December is the month of ticking clocks as we wrap up a fall semester and another year.
At NCITE, our clock is chiming our halfway mark. Our DHS Center of Excellence has reached the exact mid-point of our 10-year grant that funds important targeted violence and terrorism prevention research. As hard as it is for me to believe, I must say the hour calls for a reflection on all that we have achieved so far together: $50 million in extramural funding to help keep our nation safe, thanks to an interdisciplinary consortium of scientists – more than 60 researchers from 43 institutions across the U.S. and Europe. Our latest annual report offers insight into this impactful work. Be sure to check out our impact numbers and profiles of a researcher, stakeholder, and student!
In this fifth research year alone, NCITE is conducting 34 different research projects examining the complicated issue of terrorism from different angles. This applied research is meant to be useful to the homeland security enterprise. I’m proud that we don’t sit on the good work we do – we share it out through end-user working groups, webinars, presentations, publications, events, and with the news media. Please check out our latest videos – whether it’s Martha Crenshaw explaining the fall of the Assad regime in Syria on our podcast, NCITE Insights, or Joe Young and Daisy Muibu describing the importance of peer support programs to keep counterterrorism workers resilient.
Also, we have created a new fellowship for policymakers to help us put our research to use. In this newsletter, you’ll read about our first cohort of research-to-practice fellows.
One of our core priorities is generating new insights to defend the U.S. against novel and emerging threats. We are, therefore, in the market for the best, most relevant, and cutting-edge ideas for our Year 6 request for proposals. Yes, the clock is also ticking toward our sixth research year, and you’ll see outlined in this newsletter ways to apply for funding.
This time of year also prompts me to look ahead to the exciting opportunities for our NCITE consortium to grow. The next calendar year will feature our biennial review and next International Academic Partnerships for Science and Security conference, to be held in May at The Hague in the Netherlands. NCITE partner ICCT won the proposal to host this international event to develop the next generation of counterterrorism and terrorism prevention scholars.
As 2024 winds down and we gear up for 2025, know that the ticking clock also reminds us to attend to what will keep us strong and resilient in the new year. I hope you can find some quiet time away from deadlines and news drumbeats to consider how meaningful our work together is.
GINA LIGON
NCITE Center Director
NCITE News
📢 Announcing NCITE's Year 6 RFP 📢
NCITE has opened its annual RFP. We seek to continue innovating, educating, and creating new counterterrorism and prevention strategies while building a crucial workforce pipeline in STEM and homeland security fields. Apply for NCITE funding by Friday, Feb. 21 2025.
NCITE Speaker Series: Prosecuting Terrorism – A Conversation with U.S. Attorney Trini Ross
The legal system plays a critical role in responding to terrorism. The U.S. District Court for the Western District of New York has a long history of prosecuting terrorism cases and is leading the way in structuring these prosecutions. Ross, U.S. attorney for the Western District of New York, will talk about the challenges of prosecuting terrorism cases.
International Academic Partnerships for Science and Security (IAPSS) Calls for Communities of Interest (CoIs)
Apply to become a CoI, or a group focusing on an area advancing understanding of terrorism and targeted violence prevention. Application due April 2025. Learn more here.
NCITE Year 4 Annual Report
In NCITE's fourth year, the Center responded quickly to a changing threat environment and found a new home on the UNO campus.
NCITE Selects Two New Research Teams to Study Cyber Threats
Researchers from the Georgia Institute of Technology and the University of Oklahoma are leading teams to probe cyber threats to the nation's critical infrastructure. Learn more about their projects and other partners.
In October, NCITE hosted Jen Easterly, director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), plus held a summit with five secretaries of state to discuss safe and secure elections.
On Oct. 17, NCITE hosted a webinar to discuss the threat environment surrounding the 2024 election, including conspiracy theories, threats against election workers, and public support of political violence.
On Oct. 30, NCITE hosted a webinar with scholar John Horgan, Ph.D., and author of "Terrorist Minds: The Psychology of Violent Extremism from Al-Qaeda to the Far-Right."
On Dec. 5, NCITE hosted a webinar with NCITE researchers Daisy Muibu, Ph.D., and Joe Young, Ph.D., on vicarious trauma in the counterterrorism workforce and how peer support programs can help address it.
Listen and Subscribe to NCITE Insights
Join host Erin Grace for NCITE's podcast that aims to make sense of the day's headlines as they relate to terrorism and targeted violence. You can check out our latest episodes below and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Podbean, and YouTube.
On the one-year anniversary of the Oct. 7 attack on Israel by Hamas, NCITE experts offered their perspectives on how the attack and its aftermath have shaped the violent extremist landscape in the U.S. and internationally.
The Relationship Between Language Use and Conspiracy Beliefs
Isabelle van der Vegt, Bettina Rottweiler, and Paul Gill identify language markers associated with a general tendency to engage in conspiratorial thinking.
Allen has taken the role of director of operations and research services where he will build internal research services and combine operations across research and education functions.
Austin Doctor
Doctor will be the head of NCITE strategic initiatives with responsibilities including leading strategic planning, helping diversify funding streams, representing NCITE in community and national events, and leading the review process for NCITE's annual RFP.
Sam Hunter
Hunter will take on the role of senior scientist and head of academic research where he will enhance the academic research profile of NCITE, focusing on increasing the quality and volume of academic, peer-reviewed journal publications.
Angie Benda
After being a graduate research assistant for NCITE, Benda has taken a position as a full-time research associate where she will be working on the Holistic Risk Assessment project.
Kelsey Ciagala
NCITE Research Associate Ciagala will leave NCITE at the end of the month to do organizational development work for CISA in the Washington, D.C.-area.
NCITE Research-to-Practice Fellows
NCITE has brought aboard three experts to help make research even more relevant to practitioners.
Jenna Hopkins
Hopkins is a national security expert with a decade of experience in policy, research, and strategic communications across nonprofits, government, and academia, including serving as a professional staff member on homeland security-focused committees within the U.S. Congress.
Russ Porter
Porter has advised and helped develop programs for the DNI, the Attorney General of the United States, the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, and countless other senior executives and organizations across all levels of government.
Matt Wein
Wein worked at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, in the private sector, and as a congressional staffer on national security issues.
Welcome NCITE New Hires
Sheila Hansen
Hansen joined NCITE as a senior administrative associate and will support NCITE with center operation and events.
Keira Nevius
Nevius joined NCITE as a graphic designer and will help to build and standardize the brand aesthetic for the Center’s research products and public-facing materials.
Follow NCITE on BlueSky
NCITE has a new social media handle on BlueSky. Follow us @ncite.bsky.social.
📰 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 other accomplishments early and often. We welcome student news especially – thesis defenses, conference presentations, accepted journal articles, and more. Email them to ncite@unomaha.edu.
GRANT ACKNOWLEDGMENT & DISCLAIMER
The material in this newsletter is based on work supported by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security under Grant Award Number, 20STTPC00001-05. 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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