News Archive

NCITE is seeking proposals for new research projects. Our objective is to bring together the capabilities of colleges, universities, federal laboratories, industry, and nonprofit organizations to help thwart terrorism.

NCITE's Callie Vitro reflects on this year's American Society of Criminology (ASC) Conference, held in November in Philadelphia. The trip, she writes, gave her the opportunity to learn from leading figures in criminology and helped reaffirm her commitment to the field.

Rik Legault, Ph.D., a member of NCITE's DHS advisory board, recently won a 2023 Presidential Rank Award. NCITE spoke with him about his career and the role of social scientists in the government.

In October, NCITE filed a patent for chatbot technology that aims to improve suspicious activity reporting. The patent is the culmination of years of work, representing a significant step forward in NCITE's efforts to transition its research into market-ready technologies.

In the wake of the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, DHS is reporting an increase in threats against Jewish, Muslim, and other faith-based communities. NCITE explored this topic at a virtual discussion with DHS Assistant Secretary Samantha Vinograd.

In NCITE's third year, the Center grew in people, projects, and position. But most importantly, we grew the body of essential knowledge and tools that help keep our nation safe. Read about it in our Year 3 annual report.

Sam Hunter, Ph.D. received UNO's Regents-Foundation Professorship for his leading research in I-O psychology.

On Nov. 1, NCITE hosted a discussion with Rebecca Ulam Weiner, deputy commissioner for intelligence and counterterrorism with the NYPD. Weiner spoke with NCITE's Seamus Hughes about the current threat environment and the NYPD's response to it.

This summer, Burklund's research poster examining extremist rhetoric won first prize from judges at the U.K.'s Behavioral and Social Sciences in Security conference.

On Oct. 19, NCITE hosted an expert panel that explored the causes and impact of trauma on those in the counterterrorism mission community. Watch a full recording and explore more research insights. 

NCITE will create a handbook that will address a pressing problem for the federal court system: people with federal convictions connected to violent extremism who are scheduled for release back into the community.

NCITE is leading the national conversation on threats to public officials, thanks to a research project led by Chapman University’s Pete Simi. But documenting the scope the problem wouldn’t be possible without the student researchers on Simi’s team.

Threats against public officials are ticking up, a disturbing trend that NCITE researchers Pete Simi and Seamus Hughes are charting in an examination of federally investigated threats.

NCITE launched its fourth research year with more partners and more complex problems to untangle. In all, the center will manage 27 total projects including eight new ones in a portfolio totaling about $14 million in federal funding.

A team from the National Threat Evaluation and Reporting (NTER) Office visited NCITE this summer to share capabilities and challenges. And to get a taste of gameday at Memorial Stadium.

NCITE expert Michael Logan presented at a conference on threats facing the agriculture sector hosted by the FBI and Nebraska Farm Bureau. “We know that ideology matters,” he said. “Ideology is an important motivation for target selection."

In May, NCITE students and faculty traveled to Washington, D.C. to demonstrate the malevolent potential of virtual reality technology for intelligence professionals at the National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC).

The move will allow NCITE’s interdisciplinary mix of faculty, students, and staff — currently split between two other on-campus buildings — to work under one roof.

Jorge Comas, a newe member of NCITE’s DHS board, answers questions about his job and gives advice for students looking to get into government service.

Throughout the spring 2023 semester, NCITE's Michelle Black, associate professor of political science at UNO, taught students about violence and the forces behind it.

Amira Jadoon and Andrew Mines, co-authors of a new book on the Islamic State in Afghanistan and Pakistan, speak with NCITE about their research on the inner workings of the Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISK).

NCITE has finalized a new agreement with the Department of Homeland Security that raises the ceiling of its Basic Ordering Agreement (BOA) to $35 million. The funding allows DHS to issue projects that meet its immediate priorities.

In a new article, researchers Kaitlyn Robinson and Iris Malone find that militant splinter factions tend to be less violent than their parent organizations. Robinson and NCITE principal investigator Martha Crenshaw summarize. 

On April 11, NCITE co-hosted a panel discussion with UNO's Center for Afghanistan Studies on the Islamic State in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Experts discussed the resurgence of IS in the region and what it means for national security.

NCITE researchers are investigating how trauma from viewing extremist atrocities could affect individuals working in counterterrorism and the DHS workforce as a whole.

NCITE students showcased an array of research projects – and impressed the judges – at UNO's Student Research and Creative Activity Fair.

NCITE has published new research outlining a framework of best practices for reintegrating the families of foreign fighters who left the U.S. to fight for the Islamic State.

NCITE researchers at the University of Oklahoma are studying how extremist groups use rhetoric and other messaging strategies to influence followers online.

At a recent NCITE panel, experts from the U.S. and U.K. discussed how terrorists and extremists use memes to spread violent ideology and build group identity.

Anthony Roberson's education in I-O psych has given him the tools to serve in a leadership role with NCITE’s STEM Innovation Fellows program.

"In 2023, much of the U.S. prevention and counterterrorism workforce will be expected to do more with less as they hold the line against a low-resolution, but high-impact threat," writes NCITE's Austin Doctor.

Physicians and other healthcare workers are increasingly becoming targets of doxing. This document includes tips for how they can protect themselves.

NCITE will host an expert panel exploring how terrorist organizations weaponize memes to spread ideology and facilitate violence.