Join us for the upcoming fall 2026 UPWARDS SEMINAR SERIES

“What’s Next?” — What You Can Learn from a 40+ Year Technical Career

 In this seminar, we will respond to the question “What’s next?”  Dr. Paula S. deWitte saw this question on a hand-written sign during a 2023 hiking trip along part of The Camino in Spain, at a time when she was approaching retirement.

Preparing for “what’s next?” is relevant throughout a career. This talk will reflect on a 40+ year career that began with teaching, followed by work at university research institutes, founding and running small companies, and executive roles in Austin high tech. Later, she attended law school and concluded her career as a Professor of Practice advocating for more legal education in engineering programs.

The journey included both successes and failures, with failures often creating new opportunities. The talk will also highlight why cybersecurity professionals and engineers need to understand cybersecurity law. The goal is not to create more lawyers, but legal-savvy technical workers. RSVP Link is in the Event Website below. 

• Blacksburg Campus – Whittemore Hall, Room 457A
• Alexandria Campus – Academic Building 1, Conference Room 4402
• Pizza and snacks will be provided!
• UPWARDS_Sem_Flyer

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The UPWARDS Seminar Series is sponsored by NSF, Micron, and TEL.

Please feel free to share this invitation with students, colleagues, and collaborators who may be interested.