Information Sciences and Technology

Health care cybersecurity expert to address IST honor society on Nov. 4

Heather M. Costa, director of technology resilience at the Mayo Clinic and a Penn State World Campus alumna, will speak at the Order of the Sword & Shield National Honor Society induction ceremony

Penn State alumna Heather M. Costa will address the Penn State Chapter of the Order of the Sword & Shield National Honor Society on Nov. 4. Credit: Provided. All Rights Reserved.

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Heather M. Costa, director of technology resilience at the Mayo Clinic, will address the Penn State Chapter of the Order of the Sword & Shield National Honor Society on Nov. 4 at the Eric J. Barron Innovation Hub in State College.

The College of Information Sciences and Technology (IST) established the chapter in 2023 and will induct its second cohort at this year’s ceremony. The Order of the Sword & Shield — also known as Omicron Sigma Sigma — is an academic and professional honor society that recognizes academic excellence in the fields of homeland security, intelligence, emergency management, cyber and information security, and all protective studies, according to the organization’s website.

In her role at the Mayo Clinic, Costa is responsible for the strategic direction, development and implementation of an enterprise-wide program that ensures the recoverability of IT resources to safeguard patient care in the event of a technology disruption. She is the education chair for Women in Cybersecurity Healthcare Affiliate. She previously served as a member of the operational board of the Association of Healthcare Emergency Preparedness Professionals (AHEPP) and co-led the AHEPP Professional Standards Committee.

Costa earned a bachelor of science degree in emergency management and homeland security with a minor in digital forensics, summa cum laude, from the University of Akron and a master of professional studies in homeland security – information security and forensics from Penn State World Campus. She is a member of Alpha Sigma Lambda National Honor Society, Tau Sigma National Honor Society, and the Order of the Sword & Shield National Honor Society. Costa is a Certified Business Continuity Professional, a Certified Cyber Resilience Professional, and holds certifications in ITIL, cybersecurity, emergency management, domestic preparedness, and health care leadership for mass casualty incidents.

Twenty-two undergraduate students from the College of IST will be inducted. To qualify for membership, students must have completed 50% of their security-related program and have a minimum grade-point average of 3.25.

  • Fay Aaron
  • Paige Barnes
  • Emily Bogle
  • Logan Bohn
  • Pamela Carey
  • Daniel Ignacio Díaz Flórez
  • Liam Geyer
  • Tushar Kukawada
  • Kaitlyn T. Martin
  • Andrew Jacob McGarrity
  • Naomi McDonald
  • Olivia Oviedo
  • Ashley Osganian
  • Het Sanjaykumar Patel
  • Riegen Poduszlo
  • Asa Reynolds
  • Isabella Kathleen Shook
  • Heather Storz
  • Zayna Talaat
  • Maguire Younes
  • Noah Youcheff
  • Winston J. W. White
Last Updated October 29, 2024

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