Roughly 30 members of the University of North Georgia (UNG) Honors Program presented at the 2025 Georgia Collegiate Honors Conference (GCHC) at Georgia Tech in February, the largest delegation in the school's history. 

First-time attendee Dagen Shehorn was recognized with a second-place award for her work "Cars are Just Computers that Happen to Drive: Exploring ECU Exploitation Utilizing Cybersecurity Tactics" in the Engineering and Computer Science Essay Contest.  

"Earning this award was especially meaningful to me, because with this research I was able to merge my passion for cybersecurity with my hobby of fixing and repairing cars," she said. "This research project reinforced how deeply cybersecurity is embedded in our daily lives, proving its necessity even in areas like automotive technology."

Shehorn said her research allowed her to see the gap in automotive cybersecurity — a gap she "may want to fill in the future by working as a vulnerability analyst for a car manufacturer."

"Dagen was able to win an award as a freshman which is incredibly impressive and is yet another testament to how amazing our cybersecurity program is," Dr. Tyler Harrison, director of the Honors Program at UNG's Dahlonega Campus and associate professor of psychology, said. 

Shehorn is a freshman from Evans, Georgia. She is pursuing a cybersecurity degree.

Shabnam Rezai, from Hoschton, Georgia, used the experience to refine her presentation skills and engage with other researchers.

"I learned the applications of the work we do during our undergrad, and how it's students like us who continue to push science and the arts forward. This also helps me work toward becoming a better health care provider because of my ability to identify current issues and work toward solving them," she said.

Rezai is a sophomore pursuing a biology degree with pre-medicine advising.

"The Honors Program did an amazing job with setting us up for success through information sessions and consistent support throughout the entire process. I learned so many valuable lessons and skills that I will take with me to hopefully other conferences and my future career," she said. 

Harrison said the conference is a "great" experience for the students because they were able to network with other Honors students and receive feedback on their posters and presentations.  

"Our Honors students dazzled at this year's GCHC, delivering impactful research projects with enthusiasm and professionalism. I was particularly impressed by their ability to convey discipline-specific projects to general audiences in poster sessions and confidently field difficult questions in panel Q&As. Across the board, our students stood out as emerging scholars and exceptional representatives of UNG," Dr. Valerie Surrett, assistant director of Honors at the Gainesville Campus, and associate professor of English, said.