National Security

Peraton Awards George Mason Honors College Students National Security Scholarship

rstaffo2 — Thu, 09 May 2024 15:52:36 +0000

Peraton Awards George Mason Honors College Students National Security Scholarship rstaffo2 Thu, 05/09/2024 - 11:52

The Honors College at ��AV and Peraton awarded 11 students the selective Peraton Scholarship in National Security at the conclusion of the Spring Semester. Award winners are committed to advancing the field of national security: “It means so much to be able to be financially supported for something that I care so much about,” says award winner Dominique Harper, a Computational Data Science major with a minor in Intelligence Studies.

Peraton is an innovative national security company with over 500 ��AV graduates as employees. The Peraton Scholarship in National Security is awarded to George Mason Honors College students who will contribute to the next generation of national security solutions. Funded by a generous donation from Peraton, each recipient receives financial support for their studies and academic enrichment. "As the state of national security continues to change, we are evolving in lockstep to meet new challenges as they arise," said Stu Shea, chairman, president, and CEO, Peraton. "Peraton and I are proud to support George Mason's next generation of problem solvers, critical thinkers, and solution architects who will help protect the nation today and prepare it for tomorrow through this scholarship."

Many award winners underscore the opportunities that this award will enable them to pursue. Joshua Farmer, a Conflict Analysis and Resolution major with a minor in Intelligence Studies says he “will be able to take on additional field experiences that otherwise would not have been possible without the support of the Peraton Scholarship.” Farmer is currently studying European perspectives on intelligence work in Spain. Similarly, Jacob Little, a Computer Engineering major, says “This award will give me more time to explore myself and my interests.” 

Many top performing students are faced with choices between opportunities that will help them advance academically while building the skills necessary to address tomorrow’s grand challenges and earning the money needed to support themselves. Award winner Brynne Severns, a Forensic Science major studying biometrics indicates that “This award is going to allow me to step back from a couple of my jobs and really have time to focus on my internship. I'm interning federally this year and really take the time to dive into my studies and continue my education in the field of national security.” Olivianna Watkins, a Government and International Politics major, notes that the award will enable her to take “an internship that I would rather do, rather than just having to go work, financially.” 

Award winners include:

Avery Boardman, Government and International Politics
J.I.B., Government and International Politics
Joshua Farmer, Conflict Analysis and Resolution
Dominque Harper, Computational Data Science
Jacob Little, Computer Engineering
P.R., Cyber Security Engineering
Brynne Stevens, Forensic Science
Ayesha Shaik, Computer Science
Griffin Wack, Global Affairs
Rachel Wang, Cyber Security Engineering
Olivianna Watkins, Government and International Politics

Strengthen your studies at the Honors College

Join the Mason Nation

Topics

Stu Shea Peraton Scholarship

Honors College

National Security

Students

��AV redesignated as a National Center of Academic Excellence

Nathan Kahl — Tue, 05 Dec 2023 15:42:36 +0000

��AV redesignated as a National Center of Academic Excellence Nathan Kahl Tue, 12/05/2023 - 10:42

��AV was recently redesignated by the National Security Agency (NSA) as a National Center of Academic Excellence (NCAE) in Cybersecurity. This recognition continues a designation that has been in place since 1999 and makes Mason’s College of Engineering and Computing eligible for special funding opportunities.

Mason was redesignated in two categories: Cyber Defense (CAE-CD), valid through 2027, and Research (CAE-R), valid through 2028. Mason is one of only seven schools that received a designation with the original cohort in 1999. The CAE in Cyber Defense is the longest-running designation of any program in the country.

NSA has curriculum requirements that a program must meet, involving a rigorous, peer-reviewed, multi-step application. Massimiliano (Max) Albanese, an associate professor and associate chair for research in the Department of Information Sciences and Technology and the associate director of the Center for Secure Information Systems, helps lead Mason’s efforts in securing the designation.

According to the CAE Community website, “The CAE in Cyber Research designation indicates that (an) institution increases the understanding of robust cyber defense technology, policy, and practices that will enable our Nation to prevent and respond to a catastrophic event. The CAE in Cyber Defense designation indicates that (an) institution is helping reduce threats to our national infrastructure by promoting higher education and research in cyber defense as well as provide the nation with a pipeline of qualified cybersecurity professionals.”

