UNF Honors student turns opportunity into AI and cybersecurity impact

As a dual enrollment student in high school, Ella Luedeke entered the University of North Florida in fall 2023, with enough credits to begin as a sophomore and immediately charted a path toward helping solve complex problems in computing, AI and cybersecurity.  

Now a senior at the Hicks Honors College, Luedeke has already set herself apart by earning two national research awards, studying abroad, leading a cyber security club on campus and completing two internships and currently working on her third.   

Her success is due to her own determination, supported by guidance and mentorship from UNF faculty and staff.  

In May, Luedeke will graduate with a bachelor’s degree in computer science and a minor in leadership. But she won’t stop learning. 

Luedeke, a native of New Smyrna Beach, has landed an internship for this summer at Sandia National Laboratories, a U.S. Department of Energy engineering and science lab located in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where she’ll work as she prepares to enter graduate school.  

The destination: UNF 

Choosing UNF to attend college felt effortless to Luedeke.  

“It was close to home, my family backed my decision, especially since my older sister decided to go to UNF as well, and the Honors College offered strong support for study abroad,” she said. 

She recalled attending the Honors College preview night for prospective students and learning about study abroad opportunities was especially exciting.  

That excitement became reality in summer 2024, when she received both the Student Affairs International Learning (SAIL) scholarship and an Honors scholarship to study and conduct research in Athens, Greece. 

“Studying abroad was such a rewarding experience,” she said. “I worked on web development and project management.” 

Last summer, Luedeke was selected for a National Science Foundation (NSF) Research Experiences for Undergraduates project, an eight-week online research program with the University of Texas at Arlington. The project focused on applying natural language processing to animal communication, exploring how text or audio data could be analyzed with machine learning techniques to better understand and potentially decode the way animals communicate. Luedeke found the project aligned with her interest in applying machine learning to biological and real-world data.       

Her second NSF project took place onsite at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. There she worked on a Department of Energy-funded grant aimed at developing cybersecurity education tools for engineering students studying vulnerabilities in power system infrastructures. The project culminated in an invitation to present her research at Seattle University last November, followed by the publication of her paper in the spring edition of the Journal of Colloquium for Information Systems Security Education (CISSE). 

“It was truly a humbling experience to be among seasoned industry professionals and faculty in AI and cybersecurity, and having them listen to my research presentation,” Luedeke said.  

She also presented her research at SOARS, the U-GLIDE Symposium, and several other academic showcases at UNF. 

She points to the mentorship of Dr. Tiffany Kershner, director of Global and National Awards at the Hicks Honors College, as a driving force in helping her pursue — and secure — these competitive opportunities. 

“Applying for a competitive national award certainly involves dedication,” Kershner said. “Ella has the stamina, courage and drive to take the risk and invest the time to develop these applications, and that risk has paid off.” 

Supportive faculty help students excel 

Throughout her academic journey at UNF, Luedeke has leaned on the mentorship of Dr. Indika Kahanda, associate professor in the School of Computing, who she credits with guiding her through challenging coursework and helping her grow as a researcher. 

“Ella is the type of student who is driven, persistent in the face of challenges and maintains steady progress even in demanding research settings,” Kahanda said. “She is among the most driven and hardworking undergraduate researchers I have worked with.” 

Under his mentorship, Luedeke progressed from excelling in coursework to publishing research, even serving as first author on a recently submitted manuscript “Teaching Infrastructure Security Through Interactive Experiences: Modeling Cyberattacks in Gamified Learning,” soon to be published.  

Balancing research, coursework, national award applications, mentoring as a Peer Assisted Student Success Leader, as well as graduate school preparation and campus involvement requires discipline — something both Kahanda and Kershner say she has in abundance. 

“Ella was a facilitator for the Honors Colloquium course, involved in clubs, conducted research and applied for prestigious graduate programs, all while keeping up with a full course load,” Kershner said. “I’m always impressed by how some students, like Ella, can balance all these obligations.” 

Kahanda echoed that sentiment. “Her perseverance, attention to detail, maturity and resourcefulness truly set her apart. She consistently performs well above her peers.” 

For Luedeke, research has been one of the most meaningful parts of her UNF experience — especially in a field where undergraduate research in computer science is less common. 

“Students need to be proactive and seek out opportunities,” she said. “Research opened my horizons and helped me make great connections. Even though much of my work happens behind the scenes, I see how powerful and practical it is.” 

Learning through internships and leadership opportunities 

This semester, Luedeke began an internship with School of Computing professor Dr. Karthik Umapathy, contributing to UNF’s Data Science for Social Good initiative.  

Beyond her academic and research accomplishments, Luedeke is committed to uplifting others. Since fall 2023, she has served as president of the Women in Cybersecurity Club at UNF, where she works on building community and encouraging more women to enter the field. 

“The club is a support system for women in cybersecurity,” she said. “We bring in industry speakers who have succeeded in the field.” 

She also serves on the editorial board for the Florida Undergraduate Research Journal, reviewing submissions from across the state — an experience she says has broadened her perspective and sharpened her writing. 

When she’s not coding, researching or analyzing data, she unwinds by playing guitar, one of her favorite ways to decompress. 

Looking ahead, Luedeke has already been accepted to the University of Cambridge for graduate school and is awaiting decisions from other programs. She’s also eager to start her internship at Sandia National Laboratories. 

“All of my internships have been academia-related, so this is an exciting new opportunity with an industry-based governmental agency,” she said 

Still, she will miss UNF. 

“I can’t say enough about my faculty mentors at UNF,” Luedeke said. “They have done a great job setting me up for the next stage of my academic and professional career.”