DawsCon 2026, Dawson College’s annual software conference, captivated attendees with dynamic panels, student presentations, and actionable insights into tech careers and innovation.

The one-day conference on Feb. 24 began with a career panel featuring six professionals from diverse backgrounds, offering students a broad range of perspectives across different career paths.

A key theme of the discussion was how students can make the greatest impact during their internships. Panelists emphasized the importance of understanding an organization’s structure, observing how teams collaborate, and proactively identifying ways to add meaningful value to the host company. Taking initiative, asking thoughtful questions, and demonstrating adaptability were highlighted as essential qualities.
Several panelists were graduates from different years at Dawson College and spoke enthusiastically about their time there. They reflected on how their experience at Dawson shaped their career path.

The panel was followed by presentations from more than 50 sixth-semester students, who showcased their work to an engaged audience. Highlights included:

• Melania Chiru’s lightning talk, “Lost in Translation: How to Explain Your Code Without Losing Your Audience,“generated the most buzz. Her presentation resonated strongly with students by highlighting a challenge every developer faces: communicating technical ideas clearly.
• Antoine Labbé drew significant interest with “Security Vulnerabilities and Solutions in Quantum Computing.”His talk stood out for tackling an emerging and complex field while making the risks and potential safeguards understandable to a broad audience.
• Massi Djaiz’s “Sandboxing a Web Browser?”was widely considered the most actionable session for students. His practical breakdown of browser isolation, security mechanisms, and real-world implementation strategies gave attendees concrete knowledge they could apply.
• Haider Ahmed’s “Social Hacking in the Era of AI”sparked lively discussion. He explored how hacking techniques have evolved with artificial intelligence, including the use of AI-generated voice clips to impersonate individuals online.
• Jennifer Huang presented on which programming languages perform best in LLM-based information retrieval, sharing the surprising finding that Polish emerged as particularly effective in certain retrieval contexts.
• Among the infographics, the top posters were created by Luke Weaver, Antoine Oparin, Caden Ho, and Khymari Sandy. Their work was recognized for strong visual design, clarity, and the ability to distill complex technical concepts into accessible formats.

-Submitted by Mahsa Sadeghi