Max Albanese (with plaque) with representatives from the FBI, NSA, and CISA

Albanese said, “To become eligible for the Cyber Defense designation, which is the education component of the NCAE program, a school has to have a validated program of study meeting NSA curriculum requirements; the one that allowed us to be eligible for the designation is our bachelor’s in information technology, with a concentration in cybersecurity.” To be eligible for the Research designation, a school must have a PhD program preparing students for research in cybersecurity, which at Mason is the PhD in information technology. Albanese added that the university is currently preparing an application to also validate the college’s master’s in applied information technology.

“In addition to the prestige,” Albanese said, “an advantage of the designation is that we have access to exclusive funding opportunities. We’ve been receiving funds for the Cyber Security Scholarship Program (CySP) for many years, for example, which covers tuition, health insurance for doctoral students, laptops, a stipend, and more.” The program brings roughly $150-$200k annually for Mason students. NSA funding that Mason receives for other cyber-based projects is also contingent on the school having the CAE designation.

Albanese said, “Mason’s NCAE designation isn’t just a badge of honor, it’s a testament to our commitment to excellence in cybersecurity education and research. Beyond the obvious financial benefits, being part of the CAE community is a catalyst for innovation and collaboration. The innovative Virginia Cyber Navigator Internship Program (VA-CNIP), managed by a coalition of NCAE-designated Virginia universities, is a prime example of how being part of this community translates into impactful initiatives and real-world experiences for our students.”

In This Story

Massimiliano Albanese

Learn About IST Research

Topics

Cyber Security

cyber defense

National Security

National Center of Academic Excellence

Campus News

24 students, a Supreme Court Justice, and national security experts walk into a piazza…

Mariam Aburdeineh — Tue, 17 Jan 2023 16:28:52 +0000

24 students, a Supreme Court Justice, and national security experts walk into a piazza… Mariam Aburdeineh Tue, 01/17/2023 - 11:28

In This Story

Jamil N. Jaffer

Study-abroad trip features Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch and national security experts

Over the summer, 24 students from ��AV’s Antonin Scalia Law School delved deep into issues of constitutional law, separation of powers, and national security in Padua, Italy—a place of inspiration for many of these ideals. The two-week study-abroad trip was co-taught by Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch and National Security Institute Founder and Executive Director Jamil Jaffer.

“You get a real opportunity to bond, interact and debate these hard issues,” said Jaffer, who has co-led this trip with Supreme Court justices for five years, three of which have been in Padua. “It creates a really unique experience for the students, but also for our guests who come to engage with the students—not just in a sort of panel discussion, but in a place where you really have nothing else to do but chat with the students and talk about these issues.”

A group photo from the last day of class with law students, program leadership and guest speakers. From left to right: Jamil Jaffer; Karen Gibson, Sergeant at Arms of the United States Senate; Omario Kanji, NSI's Director of International Programs; and Justice Neil Gorsuch. Photo provided.

Learning from the Experts

The trip comprises of two classes: one with Justice Gorsuch on separation of powers, and the other with Jaffer on applied separation of powers, exploring conflicts between the legislative, executive, and judicial branches of government on issues of national security.

Patrick Madrid, a third-year student and active duty major in the U.S. Marine Corps, found both classes enlightening. Having been with the Marines for more than 12 years, he said he learned about inter-branch conflicts that affected operations he participated in.

“It was a once in a lifetime experience,” Madrid said, “just to have the opportunity to take classes with Professor Jaffer, who’s awesome and has a great and extensive background, and of course with Justice Gorsuch, and have the opportunity to discuss cases he had written on and get a more in-depth understanding of his judicial philosophy.”

Students also engaged with a bipartisan group of federal judges and national security practitioners including Judge Jeffrey Sutton, Judge Joan Larsen, former National Security Agency Deputy Director Richard Ledgett and former Director of Intelligence for United States Central Command Karen Gibson.

“It was very enriching to hear how each of the speakers described their role in the government and what they believe the future holds for the nation,” said second-year law student Thyme Hawkins. “As I begin my legal career, it’s great to know that I can fit in somewhere and have a positive impact as long as I take the initiative to do so.”

