Shows
NCITE InsightsMethods: The Value of Data-Generating ProcessesOn the latest episode of the podcast, NCITE doctoral student Callie Vitro hosts NCITE research associate Michael Becker, Ph.D. to discuss all things methods. They cover 1) how they source data, 2) how they process data, and 3) Becker's work on the NCITE geospatial technologies project. To check out the unique data request form generated by Becker and his team, see the YouTube version of this episode (20:23–42).
Curious to learn more? Email Dr. Becker at mbecker26@nebraska.edu or NCITE at ncite@unomaha.edu.
NOTE — At 3:15, it is the National Incident-Based "Reporting" System (NIBRS), not "Response".
2025-08-1024 minNCITE InsightsPublic Perceptions of Punishment For Mass ViolenceBen sits down with Erin Kearns, Ph.D., NCITE director of law enforcement partnerships, and visiting scholar Adam Ghazi-Tehrani, Ph.D., associate professor of criminology and criminal justice at Indiana University. The two discuss their research into the similarities and differences in 1) the scholarship on, 2) the public conceptualization of, and 3) the public attitudes toward punishment for terrorism, hate crimes, and other forms of mass violence.
2025-07-2224 minNCITE InsightsAI Case Studies ReportBen sits down with two of the authors of a new NCITE report on malign case studies of AI: NCITE Senior Scientist Sam Hunter, Ph.D., and I-O psychology doctoral student Alexis D'Amato. They discuss malign use of specialized, unconstrained LLM's, AI-generated music, autonomous weapons systems (AWS), and more. Follow this link to read the full list of case studies: "Examining the Malign Use of AI: A Case Study Report" by Emma Theobald, Alexis d'Amato et al.
For more NCITE research on AI, check out the below articles:
Examining Similarity-Attraction Principle and Intergroup Conflict on Malevolent C...
2025-06-2328 minNCITE InsightsYouth Recruitment and MobilizationErin sits down with NCITE Research Associates Bettina Rottweiler, Ph.D., and Brenna Helm, ABD, to discuss their burgeoning research on youth recruitment and mobilization to violent extremism. They touch on the rise of nihilistic violent extremism (NVE), populations that are especially at risk, and the environments that are leading young people to seek out extreme content.
2025-06-0531 minNCITE InsightsExploitation of Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS)On the latest episode of the podcast, Erin sits down with Austin Doctor, Ph.D., NCITE director of strategic initiatives, and Joel Elson, Ph.D., NCITE director of IS&T research initiatives, to discuss their research on malign actors' exploitation of unmanned aerial systems (UAS). The research is a part of a larger project examining malign use of existing and emerging geospatial technologies.
2025-05-3024 minNCITE InsightsStudent Spotlight: Jargon Translation and NCITE CommunicationsOn the latest episode of the podcast, host Ben Battafarano sits down with Eva Burklund, UNO senior and NCITE communications student worker, to discuss her career at NCITE and her future plans. Eva began at NCITE three years ago this week, and will graduate Friday with a bachelor of arts in communications and a bachelor of science in political science. In the fall, she will pursue doctoral studies in communications at the University of Pittsburgh.
Special note: Eva coined the name of our podcast!
2025-05-1523 minNCITE InsightsOld Threats and New: ISIS and 764Erin sits down with Seamus Hughes, NCITE senior research faculty and policy associate, to discuss domestic prosecution and sentencing of members of ISIS and the group 764. A nationally recognized expert in the U.S. federal court search system, PACER, Hughes founded and runs the website Court Watch, which provides analysis of federal court filings, search warrants, and indictments. In 2022, he was a part of a New York Times team that won the Pulitzer Prize for National Reporting for their reporting on law enforcement in America.
This podcast was recorded at 9am on Thursday, May 8.
For...
2025-05-0837 minNCITE InsightsReflecting on the Oklahoma City Bombing 30 Years LaterBlake sits down with Anne Barnes, MBA, interim vice president and chief financial officer for the University of Nebraska System, to reflect on the 30th anniversary of the Oklahoma City Bombing. Barnes was working less than a mile from the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building when a truck bomb detonated in front of it, blowing apart a third of the building and leading to the deaths of 168 people, including 19 children.
2025-04-1815 minNCITE InsightsStudent Spotlight: I-O Psychology Conference and Career PlansErin sits down with Alexis D'Amato and Emma Theobald, two NCITE researchers and UNO graduate students in industrial and organizational psychology in the College of Arts and Sciences, to discuss their recent trip to the Society of Industrial and Organizational Psychology (SIOP) conference in Denver, CO. They discuss their presentations, field, and career plans.
