Marilu Duque

Graduate Student | Tech Person | STEM Speaker

Marilu Duque is a recent graduate from the University of Michigan (UM), Ann Arbor -- School of Information (UMSI) where she successfully defended her thesis focused on local government cybersecurity threats to earn her M.S. in Information. Previously, she was a Graduate Student Instructor at UM, Cyber Threat Intelligence Analyst Intern (ICS) at FireEye, iSchool Inclusion Institute (i3) Research Fellow, Naval Research Enterprise Intern (NREIP) at the United States Marine Corps Warfighting Lab, and U.S. Department of State’s Virtual Student Federal Service (VSFS) eIntern. Her work is centered between the nexus of national security, cybersecurity, machine learning (ML), and research in order to create actionable data that will help shape the next generation of researchers, technologists, and policymakers.

Research Interests: Computational Social Sciences, Critical Infrastructure, Cybersecurity, Cyber Warfare, Defense, Ethics, Extremism Studies, Information and Communications Technologies (ICTs), Machine Learning, National Security, Natural Language Processing, Open-Source Intelligence (OSINT), Propaganda, Tech Governance & Policy

Personal Interests: Weightlifting, Kayaking, Mentoring Others, Lockpicking, Listening to 70/80s Music, Watching 80s/90s Movies, Taking Online Courses, Medieval History, and Learning Russian.

Education

University of Michigan: Ann Arbor —— School of Information

Masters of Science (M.S.)
Information (Concentration: Data Science & Security)
Related Courses: Statistics and Data Analysis, Crisis Informatics, Consulting Foundations, Intermediate Programming (Advanced Python), Data Manipulation, Information Privacy, Geographic Information Systems, Cybersecurity for Future Leaders, Advanced Machine Learning, Intro to Shell.
September 2019 - May 2021

New York University (NYU) —— Tandon School of Engineering

Bachelors of Science (B.S.)
Integrated Digital Media (Concentration: Web Development, Privacy & Ethics)
Related Courses: Programming & Problem Solving (Python), Creative Coding, Intro to Web Dev., Media Law, Ideation & Prototyping, Espionage and the Making of the Modern World, STS Cyborgs & Cybernetics, Intelligence and National Security Policymaking.
August 2015 - May 2019

Online Learning

Department of Homeland Security (DHS):

Experience

Graduate Student Instructor

University of Michigan, SI 431: Algorithms and Society

  • Assisting Professor Sarita Schoenebeck in SI 431 which examines the ways algorithms impact individuals and communities by investigating concepts of bias, discrimination, fairness, ethics, justice, and potential harms of emerging technologies.
  • Hosting office hours, assisting with instructional preparation, assessment, and leading discussions in critical areas of this field such as AI, Data Science & Cybersecurity.

Ann Arbor, MI
January 2021 - April 2021

Cyber Threat Intelligence Analyst Intern (ICS)

FireEye

  • On the Cyber-Physical team advancing threat intelligence reporting software and writing reports on Industrial Control System incidents, under the direction of senior analysts.
  • Updated relevant databases, identified and recommended solutions relevant to Cyber-Physical systems that could be implemented to increase value to Intelligence customers and deliver comprehensive, contextually rich, actionable intelligence.
  • Researched and wrote reports focused on cyber threats in various countries, industry challenges in managing operational/information technology (OT/IT) networks, and educational training within the ICS field.
  • Completed documentation which enables accessibility for less-technical users to utilize in-house software.

Remote
June 2020 - December 2020

System Security Researcher

UMichigan Multidisciplinary Design Program (MDP)

  • Working on the“System Security: Preventing Automotive Cyber Attacks” for Aptiv, the automotive parts technology company. Using the following tools: Zeek/Bro, Snort, Suricata, Wireshark, and VirtualBox.
  • Leading the Zeek/Bro Intrusion Detection System (IDS) team to research active threat detection methods and develop mitigation solutions on Aptiv’s Connected Secure Gateway Platform.
  • Writing documentation and reports for installation, configuration, and analysis of tools for stakeholder use and operations.

Ann Arbor, MI
January 2020 - December 2020

iSchool Inclusion Institute (i3) Research Fellow

University of Pittsburgh School of Computing and Information

  • Selected to be 1 of 24 fellows chosen for this nationally competitive fellowship to participate in research that prepares underrepresented students for careers in information and computing through funded research, academic workshops, and professional development.
  • Expanded skillset within Research Methodology, Data Visualization, Data Scraping/Analysis using tools such as Tableau, NVivo, and R.
  • Leading a team of students from across the country on this 20-month-long research project, where we use research methods such as Social Network Analysis, OSINT, New Media, and Thematic Analysis to understand the growing trends of domestic terrorism by those categorized as hate groups in the U.S.
  • Preliminary studies published at iConference 2020 in Borås, Sweden & iConference 2021.

Pittsburgh, PA & Remote
June 2019 - March 2021

Virtual Student Federal Service (VSFS) eIntern

U.S. Department of State (DOS)

  • Researching and analyzing models relevant to the understanding of megacities and dense urban environments in order to inform senior leaders on how future communication systems will perform in military operations.
  • Leading the EuCom regional group, and the Communications & Information (CI) functional group while supporting The Research and Analysis Center within Army Futures Command for the Department of Defense.
  • Presented Telecommunications research at the Military Operations Research Society (MORS) Analysis of Urban Warfare Conference in Quantico, VA (April 4th 2019)
Remote
September 2018 - May 2019


Data Security Intern

Association of Research Libraries (ARL)