“This trip has also helped encourage me to think critically about issues raised at the highest level of government or in our nation’s highest court,” Hawkins added. “I think being willing to consider our nation’s most important questions will help me professionally and personally deal with any questions that may come before me.”

Student Kaitlin Groundwater listening and taking notes during Jamil Jaffer's class. Photo provided.

Inspiring Future Leaders

In addition to intensive course work and readings, building connections was paramount.

“What I liked the most… was how many chances we had to connect with our law school peers and with Justice Gorsuch and Professor Jaffer,” Hawkins said. “That aspect of the trip was quite refreshing since the legal field is ultimately a form of service for others, so fostering camaraderie and professional relationships are integral.”

Jaffer, who previously clerked for Justice Gorsuch, said the trip also allows students to talk with guest speakers about their careers and how they got where they are today. He said he hopes students take away that the opportunities they see in front of them are accessible.

“I’m living proof that you can be a law student who wants to get into national security and achieve it,” Jaffer said. “My parents grew up in Tanzania. I’m Muslim. But I worked in national security in the Bush administration.”

“Whether you’re a woman or a man, or you come from a minority background, or your parents didn’t come from this country,” Jaffer said, “I want [students] to walk away thinking, ‘I could do that, too.’”

To learn more about Mason’s National Security Institute and their future study-abroad opportunities, visit nationalsecurity.gmu.edu.

Topics

study abroad

National Security

National Security Institute

Antonin Scalia Law School

Teaching Climate Change as a National Security Threat

Andrew J Schappert — Thu, 17 Feb 2022 14:47:22 +0000

Teaching Climate Change as a National Security Threat Andrew J Schappert Thu, 02/17/2022 - 09:47

In This Story

Ellen Laipson

Louise I. Shelley

(This story is adapted from the Fall/Winter Schar School Pulse Magazine in advance of the Risk of Climate Change to International Security talk in conjunction with an open house for prospective students. The event is Wednesday, February 23 at 5:30 p.m. ET.

It was something that no foreign adversary has been able to do: Not one but two domestic U.S. military bases were evacuated after coming under heavy fire.

The fire was all too literal: The summer 2021 California wildfires posed threats to Camp Pendleton and Beale Air Force Base, causing hundreds of service personnel and their families to abandon their posts and flee for their lives.

What is left unsaid is the vulnerability—temporary as it may have been—in the U.S. national security strategy.

The wildfires are thought to be the result of the culmination of climate and environmental challenges. In other words, climate change and its unavoidable outcomes is not just a quality-of-life problem, but a national security question.

Last October, the New York Times published a major story describing how Washington, the White House, and the U.S. military are confronting climate change as a global conflict. Little of this is news to the professors and policy experts at the Schar School. In the last few years, climate change has been addressed as an increasingly grave national security issue on multiple fronts, in the classroom and through informed exploration at several research centers.

‘A Gradual Process’

“Within the academic community that focuses on international security, it's been a gradual process of adaptation to embrace the notion that climate needs to be integrated into the field of security studies,” said Ellen Laipson, director of the Schar School’s Master’s in International Security program.

She observes that questions of war and peace, where nuclear weapons were long considered the only truly existential threat to states and societies, “are slowly ceding some space to this profound global challenge that does not fit neatly into geopolitical categories. ‘Climate and National Security’ is now an elective course, but we are likely to see more attention and more resources devoted to it in the near future.”

Adjunct professor Erin Sikorsky has been studying the relationship between climate and national security for years. As deputy director of the Washington, D.C.-based Center for Climate and Security, Sikorsky has mapped climate’s attack on the military.

“The climate hazards we're facing, as they become more frequent and more intense, will put our military infrastructure under risk, but also our civilian infrastructure,” Sikorsky said. “Our electric grid, our distribution of water systems, all of these things were not designed for the climate changes that we're seeing—and will see in the future.

“So, they're going to be increasingly stressed, and potentially fail. And that poses real risks for the U.S.”

Climate as a Transnational Crime

Climate change and its impact on national security starts at what causes the damage to the environment. Louise Shelley, director of the Terrorism, Transnational Crime and Corruption Center (TraCCC) at the Schar School, identifies transnational crime on a massive scale as a significant culprit.

