News Archive

In NCITE's fourth year, the Center responded quickly to a changing threat environment and found a new home on the UNO campus. Read about it in our Year 4 annual report.

On the latest episode of the podcast, interim host Blake Ursch speaks with NCITE senior research faculty and policy associate Seamus Hughes about his research on threats to public officials in light of the recent presidential election.

Research teams that worked with NCITE last summer have received follow-on funding from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Science and Technology Directorate to continue their work.

On the latest episode of the podcast, host Erin Grace speaks with NCITE researcher Steven Windisch, Ph.D. about his research investigating threats to election officials during the 2024 election cycle.

On Oct. 17, NCITE hosted a webinar with researchers in the consortium to discuss the threat environment surrounding the 2024 election, including conspiracy theories, threats against election workers, and public support of political violence.

On Oct. 8-9, NCITE hosted Jen Easterly, director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), and five Midwestern secretaries of state to discuss the challenges of the 2024 election and priorities for keeping it secure.

This summer, a team from Haskell Indian Nations University in Lawrence, Kansas, spent 10 weeks with NCITE creating a program that would train public safety officers on tribal lands to use drones to prevent crime and domestic terrorism. The team was paired with NCITE through DHS's Summer Research Team program.

On the one-year anniversary of the Oct. 7 attack on Israel by Hamas, NCITE experts offer their perspectives on how the attack and its aftermath have shaped the violent extremist landscape in the U.S. and internationally. 

On the latest episode of the podcast, host Erin Grace sits down with Stanford University's Martha Crenshaw, Ph.D., to discuss Lebanese terrorist organization Hezbollah, covering its conflict with Israel, its ties to Iran, and recent developments in the Middle East. 

On Sept. 19, NCITE hosted a webinar discussing new research that addresses how to protect individuals and organizations from unexpected threats. Panelists were NCITE's Sam Hunter and Kat Parsons, and Rik Legault of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

After years of research and design, an NCITE research team has successfully secured a patent for chatbot technology designed to streamline suspicious activity reporting forms.

On a two-part episode of the podcast, host Erin Grace speaks with two guests who share their perspectives on misogynist extremism. Sam Hunter, Ph.D., and Brenna Helm discuss the manosphere, the factors that can lead men to misogyny, and intervention opportunities.

On the 23rd anniversary of the worst terrorist attack on U.S. soil, NCITE asked researchers and practitioners gathered in Omaha for a workshop to reflect on the impact of 9/11.

On the latest episode of the podcast, host Erin Grace speaks with NCITE researcher Matt Jensen, Ph.D., co-director of the Center for Applied Social Research at the University of Oklahoma, to discuss extreme rhetoric in online spaces.

On the latest episode of the podcast, Erin sits down with Diane Mack, director of emergency management for the University of Nebraska at Omaha and University of Nebraska Medical Center, to discuss emergency response in the wake of critical infrastructure failures.

For the 2024-25 fiscal year, UNO-based NCITE once again received $4.6 million from the Department of Homeland Security to manage and conduct counterterrorism research. The new research projects pull in 12 new academic partners.

NCITE is seeking research projects that examine the terrorist threat to cyber critical infrastructure. The deadline to submit a proposal is Sept. 19.

On July 25, NCITE hosted a webinar on behavioral threat assessment and management (BTAM). Panelists were Melissa Zisler (NTER) and CJ Wren (AZ-STAMP).

On the latest episode of the podcast, Erin sits down with Tin Nguyen, Ph.D., NCITE senior research associate, to discuss the challenges of outdoor event security and the attempted assassination of former President Trump.

On July 18, NCITE hosted a webinar to discuss new research on countering improvised explosive devices. Panelists were Austin Doctor (NCITE), Kirk Yeager (FBI), and Jason Stewart (CISA-OBP).

In a new report, NCITE outlines the current terrorist IED threat environment and identifies key priorities for explosives experts – in government, industry, and academia – for preventing and disrupting future attacks.

On the latest episode of the podcast, Erin sits down with Sam Hunter, Ph.D., NCITE head of strategic initiatives, to discuss the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump at a rally in Pennsylvania. Hunter shares his research examining the U.S. domestic violent extremism landscape.

For the second time, NCITE invited its consortium of expert researchers and its board of interagency government officials to gather in Omaha to share their unique perspectives on some of the world’s most complex and pressing challenges.

At NCITE's recent ENVISION24 conference, students from the consortium participated in a poster competition, presenting their work to an audience of fellow researchers and government practitioners.