  • Developed an offensive security penetration testing plan for the archivist tool, “ArchivesSpace” at NYU’s Bobst Library.
  • Researched IT/GDPR Policy and penetration methods through Virtual Machines (VMWare), application configuration and deployment on AWS to assess vulnerabilities within the application, EC2 instance, MFA Authentication, and physical security.
New York, NY
September 2018 - May 2019


Naval Research Enterprise Intern (NREIP)

US Marine Corps Warfighting Lab - Experiments Division

  • Researched and wrote a paper on forthcoming UAV military technology while proposing a new, CAD designed & 3D printed capability and created python code for an algebraic problem needing to be solved.
  • 2 Patents Pending with the Department of the Navy (DoN) and featured in the Navy base-wide science newsletter. (Interim Security Clearance). Expanded skillsets within government research, language specificity, innovation, and understanding chains of command.
  • Co-wrote a paper on international arms dealing (ITAR), researched Bluetooth security capabilities, conducted wargaming simulations, and learned about the inner workings of military leadership.
Quantico, VA
June 2018 - August 2018


Code as a Second Language (CSL) Regional Lead

Hispanic Hertiage Foundation (HHF)

  • Taught 60+ young minorities (Yielding 50% Female participation) at a High School in the Bronx how to code.
  • Created course curriculum, oversaw student volunteers, and presented on topics ranging from web design, internet security, app making, and college application guidance.
  • Seamlessly translated between English and Spanish to maximize students learning potential.
  • Facilitated students creative thinking mindsets, open dialogue for questioning, and collaboration through technical projects and break out sessions.
  • Lead groups of students to create 5 coding projects ranging from an Android App to website designs and increased their interest and confidence in STEM careers.
  • Program Goal: To not only teach the students new technical skills but to also make them aware of how technology impacts their larger community and where STEM + Higher Education could take them in life.
New York, NY
September 2017 - April 2019

Skills

Technical
  • Programming: Python, SQL, R, HTML, CSS, JavaScript
  • Data Science/Machine Learning: Jupyter Notebook, Tableau, NVivo, ggplot2, Plotly, Seaborn, Numpy, Data Scraping & Analysis, Data Mining, Random Forest, Regression, Clustering, Classification, Neural Network, Latent Semantic Analysis
  • Security: VMWare, Window, Mac, Shell and Linux Environments, Zeek/Bro, OSINT Framework, Industrial Control Systems (ICS) Cybersecurity Practices
  • Research Methods: Quant & Qual (Mixed-Methods), Exploratory, Thematic, Semantic, and Social Network Analysis
  • Design: Web Development, User Experience Design, Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign)
  • Other Topics: Technical Writing & Documentation, CAD, ArcGIS, Archive-It


Non-Technical
  • Native English & Spanish Speaker
  • Public Speaking
  • Resourceful
  • Adaptable
  • Quick Learner
  • Self-Motivated

Projects

Fire Eye Internship

FireEye

Summer & Fall 2020 Internship

si 618

SI 618 f

link

i3 Logo

i3 Inclusion Institute

Extremisim & Machine Learning Research/PPTS

VSFS Intern

VSFS Intern

D.O.S./Project PPT

USMC Intern

USMC Intern

Summer Project PPT

mused lab Intern

CSL/Mused Lab

Summer Project PPT

Publications

  • iConference 2021
    • Duque, Marilu F., et al. “Exploring Patterns in White Extremists' Ideologies: A Preliminary Mixed Methods Approach to Analyzing Manifestos Shared via ICTs.” IDEALS @ Illinois, ISchools, 17 Mar. 2021, hdl.handle.net/2142/109708.
  • iConference 2020
    • Duque, Marilu F., et al. “An Unholy Alliance: Christian Identity Extremists and ICTs.” IDEALS @ Illinois, ISchools, 23 Mar. 2020, hdl.handle.net/2142/106598.


Papers

Awards & Scholarships

Media Coverage & Talks

SANS Cyber Camp For Teens Keynote: "Cybersecurity For Social Good"

August 2020

TV Interviews About Scholarships

2019

Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC) - Crane Division Article: "A Fresh Look at Diversity"

This article was published in the Department of the Navy’s NSWC Crane base-wide newsletter (DoD Viewing Only) detailing completed projects during a weeklong innovation challenge at NSWC Crane for my USMC Warfighting Lab (MCWL) Engineering Research Internship. The interns participated in a collaborative Warfighter-Driven Challenge at the Rapid Innovation Prototyping Laboratory (RIPL) alongside technical experts, engineers, and Marines from the MCWL NCO Fellowship Program.The challenge goal was to develop rapid prototype solutions to challenges in the areas of ergonomics, situational awareness, and urban breaching.
August 2018

LOFT STEM Symposium @ Lehman College

March 2017

College Board Collaboration

December 2016

LOFT Coder Summit @ Columbia University

September 2016

ESA LOFT Fellowship @ U.S. Congress

October 2015

Hispanicize 2015 Panel: "Latina Innovators Embracing STEM: Meet the Stereotype-smashing Game-changers Leading the Movement"

March 2015

ESA LOFT Fellowship @ White House

Presented my Android application "My Fitness Journey", created to help teens pursue a healthier lifestyle, to White House officials, corporate partners, policy makers and peers, as part of the ESA LOFT Fellowship.
October 2014

UCF Day

Invited to speak at the Young Women Leaders Program's (YWLP) UCF Day to speak to middle school girls about the need for more Women in STEM.
March 2014

Girls Code Day Speaker

Inner Potential, a Central Florida non-profit, invited me to their 'Girls Code day' to motivate a group of 30+ girls to pursue STEM opportunities and careers.
January 2014

Award Announcements

2014-2020

Services

TBA

Contact Me

Thank you for visiting! Feel free to reach out if you want to chat about my projects, collaborate, connect, or offer advice.