“The most important form of illicit trade contributing to climate change is illegal logging,” she said. “It’s estimated to be a $50 billion to over $150 billion business annually.”

Transnational criminal syndicates compromise climate security while also disrupting local and national economies, encouraging political and corporate corruption, and damaging entire cultures.

“Presently, 60 percent to 80 percent of the trees in the Amazon are being cut illegally, contributing to the destruction of a rainforest that is needed to absorb carbon from the air,” Shelley said. “The fate of the Amazon is repeated throughout the world as trees in rainforests and hardwood forests are cut illegally at a rapid rate to supply timber for consumer markets and provide land for food production.”

Climate hazards intersect with other strains on national security, said Sikorsky. “When you layer climate shocks on top of that, how does that pose risks in terms of creating further instability and insecurity within communities and creating pressures on government to deliver more to local communities, particularly when they’re already strained quite a bit?”

Those are the questions Sikorsky poses to her students as she prepares the next generation to address these challenges.

“The class itself is designed to bring a climate lens to international relations and national security issues,” she said. “A key way in which the students will be prepared to enter the workforce and understand these issues is if they can bring what I called ‘climate competence’ to whatever career they pursue. Because climate change is an issue that's going to crop up no matter what your career path is.

“Even if climate is not your main focus for your job, it will be something you need to understand and be able to bring to bear in your work. And if you can do that, I think you'll have a leg up in in this job market, frankly, because it is so important.”

Additional reporting by Buzz McClain.

Topics

Climate Change

National Security

Schar School News February 2022

10 FAQs With Schar School’s A. Trevor Thrall

Andrew J Schappert — Tue, 28 Sep 2021 15:00:50 +0000

10 FAQs With Schar School’s A. Trevor Thrall Andrew J Schappert Tue, 09/28/2021 - 11:00

A. Trevor Thrall: ‘…I had no idea when I started my career that I would come to love teaching and mentoring as much as I do.’

The MIT Security Studies Program (MIT SSP) recently interviewed MIT alum and Schar School associate professor A. Trevor Thrall for the school’s alumni profile section. We reprint the interview with permission.

1) What is your MITSSP degree and your dissertation title?

Ph.D. War in the Media Age: The Government/Press Struggle from Vietnam to the Gulf

2) What is your current position/title?

In my day job I am an associate professor at the Schar School of Policy and Government at ��AV. I am also a senior fellow in defense and foreign policy at the Cato Institute.

3) As is often the case for SSP alums, when you finished your dissertation, you had an important choice to make between a position in the policy world and an academic career. What inclined you toward the option you chose? Do you have any advice to share with current SSP students as they weigh their career choices?

I went to graduate school primarily focused on academia, but I was always interested in contributing to national security debates. The more I learned about the relevance of security studies research to policy making while at MIT, the more I thought about pursuing the policy route. Eventually, though, I realized that a big part of the reason I always loved universities is that I’m terrible at following directions and I hate having a boss. I decided that my best role was going to be as an analyst working from the outside. I actually came close to taking a couple of jobs in government later on, but have never regretted sticking to academia.

My advice to current students is not to worry too much about trying to determine a single once-and-for-all career path. They are all good choices. If you feel a strong preference for something: Go for it. If not, figure out what feels like the best next step for right now, and be confident that down the road you will have opportunities to do other things. I have been amazed at how success in one venue, whether government or academia, opens up opportunities in other venues.

4) Would you say that your experience at SSP has continued to influence your current position? What key concepts or values from SSP have served you well in your current position?

The most obvious impact SSP has had on my career was to reinforce—and to enable—my focus on policy-relevant scholarship. I grew up during the Cold War, watched my parents argue about the Vietnam War over the dinner table, and worried about whether a nuclear war would end it all during the Reagan administration. I wanted to be part of creating a safer world and my graduate training gave me the tools to do so.

5) One of the primary premises of the MIT SSP is “War is an extension of politics. Politics causes wars. Policy must be the governing force.” Can you explain how, in your experience, this has been true or false? What has been your own experience?

I first realized that politics was central to security studies when one of my best friends and I found ourselves arguing about missile defense in high school. He, an ardent Republican and a supporter of Ronald Reagan, seemed to have little time for the scientific or policy implications of the SDI program. I was flabbergasted. Most of my career has essentially been an attempt to figure out why he felt and thought the way he did. Sadly, nothing I have learned since then has convinced me that war is anything other than an extension of politics.

