NCITE (National Counterterrorism Innovation, Technology, and Education) is the Department of Homeland Security\u27s center of excellence for terrorism prevention and counterterrorism research. They are a federally funded academic consortium based in Omaha, Nebraska. Their newsletters covers the current news, activities, and updates of the center and the latest in counterterrorism research. NCITEr newsletter covers specifically center updates

National Counterterrorism Innovation, Technology, and Education Center

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The University of Nebraska, Omaha

University of Nebraska at Omaha DigitalCommons@UNO Newsletters National Counterterrorism Innovation, Technology, and Education (NCITE) 9-2023 The NCITEr Newsletter September 2023 National Counterterrorism Innovation, Technology, and Education Center Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.unomaha.edu/ncitenewsletters Please take our feedback survey at: https://unomaha.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_8cchtFmpDyGfBLE Recommended Citation National Counterterrorism Innovation, Technology, and Education Center, "The NCITEr Newsletter September 2023" (2023). Newsletters. 15. https://digitalcommons.unomaha.edu/ncitenewsletters/15 This Newsletter is brought to you for free and open access by the National Counterterrorism Innovation, Technology, and Education (NCITE) at DigitalCommons@UNO. It has been accepted for inclusion in Newsletters by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@UNO. For more information, please contact unodigitalcommons@unomaha.edu. 📫 NCITEr Newsletter: September 2023View in browserSEPTEMBER 2023Dear Reader, I write this as the country is on the verge of a likely government shutdown. I have done work for the federal government during other shutdowns and, each time, they’ve felt jarring and disruptive in ways difficult to quantify in dollars and cents.For example, I remember leading my first federal grant for USSTRATCOM during the 2013 shutdown, when my program manager could no longer talk on the phone with me nor come to campus for important events. I remember explaining to the students on the project that they would still be paid, and I remember their incredulous expressions as they tried to understand how some people could be deemed “non-essential” when they worked in organizations charged with keeping us safe. And I remember the 2018-2019 shutdown that stretched over the holidays, dampening the typical joy of the season with uncertainty about whether our work would continue. 📫 NCITEr Newsletter: September 2023It’s a confusing time for those of us who have come to expect and look forward toour daily interactions with members of the federal government — particularly sincethey are prevented from managing their grants and contracts.The good news is that NCITE’s Year 4 award from the Department of HomelandSecurity’s Science and Technology Directorate (S&T), which funds more than 50academics across 29 institutions, was executed in the past few weeks. Ourgovernment program and project managers at S&T, as well as contract officerepresentatives across the federal government, have worked tirelessly to make surethat none of our work would depend on them being “allowed” to work over thecoming weeks. Because of this, we've recently been able to hold kickoffs for several new projectsthat have great importance to national security. Among them:Sam Hunter will lead a team to redefine what it means to be an extremistorganization in America. Austin Doctor and START’s Marcus Boyd will look at the malign use ofgeospatial technology.A large team from the University of Nebraska – Lincoln’s Public Policy Centerand the University of Nebraska at Omaha’s I-O psychology and criminologyprograms will examine the National Threat Evaluation and Reporting (NTER)Office’s Behavioral Threat Assessment Management (BTAM) programming. American University’s Joe Young and his collaborator Daisy Muibu will start astudy about a peer support program that might have promise for the nationalsecurity workforce above and beyond where it is currently implemented. And I will work with my colleague directors at sister academic researchcenters across the U.K., Canada, New Zealand, Australia, Germany, Norway,and France to launch a long-term international collaboration for studying theprevention of terrorism and targeted violence.  We will work on these difficult national security problems despite the notableabsence of our government colleagues who inspired and sponsored it all. But before they go, I hope this issue of the NCITEr will serve as a quick update onwhat else our academic Center of Excellence is doing. You will find articles oninspiring students mentored by Chapman University’s Pete Simi, and you will read asummary of the international award that UNO student Eva Burklund won at theCREST BASS conference. We also link to a timely and important new report fromthe University of Maine team that examines the challenges faced by family membersof extremists. Finally, you will see a run down of awards and media mentions ofNCITErs in the news – we have truly assembled an incredible resource for the U.S.government in all of you – I am eager to amplify your work here and on our digitalresearch repository at Digital Commons.  In short, despite the difficult and disruptive message that Congress sends with apotential government shutdown, I am hopeful that you will help your labs andresearch teams see the importance of the work in times like this — we hold the linewhen our government colleagues cannot. The relevance of the problems you are tackling will be even more important whenour colleagues return to their desks. Keep focusing, grinding, and innovating.  📫 NCITEr Newsletter: September 2023They are counting on us. GINA LIGONNCITE Center DirectorSave the Date for ENVISION24! June 26-28, 2024📫 NCITEr Newsletter: September 2023Mark your calendars! We're hosting our next in-person conference in Omaha June26-28, 2024. Here, we'll bring our consortium of expert researchers together withleaders in national security, academia, law enforcement, and more. Stay tuned formore details!SEE PHOTOS AND VIDEO FROM OUR LAST CONFERENCEOct. 