2025-04-0927 minNCITE InsightsSupply Chains and Soft Target SecurityErin sits down with NCITE researcher Jenni Hesterman, Ed.D. to discuss the threats malevolent actors pose to supply chains and other soft targets and what steps should be taken for prevention. Since 2007, Hesterman has served as a security services consultant for the public and private sector, investigating transnational terror and crime threats and providing risk assessment. Hesterman is a retired Air Force colonel and an astronaut-in-training (analog).
Use the following link to view Hesterman's presentation on supply chain security: https://youtu.be/3RZVrjD0BsE
2025-04-0237 minNCITE InsightsStudent Spotlight: First Peer Review, Travel, and Career Plans with Camden CarmichaelOn the latest episode of the podcast, Blake sits down with Camden Carmichael, an NCITE researcher and UNO undergraduate in the School of Criminology and Criminal Justice. They discuss Carmichael's recent trip to the National Targeting Center in D.C., becoming an author on his first peer reviewed paper, and his post-graduation plans. Carmichael will graduate with his bachelor's degree in May.
Check out his team's paper using this link: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/epdf/10.1080/17440572.2025.2467702?needAccess=true.
2025-03-2724 minNCITE InsightsTerrorist Recruitment, Desired Skills, and AIErin sits down with NCITE researcher Evan Perkoski, Ph.D., to discuss his team's research on terrorist recruitment trends. They also discuss his upcoming project, funded by Schmidt Futures, which will study how AI is impacting all aspects of terrorist organizations, including their marketing, financial, and training operations. Perkoski is an associate professor and director of undergraduate studies of political science at the University of Connecticut.
Check out the NCITE team's recruitment research here: https://digitalcommons.unomaha.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1117&context=ncitereportsresearch
2025-03-2132 minNCITE InsightsWar Games: Simulation-based Training for the HSEHost Blake Ursch sits down with Daveed Gartenstein-Ross, Ph.D. and Eleanor Ross (no relation) to discuss their contributions to an NCITE project examining the efficacy of simulation-based training for HSE workforce development. The project involves the implementation of a course at Duke University in which students represent various actors and entities (Germany, Google, etc.) while navigating global crises and advancing pre-determined agendas. Gartenstein-Ross is a co-PI on the project and is the founder and CEO of Valens Games. Eleanor Ross is the director of game design at Valens Games and graduated from Duke University in May with her...
2025-03-1440 minNCITE InsightsCyber Threats Part 2: Cyberattacks and Critical InfrastructureIn the second episode of a two-part series on NCITE's cyber threats research, Erin sits down with NCITE researchers and political scientists Ryan Shandler, Ph.D., and Jon Lindsay, Ph.D., both of the Georgia Tech School of Cybersecurity and Privacy. They discuss their research on the level of risk posed to each of the nation's 16 critical infrastructure sectors and their effort to model which sectors would be most attractive to malevolent actors.
2025-02-2828 minNCITE InsightsCyber Threats Part 1: Deepfakes and Critical InfrastructureIn the first of a two-part series focused on NCITE's cyber threats research, Erin sits down with Deanna House, Ph.D., head of NCITE's Cyber Threat Analysis Lab and UNO assistant professor in the College of Information Science and Technology. House discusses her team's research on how deepfakes could be used to undermine a critical infrastructure sector's organizational reputation, financial health, and data security.
2025-02-2820 minNCITE InsightsBusiness Training for the Homeland Security EnterpriseOn the latest episode of the podcast, host Blake Ursch sits down with NCITE MBA students Karlie Chonis and Jacylan Doering to discuss NCITE's project exposing business students to the problem sets and careers of homeland security.
2025-02-0528 minNCITE InsightsThe Psychology of TerroristsErin sits down with John Horgan, Ph.D., distinguished professor of psychology at Georgia State University, to discuss deradicalization versus disengagement and the importance of in-depth interviews with those with extreme beliefs. They also discuss Horgan's recent scaling of Mount Aconcagua in Argentina and his passion for mountain climbing.
2025-01-2929 minNCITE InsightsFamily and Suspicious Activity ReportingOn 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.
2025-01-2739 minNCITE InsightsProsecuting Terror: Atomwaffen DivisionInterim 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.
2025-01-2421 minNCITE InsightsRevisiting Bourbon Street: Meta GlassesErin 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.
2025-01-1325 minNCITE InsightsNew Year's Attack in New OrleansErin 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.