6) What is the part of your current position that you think allows you the most satisfaction and/or dissatisfaction and why?

The answer to this question has probably varied over time for me, but at this point the most satisfying part of my position is working with graduate students. I had no idea when I started my career that I would come to love teaching and mentoring as much as I do, but I get a ton of satisfaction building relationships with our PhD students, helping them learn the craft, and getting them launched into their careers.

7) What in your career are you most proud of and has SSP been a part of that?

I am proudest of having helped so many students at George Mason get their PhDs by serving on their dissertation committees.

8) What, outside of SSP and your work here, has been the factor that has most influenced who you are now, and what your current research interests are?

I blame my parents. My father was a doctor in the Army for seven years during the Vietnam War, serving at Walter Reed [National Military Medical Hospital]. Unsurprisingly, perhaps, my father is a fairly conservative and patriotic guy. My mother, on the other hand, was a flaming progressive, and her family would occasionally camp out at our house to make forays into D.C. to attend antiwar protests. My first political and security studies-related memories are of them talking about the war, usually disagreeing.

From my father I learned to respect the military and to realize the importance but also the destructiveness of war. From my mother I learned the importance of questioning the government and challenging easy assumptions about American power.

9) Looking back, what, if anything would you do differently?

The only thing I can say I would probably do differently would be to have spent a few years after college working instead of going right to graduate school. I could tell even back then that my older friends and colleagues were readier to handle the rigors of the process, did better communicating with faculty, and were more focused in their studies. I really enjoyed my time at MIT and in many ways was glad to have my PhD in hand relatively early, but I think I would have been even happier had I worked in D.C. for a few years first to get my bearings.

10) What is the key piece of advice that you would pass along to current SSP graduate students, or those just beginning their careers?

Life is long. It is not a race; there is no prize for “getting there” faster. Enjoy the ride. Your career will likely have many phases, so don’t be afraid to spend some time learning new things, even if it’s not obvious how they will benefit you later on. My guess is everything you learn will help create new opportunities for you down the road.

Topics

Biosecurity

National Security

International Security

Schar School News October 2021

security studies

Event Preview: Panel Targets Domestic Terrorism

Andrew J Schappert — Wed, 24 Mar 2021 17:34:48 +0000

Event Preview: Panel Targets Domestic Terrorism Andrew J Schappert Wed, 03/24/2021 - 13:34

David Priess, Schar School of Policy and Government visiting professor and senior fellow

Supporters of former President Donald Trump stormed the Capitol building on January 6, believing Trump’s claims of electoral fraud. Since then, the issue of domestic extremism and terrorism has jumped to the top of the priority list of U.S. law enforcement and intelligence agencies alike.

“The rising tide of charged political rhetoric, internet conspiracy theories, and false narratives of election fraud has elevated the threat posed by domestic violent extremists,” said Andrew McCabe, former deputy director of the FBI and now a distinguished visiting professor at the Schar School. “Conversations about the dynamics of domestic terrorism are essential to fully understanding this threat.”

The problem is not a new one, but it still poses a great challenge for national security practitioners. What is the nature of threat? What are possible responses? How does a nation stop domestic terrorists while protecting civil liberties? What roles do the FBI and Department of Homeland Security play in countering it?

In short, what should America’s intelligence community do?

Andrew McCabe, former Deputy Director of the FBI and Schar School distinguished visiting professor

That will be the conversation taking place Thursday, March 25, at 7 p.m. (EDT), when the Schar School’s Michael V. Hayden Center for Intelligence, Policy, and International Security welcomes McCabe and Elizabeth Neumann, former senior advisor to the deputy chief of staff of the Department of Homeland Security, for a discussion on domestic terrorism and how it can be countered. Schar School visiting professor and senior fellow David Preiss will moderate the discussion.

Schar School fact: A generous gift from the Diana Davis Spencer Foundation provides $450,000 in new scholarships for master’s students enrolled in a security studies program for Fall 2021. Learn more about the scholarship and how to apply.

