NCITE held its first in-person conference in Omaha last month. Looking through the photos, tweets, speaking notes, and award recognitions from the event has overwhelmed me with gratitude.
I am grateful for the many public servants who gathered in the middle of the country for national security. So often these meetings are held in the Beltway. But ENVISION22 was different – it was held in a small-big city, where hotel rooms were well below government GSA lodging rates (though Ubers were crazily priced high), steaks were tasty, and kindness was everywhere. Guests from 13 states, Washington, D.C., and the U.K. traveled to hear about cutting-edge research, education programs, and innovative technology during two days on the Scott Campus of the University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO).
I am grateful for senior leadership support for counterterrorism and targeted violence prevention research. The first day’s events started with a Zoom from the White House and ended with guests entering the metaverse and socializing with top university, federal, state, and local leaders. Many stayed a second day to network with students.
I am grateful for your inspiration. I won’t lie, being the director of NCITE is the most challenging role I have ever had. Every day feels like the first day — that there are new problems to solve, challenges to navigate, and resources to secure. But seeing the students interact with the national security leaders, watching the look on the face of a San Diego State University student when he won a prize for his work on weaponizing fentanyl, and getting to celebrate my role model, Martha Crenshaw, were inspiring.
What you’ll see below is a recap of the event with links to videos, photos, stories, and more. I envision more collaboration to come.
GINA LIGON
NCITE Center Director
ENVISION22: Recapping a Long-Awaited Milestone
They came from near and far guided by a shared mission: To better understand some of the world’s most pressing problems. On Oct. 27 and 28, the National Counterterrorism Innovation, Technology, and Education Center (NCITE) hosted ENVISION22, its first in-person annual conference.
The mood was surprisingly light as five NCITE students sat around a long, rectangular table in the Glass House – called this because of its many windows overlooking the UNO campus – stuffing black folders for the ENVISION22 conference beginning the next day.
Samantha Vinograd, assistant secretary for counterterrorism and threat prevention with the Department of Homeland Security, was just one of several distinguished names to speak at ENVISION22. See video of their remarks.
STUDENT RESEARCH: Posters from the Counterterrorism Workforce of Tomorrow
NCITE hosted a student research poster contest, sponsored by industry partner Splunk, at ENVISION22. Students were asked to present their research findings and discuss their projects with attendees throughout the conference. NCITE's research team recognized three standout posters with awards.
A DISTINGUISHED CAREER: NCITE Honors Martha Crenshaw, a Legend in Terrorism Research
On the second day of ENVISION22, NCITE recognized Martha Crenshaw, director of the Mapping Militants Project at Stanford University, with our first Career Achievement Award. Dr. Crenshaw published her first article on terrorism in 1972 as a graduate student at the University of Virginia. Since then, she has published more than 40 articles, covering the ideological spectrum of jihadist suicide bombers, war in Algeria, ethnic violence in India and Sri Lanka, and more recent work on the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.
MORE FROM NCITE
JOB ALERT
Another DHS Center of Excellence is hiring for two project manager positions. Full consideration date is Nov. 11.
The 2023 DHS Summer Research Team applications are live until Jan. 10. The purpose for the DHS Summer Research Team Program is to increase and enhance the scientific leadership at Minority Serving Institutions (MSI) in research areas that support the mission and goals of DHS. This program provides faculty and student research teams with the opportunity to conduct research at university-based DHS Centers of Excellence.
NCITE is currently working on communications to go out to universities within our consortium to distribute in hopes you’d have relationships with MSIs in your area. Stay tuned for information to follow.
NCITE is planning for its fourth research year as a DHS Center of Excellence. We plan to release our Year 4 Request for Proposals next month to give plenty of time for potential performers to develop proposals before the deadline in spring 2023. If you’re interested in submitting a proposal for an NCITE project starting July 1, 2023, keep an eye on your inbox and our website for more information.
ICYMI: Research Roundup
NCITE launched its first in a series of email-blast summaries of the latest research in counterterrorism and targeted violence topic areas. These include:
Plain-language summaries and links to new academic articles
Updates on relevant work by members of the NCITE consortium
The material in this newsletter is based on work supported by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security under Grant Award Number, 20STTPC00001-03-01. The views and conclusions included here are those of the authors and should not be interpreted as necessarily representing the official policies, either expressed or implied, of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
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