WASHINGTON – The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) announced the recipients of more than $1.7 million in follow-on funding to 19 research teams from Minority Serving Institutions (MSI). These include Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCU), and Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSI) to fund homeland security-related research as part of S&T’s Summer Research Team (SRT) Program, in partnership with DHS S&T Centers of Excellence (COE).
The SRT awards, totaling $1,783,646.70 are administered by S&T’s Office of University Programs (OUP). The funding goes to research teams comprised of MSI early career faculty members and students from across the United States and its territories.
“We are thrilled to support these teams as they conduct important research to support critical homeland security missions,” said S&T OUP Director Rebecca Medina. “We are particularly excited to have expanded research opportunities to more HBCUs, TCUs, and HSIs. Their unique perspectives are critical to accurately understand how effective certain homeland security technologies and operations may be for different communities around the nation. DHS is also proud to invest in building research capacity at MSIs.”
Each team was selected for its excellence in research, innovative ideas, leadership, and their commitment to advance homeland security-focused research. Faculty and students at these institutions partnered with S&T-supported COEs, developing homeland security course content, and creatively engaging in research relevant to the complex challenges that DHS faces.
The 2024 SRT Teams include:
Historically Black Colleges and Universities
Fayetteville State University, Partner COE: Costal Resilience Center
Advanced Machine Learning for Coastal Resilience: Enhancing Water Level Data Accuracy and Integrity with High Resolution Data and Meteorological Indices
Dr. Sambit Bhattacharya
Hampton University, Partner COE: National Counterterrorism Innovation, Technology and Education Center (NCITE)
Enhancing State-Level Election Policy: An Analysis of Legislative Approaches to Secure and Protect Elections and their Impact on Domestic Terrorism
Dr. Daren Fisher
Jackson State University, Partner COE: Critical Infrastructure Resilience Institute (CIRI)
Internet of Things (IoT) – Building, Computing, Resilience of Use Cases of Cyber-based Systems, by Education and Research
Dr. Francis Tuluri
North Carolina Central University, Partner COE: Center for Accelerated Operational Efficiency (CAOE)
Disaster Telemedicine Planning for Medical Surge Following Catastrophic Disasters in Rural Communities in North Carolina
Dr. Julian Muhammad
Prairie View A&M University, Partner COE: Cross-Border Threat Screening and Supply Chain Defense (CBTS)
Removing Arsenic from Natural and Commercial Fertilizer by Complexation Using Iron Compounds
Dr. Gina Chiarella
Southern University at New Orleans, Partner COE: Criminal Investigations and Network Analysis (CINA)
Decompositional Impact on Microbial Communities: Could Petroleum Play a Role?
Dr. Meiko Thompson
Texas Southern University, Partner COE: Critical Infrastructure Resilience Institute (CIRI)
Development of Educational Materials on Critical Infrastructure and Interdependencies
Dr. Oluponmile Oloniliua
Tribal Colleges and Universities
Haskell Indian Nations University, Partner COE: National Counterterrorism Innovation, Technology and Education Center (NCITE)
Pilot Training Program for Tribal Public Safety Officers
Dr. Jessica Burghart
Hispanic Serving Institutions
California State University at Los Angeles, Partner COE: Critical Infrastructure Resilience Institute (CIRI)
Using Ensemble Machine Learning Models to Improve Resilience in Transportation for Mass Evacuations during Significant Disasters
Dr. Jiang Guo
California State University at San Marcos, Partner COE: Criminal Investigations and Network Analysis (CINA)
Sui Blockchain Object Models Gas Optimization and Analysis
Dr. Nahid Ebrahimi Majd
Mercy University, Partner COE: Critical Infrastructure Resilience Institute (CIRI)
Synthagent Security to Achieve Critical Infrastructure Resilience
Dr. Zhixiong Chen
Texas A&M University-Kingsville, Partner COE: Criminal Investigations and Network Analysis (CINA)
Accurate Blood Simulant for Forensic Applications: Biologically Equivalent Simulant for Forensic Tracedrop (BEST)
Dr. Jingbo Liu
Texas A&M at San Antonio, Partner COE: National Counterterrorism Innovation, Technology, and Education Center (NCITE)
Exploring Frontline Interactions with Sovereign Citizens and Anti-Government Extremists: Insights into De-escalation and Procedural Justice
Dr. Sarah Harper
Texas State University, Partner COE: Center for Accelerated Operational Efficiency (CAOE)
Incorporating Machine Learning Algorithms into Discrete-Event Simulation for Enhanced Workforce Planning in Airport Screening Operations
Dr. Eduardo Perez
The City University of New York City College, Partner COE: Soft Target Engineering to Neutralize the Threat Reality (SENTRY)
Modeling, Collaboration and Interaction of a Robot Dog with Environment, Camera Network, and People
Dr. Zhigang Zhu
University of North Texas, Partner COE: Center for Accelerated Operational Efficiency (CAOE)
Enhancing DHS Threat Detection Through Identifying Pattern Recognition and Attention to Detail (PRAD) Traits in Job Applicants and Employees
Dr. Ronnie Jia
University of North Texas, Partner COE: Cross-Border Threat Screening and Supply Chain Defense (CBTS)
Novel Imaging Strategies for Effective Pest Detection in Shipping Containers
Dr. Maurizio Manzo
University of Texas at El Paso, Partner COE: Cross-Border Threat Screening and Supply Chain Defense (CBTS)
Enhancing Corn (Zea mays L.) Resilience Against Agroterrorism: Evaluating the Efficacy of FDA-Approved Metallic Oxide Nano-Fortifiers in Mitigating Fungal Pathogen Impact
Dr. Hamidreza Sharifan
University of the Incarnate Word, Partner COE, Cross-Border Threat Screening and Supply Chain Defense (CBTS)
Saving the Prickly Pear Cactus from the Invasive Cactus Moth: Autonomous Inspection and Survey of South Texas Prickly Pear using Air Vehicles and AI
Dr. Michael Frye
For more information on S&T Office of University Programs, please visit: https://www.dhs.gov/science-and-technology/office-university-programs
For more information on the Summer Research Team Program for Minority Serving Institutions, please visit: https://orise.orau.gov/dhseducation/
Information on the DHS COEs can be found at: https://www.dhs.gov/science-and-technology/centers-excellence
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