Topics

National Security

Terrorism

Schar School of Policy and Government

Events

Schar News March 2021

Alumna who sparked hit “Serial” podcast helps others understand the criminal justice system

Damian Cristodero — Tue, 25 Jun 2019 09:30:00 +0000

Alumna who sparked hit “Serial” podcast helps others understand the criminal justice system Damian Cristodero Tue, 06/25/2019 - 05:30

Millions of people were captivated by the murder mystery case involving Adnan Syed and Hae Min Lee, after ��AV law school alumna Rabia Chaudry took the case to NPR and the hit podcast “Serial” was born.

Syed, who was convicted of murdering his high school ex-girlfriend, Lee, was sentenced to life in prison. But Chaudry, a family friend of Syed and attorney who got her start at Mason, has been advocating for his innocence for two decades. In March, she brought the story back to the national stage in HBO’s new documentary series, “The Case Against Adnan Syed,” where Chaudry is an executive producer and appears in the show.

She credits her time at Mason, particularly her first-year constitutional law class, for helping cultivate her strategic thinking.

Rabia Chaudry
Photo by: Ayesha Ahmed

“[My professor] employed the Socratic method, and he taught me to think differently,” said Chaudry, who was originally a pre-med student but switched to law after taking a stab at the LSAT and scoring in one of the highest percentiles.

“When you come from a science background, it’s mostly rote memorization,” Chaudry said. “With the Socratic method, it’s not just an answer you’ve memorized—you have to really think about what’s at the foundation of that answer, [and analyze] how can two people look at the same set of facts and come away with different conclusions?”

The Socratic method, along with in-class assessments, simulations, and field experiences, helps students learn to think like lawyers, analyzing problems so they can present their clients with thoughtful solutions, said Victoria Huber, the Scalia Law School’s associate dean for professional development who also taught Chaudry.

At Mason, graduates receive additional training, such as double the amount of legal research and analysis courses as compared to most other law schools, Huber said. “Those rigorous courses mixed with our tradition of students working in the field over multiple semesters really makes our law graduates ready to distinguish themselves in their fields of choice.”

During Chaudry’s time at Mason, she also took advantage of professional development opportunities in the Washington, D.C., area with an internship at a local immigration firm.

“I worked for the first year on only asylum cases and appeal work, and I loved it,” she said.

After graduating in 2000, Chaudry practiced immigration and civil rights law for more than a decade. Last year, she further helped her local community by doing legal asylum work, and she has been actively involved in interfaith work.

“My work seems really diverse, when people look at it on paper, but it’s not really,” Chaudry said. “Immigration, national security, and criminal justice are all intimately intersectional."

National Security

Peraton Awards George Mason Honors College Students National Security Scholarship

Award winners include:

Strengthen your studies at the Honors College

Join the Mason Nation

Related Stories

Topics

��AV redesignated as a National Center of Academic Excellence

In This Story

Learn About IST Research

Topics

24 students, a Supreme Court Justice, and national security experts walk into a piazza…

In This Story

Study-abroad trip features Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch and national security experts

Learning from the Experts

Inspiring Future Leaders

Topics

Teaching Climate Change as a National Security Threat

In This Story

Topics

10 FAQs With Schar School’s A. Trevor Thrall

Topics

Event Preview: Panel Targets Domestic Terrorism

Topics

Alumna who sparked hit “Serial” podcast helps others understand the criminal justice system

More Mason Stories:

Explore Mason Graduate Programs

Apply Now

National Security

Peraton Awards George Mason Honors College Students National Security Scholarship

Award winners include:

Strengthen your studies at the Honors College

Join the Mason Nation

Related Stories

Topics

����AV redesignated as a National Center of Academic Excellence

In This Story

Learn About IST Research

Topics

24 students, a Supreme Court Justice, and national security experts walk into a piazza…

In This Story

Study-abroad trip features Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch and national security experts

Learning from the Experts

Inspiring Future Leaders

Topics

Teaching Climate Change as a National Security Threat

In This Story

Topics

10 FAQs With Schar School’s A. Trevor Thrall

Topics

Event Preview: Panel Targets Domestic Terrorism

Topics

Alumna who sparked hit “Serial” podcast helps others understand the criminal justice system

More Mason Stories:

Explore Mason Graduate Programs

Apply Now

��AV redesignated as a National Center of Academic Excellence