is one where you call teachers by their first name, are encouraged to participate actively in discussions in order to develop your critical and analytical skills and will complete much of your coursework in groups which is meant to encourage an open exchange of ideas.”

Between trips around Europe (including Sweden, Norway, Finland, Germany, Belgium, and so many more!), she has found lots of time to continue to learn more about her cybersecurity interests. Among a variety of classes, which include a Danish language class, Lauren’s favorite has been Advanced topics in Cryptology, which touches on topics such as block ciphers, hash functions, authenticated encryption schemes, post-quantum cryptography, and trusted computing.

This class also has a semester-long research project. For her project, Lauren is focusing on “code obfuscation, which is the process of modifying an executable so that it is no longer easily read when reverse engineered but still fully functional. Currently, I am focusing on virtualization obfuscators and multi-stage binary code obfuscation using improved virtual machines.”

Lauren hopes that more ACES students will take advantage of the opportunities available to study abroad. She says, “I would say to go for it! No matter your major or schedule, you can afford to dedicate a semester to study abroad! Studying abroad is an opportunity to expand your education in a way that you never could by staying in the U.S.”

Published April 24, 2019