On June 25, NCITE kicked off its annual ENVISION conference with a workshop for early career researchers (ECRs). The event connected students and ECRs across the NCITE consortium with experts from academia, government, and the private sector.

On June 25, NCITE students cut the ribbon on the Center's new offices at the Scott Technology Center. Check out photos and videos from the event.

NCITE hosted its annual ENVISION conference June 25-27, 2024. Our consortium of expert researchers came together in Omaha for three days of knowledge-sharing and problem-solving, tackling some of the most complex challenges our world faces today. Find links to recaps and recordings below.

On this episode of NCITE Insights, Erin sits down with NCITE researcher Pete Simi, Ph.D., professor of sociology at Chapman University, to discuss white supremacy in the U.S.

Counterterrorism practitioners consume violent media constantly as a part of their work. In April, NCITE researchers Joe Young, Ph.D. and Daisy Muibu, Ph.D. held a workshop with practitioners at American University to examine their experiences with vicarious trauma and to source feedback on what can be done to fight it.

On May 3, NCITE hosted a discussion with John Picarelli, Ph.D., director for targeted violence and terrorism prevention for the Counterterrorism Directorate of the National Security Council.

This spring, a group of UNO MBA capstone students built a tool for the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) that helps retail stores estimate the cost of bomb threats. "The experience is easily one of the best I can remember in over a decade working in my current position," said Curtis Tilley of CISA.

Growing up, NCITE graduate student Callie Vitro's plans to pursue Division 1 soccer were derailed by a series of knee surgeries. A beloved TV detective helped chart her path toward security studies, which she hopes will one day bring her back into the soccer sphere.

Guest host Blake Ursch speaks with NCITE graduate student Callie Vitro, a graduate student in UNO's School of Criminology and Criminal Justice, about her research interests, travel to London, and how a classic TV detective inspired her career ambitions.

The first meeting of the International Academic Partnerships for Science and Security (IAPSS) consortium, held March 5-6 in London, drew more than 60 attendees from 17 research centers across 12 countries. The goal was to answer two pressing questions: What problems do our nations share? And how can we work together to solve them?

Erin speaks with Amira Jadoon, Ph.D., assistant professor of political science at Clemson University, to learn more about the Islamic State – Khorasan Province (IS-K), the terror group that has claimed responsibility for the recent deadly attack at a concert venue in Moscow.

On April 19, NCITE hosted a webinar with Cynthia Miller Idriss, Ph.D., professor in the School of Public Affairs and School of Education at American University and founding director of the Polarization and Extremism Research and Innovation Lab (PERIL).

Meghann Teubner, division director of counterterrorism intelligence analysis for the New York City Police Department, faces a diverse set of challenges every day working in America's largest city. She sat down with NCITE to discuss her career and the current threat environment.

NCITE's Martha Crenshaw, Gina Ligon, and Clara Braun, describe their experiences as women in terrorism studies – how they became interested in the field, their experiences with sexism, and their roles as mentors.

In the time between Erin Grace's last visit to New York City in July 2001 and her most recent trip in 2024, the United States has changed dramatically. But despite the tension and uncertainty in today's world, many are working to create a safer future.

Several NCITE experts traveled east to attend three prevention-focused conferences in late January and early February. "There really is something to be said about being there in person and observing and interacting with people who are in this space doing this work," said NCITE's Andrea Walker.

Erin Grace sits down with Sam Hunter, Ph.D., NCITE head of strategic initiatives and an expert in malevolent creativity to discuss how artificial intelligence can be a dangerous tool in the hands of extremists.

NCITE closed its Year 5 request for proposals last week. Here, Director Gina Ligon explains how the Center goes about selecting next year's projects.

On Feb. 28, NCITE hosted a webinar on the public health approach to prevention and how it can protect communities from terrorism and targeted violence.

Three representatives from the U.S. State Department's Bureau of Counterterrorism visited NCITE in January where they learned about NCITE research and participated in a panel discussion about government careers and the current global threat landscape.

NCITE Insights is a new broadcast series aimed at making sense of the headlines. In this inaugural episode, NCITE's Erin Grace and Austin Doctor discuss a drone strike in Jordan that killed three U.S. servicemen and a pair of New York brothers who were found with a cache of weapons that included IEDs and ghost guns.

As developments continue in Yemen, stay up-to-date on the situation with critical context and analysis from NCITE experts.