19: Exploring Trauma in Counterterrorism WorkAcademic researchers, government practitioners, and others in the counterterrorismmission community are tasked daily with examining violent and disturbing material.The trauma incurred in the course of this work can take a profound toll – on thepersonal lives of the individuals and the field as a whole. We'll explore this topic atan upcoming panel. Join keynote speaker Celia Durall of the NCTC and panelists:Matthew Crayne, Ph.D., SUNY AlbanyNeil Shortland, Ph.D., University of Massachusetts LowellDaisy Muibu, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Security StudiesREGISTER NOWBuilding Connections in D.C.📫 NCITEr Newsletter: September 2023This summer, a team from NCITE traveled to Washington, D.C., to host a workshopthat brought together national leaders and experts on improvised explosive devices.Held Aug. 8-9 at the American Geophysical Union, the workshop aimed to identifyoperational challenges and related knowledge gaps facing the counter-IED missioncommunity. The workshop was a key element of an NCITE research project led byAustin Doctor, head of counterterrorism research initiatives, that aims to create acomprehensive report on research challenges in combating terrorist use ofexplosives. The project is supported by DHS S&T Technical Program Manager DanaSaft and CISA OBP Strategy Branch Deputy Jason Stewart.Student Spotlight: Chapman Team Monitors Threats📫 NCITEr Newsletter: September 2023NCITE is leading the national conversation on the rising problem of threats to publicofficials, thanks to a research project led by Chapman University’s Pete Simi. Butdocumenting the scope the problem wouldn’t be possible without the studentresearchers on Simi’s team.READ MORE ABOUT THE TEAMExplore NCITE Research – New Project Pages📫 NCITEr Newsletter: September 2023We've updated our website to include individual project pages for each of our Year 4endeavors. Click through and explore the critical research happening across ourconsortium. Have an update on a project? Email ncite@unomaha.edu to share!LEARN MORE ABOUT NCITE RESEARCHStudent Spotlight: NCITE's Eva BurklundEva Burklund, NCITE student communications assistant, traveled to the UnitedKingdom this summer for the Behavioral and Social Sciences in Security (BASS)conference. There, she took home the judge's award for best poster for her researchexploring the rhetoric of extremist leaders. LEARN MORE ABOUT EVAReport Highlight: University of Maine📫 NCITEr Newsletter: September 2023NCITE researcher Karyn Sporer, University of Maine, recently submitted a reporton her project examining barriers that can discourage family members ofhomegrown violent extremists from recognizing and reporting suspicious activity.These barriers include:Histories of acute violence and traumaMissed and misunderstood warning signsInterventions and fear of the negative consequences of reportingREAD THE REPORTKicking Off New Innovative ResearchThis month, NCITE hosted kickoff meetings with DHS stakeholders for four newresearch projects:International Academic Partnerships for Science and Security – led byGina Ligon (NCITE) and Stacey Conchie (CREST)Current and Emerging Malign Use of Geospatial Technologies toThreaten Critical Infrastructure in the United States – led by Austin Doctor(NCITE), Marcus Boyd (START), and Samuel Henkin (START)NTER Office Initiatives – led by Tin Nguyen (NCITE), Andrea Walker(NCITE) Domestic Violent Extremist Landscape – led by Sam Hunter (NCITE) andGina Ligon (NCITE)NCITE News and Updates📫 NCITEr Newsletter: September 2023NCITE Moves into New OfficesNCITE has moved into new office space in the Scott Technology Center on theUniversity of Nebraska at Omaha campus. Stay tuned for more information on anofficial ribbon cutting.Hunter Gets Named ProfessorshipSam Hunter, head of innovation and emerging threats, has been named theRegents-Foundation Professor of Industrial-Organizational Psychology at theUniversity of Nebraska at Omaha. Hunter formally accepted the award on Sept. 28.Got News to Share? Tell Us!Do you know an NCITE investigator who has done something amazing recently?We want to know! Please share news about awards, publications, and otheraccomplishments early and often. We welcome student news especially – thesisdefenses, conference presentations, accepted journal articles, and more. Emailncite@unomaha.edu.A Sampling of NCITErs in the NewsEvan Perkoski (University of Connecticut), The Associated Press"A flamethrower and comments about book burning ignite a political firestormin Missouri"Steven Windisch (Temple University), azfamily.com "Report raises concerns about domestic terrorism funding"📫 NCITEr Newsletter: September 2023Michelle Black (University of Nebraska at Omaha), UNO News"UNO researcher shares expertise at Arctic defense conference"Gina Ligon (University of Nebraska at Omaha), Real Clear Defense"What keeps the homeland security enterprise up at night?"Pete Simi (Chapman University), Disaster Zone"A growing threat of violence against public officials"GRANT ACKNOWLEDGMENT & DISCLAIMERThe material in this newsletter is based on work supported by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security underGrant Award Number, 20STTPC00001-04-00. The views and conclusions included here are those of the authorsand should not be interpreted as necessarily representing the official policies, either expressed or implied, of theU.S. Department of Homeland Security.UNO NONDISCRIMINATION POLICYThe University of Nebraska does not discriminate based on race, color, ethnicity, national origin, sex, pregnancy,sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, disability, age, genetic information, veteran status, marital status,and/or political affiliation in its education programs or activities, including admissions and employment. TheUniversity prohibits any form of retaliation being taken against anyone for reporting discrimination, harassment, orretaliation for otherwise engaging in protected activity. Read the full statement.University of Nebraska Omaha, 6001 Dodge Street, Omaha, NE 68182, United States, 402.554.2800Unsubscribe Manage preferences

The NCITEr Newsletter September 2023

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The NCITEr Newsletter September 2023

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