IUS Students Awarded Scholarships and Recognition at WomENcourage 2025
Last week, students of the International University of Sarajevo (IUS) participated in the ACM-W celebration in computing WomENcourage 2025, held in Brașov, Romania. This annual ACM initiative, organized by ACM-W Europe, celebrates the achievements of women in computing, aiming to foster connections across disciplines and motivate women to pursue education and careers in technology. The 2025 theme, “Computer Science: Catalyst for Educational Change”, explored the transformative role of computer science in reshaping education.
IUS was represented by eight students: Tea Dedić (CSE), Amina Hrustić (SE), Hamza Adilović (SE), Selma Alić (CSE), Asja Bašović (AIDE), Nedžla Šehović (CSE), Afan Haznadarević (EEE) and Nejira Subašić (SE). Six of the students were awarded WomENcourage scholarships.
On the first day, students joined the hackathon in interdisciplinary teams:
- Team GerBos5 (Amina Hrustić and Hamza Adilović) won second place with their project “Synthetic Beauty, Real Harm”, addressing the psychological impact of AI-modified images and proposing regulatory, educational, and technological solutions.
- Team Minerva (Tea Dedić and Afan Haznadarević) presented a reskilling platform for women returning to STEM.
- Team UNITE (Asja Bašović and Selma Alić) pitched a mobile app helping older women and citizens learn digital basics through chatbots, workshops, and quizzes.
Day two featured workshops, keynote speeches, and a flash mentoring session connecting students with industry and academia. Topics ranged from AI ethics and privacy to design for social good and environmental impacts of machine learning.
On the final day, IUS students showcased three posters:
- “Promoting Gender Equality in Cybersecurity through Education and Mentorship” (Dedić, Hrustić, Adilović) highlighting barriers and solutions for women in cybersecurity.
- “Smartphone Addiction, Sleep, and Mental Health” (Bašović with IUS professors: Assoc. prof. Dr. Özge Büyükdağlı, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Pınar Unal-Aydın and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Orkun Aydın) exploring behavioral and causal relationships.
- A poster on strengthening cybersecurity education (Šehović, Subašić, Rustempašić with IUS Professor Asst. Prof. Dr. Amal Mersni) proposing interdisciplinary approaches.
The event concluded with a workshop on leadership in ACM-W chapters, further inspiring the IUS ACM-W Sarajevo chapter. The final keynote was delivered by Reyyan Ayfer, founding chair of ACM-W Europe, and the 2026 hosting city was announced: Nice, France.
Participation in WomENcourage 2025 enabled IUS students to gain international exposure, collaborate with peers, and contribute to global discussions on the future of computing and education.
