NCITE Insights

Family and Suspicious Activity Reporting

On the latest episode of the podcast, host Erin Grace speaks with NCITE researcher Karyn Sporer, Ph.D., to discuss her research conducting life histories with family members of violent extremists and the role they play in radicalization identification and intervention.

Prosecuting Terror: Atomwaffen Division

Interim host Blake Ursch speaks with Seamus Hughes, NCITE senior research faculty and policy associate, to examine Hughes' research on the prosecution and sentencing of the neo-Nazi group Atomwaffen Division.

Revisiting Bourbon Street: Meta Glasses

Erin sits down with Sam Hunter, Ph.D., NCITE senior scientist and director of academic research, to discuss the use of Meta smart glasses by the perpetrator of the New Year’s Day attack in New Orleans.

New Year's Attack in New Orleans

Erin sits down with NCITE director Gina Ligon, Ph.D., to examine the New Year's Day attack in New Orleans. They discuss the difference between directed versus inspired attacks, the use of vehicles as a weapon, the persisting influence of the Islamic State, and NCITE research on behavioral threat assessment and management. 

The Human Trafficking-Terrorism Nexus

Erin sits down with NCITE graduate student Elle Ward to discuss her UNO-funded research on the human trafficking-terrorism nexus. They discuss why the nexus exists, risk factors leading to hotspots, and the sometimes-blurry line between terrorists and trafficked individuals. 
Ward was able to study the nexus via a Graduate Research and Creative Activity (GRACA) grant through the UNO Office of Research and Creative Activity (ORCA). She will graduate Friday with her master's degree in geographic information science and technology and will begin a second master's in applied computing and informatics this spring.  

Post-Assad Syria and HTS

On the latest episode of the podcast, Erin speaks with Martha Crenshaw, Ph.D., NCITE researcher and professor emerita from Stanford University, to discuss the Syrian rebel group Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and what a post-Assad Syria may look like.
Drawing from a career spanning over five decades, Crenshaw speaks on the origins of HTS, their navigation of internal and regional power dynamics, and how their designation as a terrorist organization by the U.S. and others will affect diplomacy.

Threats to Public Officials

Interim host Blake Ursch speaks with NCITE senior research faculty and policy associate Seamus Hughes about his research on threats to public officials in the light of the recent presidential election. Hughes draws from nearly a decade of researching such threats and discusses how the infrastructure and policies of the incoming Trump administration may affect their prosecution.

Experiences of Election Workers

On the latest episode of the podcast, host Erin Grace speaks with NCITE researcher Steven Windisch, Ph.D., on his research speaking to election workers about the threat environment.  
Windisch is an assistant professor in the Department of Sociology and Criminology and the associate director of the Crime and Security Data Analytics Lab (CASDAL) in the Terrorism Research Center (TRC) at the University of Arkansas.
Disclaimer: The views and conclusions contained in this podcast are those of the authors and should not be interpreted as necessarily representing the official policies or views, either expressed or implied, of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the University of Nebraska, or guest-affiliated institutions.

Oct. 7: One Year Later

"The noise in America right now is very loud." 
One year following the attack on Israel by Hamas, the scope and intensity of the conflict has expanded beyond Israel's borders to Lebanon and Iran, increasing regional and global tensions. In a newly published white paper requested by DHS, the NCITE consortium weighs in on the key homeland security concerns resulting from the crisis. Erin sits down with NCITE director Gina Ligon, Ph.D., to discuss the anniversary. Ligon draws on her research on ISIS to analyze Hamas's online outreach and how it has increased the risk of homegrown violent extremism. 
Note: This episode was recorded on September 26. 

Middle East Conflict: A Closer Look At Hezbollah

Erin sits down with Martha Crenshaw, Ph.D., NCITE researcher and professor emerita from Stanford University, to discuss Lebanese terrorist organization Hezbollah, covering its conflict with Israel, its ties to Iran, and recent developments in the Middle East.