2025-01-0425 minNCITE InsightsThe Human Trafficking-Terrorism NexusErin 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.
2024-12-1925 minNCITE InsightsPost-Assad Syria and HTSOn 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.
2024-12-1253 minNCITE InsightsThreats to Public OfficialsInterim 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.
2024-11-1523 minNCITE InsightsExperiences of Election WorkersOn 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 im...
2024-10-2835 minNCITE InsightsOct. 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 h...
2024-10-0422 minNCITE InsightsMiddle East Conflict: A Closer Look At HezbollahErin 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.
2024-10-0238 minNCITE InsightsMisogynist Violence Part 2: Men at RiskErin sits down with Sam Hunter, Ph.D., NCITE head of strategic initiatives, to discuss what factors lead men to misogyny, and through it, extremism.
2024-09-1127 minNCITE InsightsMisogynist Violence Part 1: Explaining the ProblemErin sits down with Brenna Helm, NCITE research associate and doctoral candidate (ABD) at Michigan State University, to discuss the rise of misogynist violence today.
Resources on Extremist Misogyny
- Leidig, E. (2023). The women of the far right: Social media influencers and online radicalization. Columbia University Press. The Women of the Far Right | Columbia University Press
- Perliger, A., Stevens, C., & Leidig, E. (2022). Mapping the ideological landscape of extreme misogyny. International Centre for Counter-Terrorism. Mapping the Ideological Landscape of Extreme Misogyny | International Centre for Counter-Terrorism - ICCT
Re...
2024-09-1134 minNCITE InsightsExtreme Rhetoric OnlineErin sits down with Matt Jensen, Ph.D., NCITE researcher and co-director of the Center for Applied Social Research at the University of Oklahoma, to discuss extreme rhetoric in online spaces. Key themes include: credibility, deception, social identities, and the mirror and boomerang effects of viewing extreme messaging.
2024-08-2130 minNCITE InsightsEmergency Response to Critical Infrastructure FailuresErin sits down with Diane Mack, director of emergency management for the University of Nebraska at Omaha and the University of Nebraska Medical Center, to discuss emergency response in the wake of critical infrastructure failures.
Resources
Plan For Disasters: https://www.ready.gov/
Team Rubicon: https://teamrubiconusa.org/
2024-08-1424 minNCITE InsightsOutdoor Event SecurityErin sits down with NCITE senior research associate Tin Nguyen, Ph.D., to discuss the challenges of outdoor event security and the attempted assassination of former President Trump.
Tune in Thursday at 12 p.m. CT | 1 p.m. ET for the latest webinar in NCITE's 2024 Speaker Series: "Behavioral Threat Assessment and Management in the U.S.".
Link: https://events.unomaha.edu/event/ncite-webinar-behind-the-policy-threat-assessment-management-in-the-us?utm_campaign=widget&utm_medium=widget&utm_source=UNO+Events
2024-07-2323 minNCITE InsightsAttempted AssassinationErin 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 extremist landscape.
2024-07-1618 minNCITE InsightsThe Deep Roots of Modern White SupremacyErin sits down with sociologist and NCITE researcher Pete Simi, Ph.D. to discuss white supremacy in the U.S. today. Simi co-authored the book Out of Hiding: Extremist White Supremacy and How It Can Be Stopped in 2023 along with sociologists Kathleen Blee, Ph.D. and Robert Futrell, Ph.D.
2024-05-3116 minNCITE InsightsThe Early Career Researcher PerspectiveGuest host Blake Ursch sits down with NCITE graduate student Callie Vitro to discuss what it means to be an early career researcher studying terrorism and violent extremism. Vitro talks about her recent trip to the U.K. and explains how a beloved TV detective sparked her interest in criminology.
2024-04-1220 minNCITE InsightsWhat is IS-K?Erin speaks with Amira Jadoon, Ph.D., assistant professor of political science at Clemson University, about the Islamic State – Khorasan Province (IS-K), the terror group behind a deadly attack at a concert venue in Moscow.
2024-03-2822 minNCITE InsightsMalevolent Use of AIErin sits down with Sam Hunter, Ph.D., NCITE head of strategic initiatives and professor of industrial and organizational psychology to discuss how extremists could use AI technology to cause harm.
2024-02-1620 minNCITE InsightsJordan Drone Strike, New York Weapons CacheHost Erin Grace sits down with Austin Doctor, Ph.D., NCITE head of counterterrorism research initiatives and an assistant professor of political science at UNO, to 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 improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and ghost guns.
2024-02-1621 min