By Martin McMahon – Executive Summary – This thesis investigates the psychological mechanisms underlying ideological extremism in the United States, focusing on how the need for cognitive closure (NFCC) and uncertainty-identity theory (UIT) function as explanatory lenses for the attraction […]
By James Lupo – Executive Summary – Despite decades of active shooter incidents in the United States—from Columbine High School in 1999 to Virginia Tech in 2007, through the Century 16 movie theater in Aurora, Colorado, in 2012, and Robb
Line of Sight: Designing AI to Detect and Disrupt Active Shooter Events →
By Melissa Guinan – Executive Summary – Disaster response operations expose incident support responder personnel to psychosocial hazards, including mental fatigue, stress, and sleep deprivation, which can impair both responder well-being and operational performance. This thesis adopts a readiness-oriented approach
Mental Operating Environment: Supporting the Disaster Response Workforce →
By Griffin Byers – Executive Summary – The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted critical weaknesses in the coordination between public health preparedness (PHP) and emergency management (EM) in the United States. While both play essential roles in disaster response, PHP, led by
Evaluating State and Local Educational Models for Emergency Management →
By Jacob Anson – Executive Summary – The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted critical weaknesses in the coordination between public health preparedness (PHP) and emergency management (EM) in the United States. While both play essential roles in disaster response, PHP, led by
By Brooke Amendola – Executive Summary – Boston, Massachusetts, has never issued a large-scale mandatory evacuation order, but it faces increased risks of sea level rise, extreme weather events, and flooding. The lack of evacuation experience, combined with the city’s
Risk and Reaction: Risk Perception and Response Behavior in Boston →
By David Siegmund – Executive Summary – The escalating challenge of insider threats, referred to herein as adversarial insider personnel (AIP) within critical infrastructure, where trusted personnel might exploit their legitimate access to cause harm, remains significant to critical infrastructure
By Shelby Sears – Executive Summary – Mass violence is a part of the American experience and one of the most significant homeland security issues. Despite the crime control and prevention mandates of most police agencies, U.S. law enforcement primarily
By Emily Williams – Executive Summary – In the initial chaos of a national-level crisis, who gets lifesaving federal resources first? The stakes are high, and the decisions can mean the difference between life and death. A robust volume of
By Brian Hardtke – Executive Summary – The Department of Homeland Security’s Disinformation Governance Board (DGB) was a short-lived yet highly controversial initiative that illustrates a fundamental paradox: government-led counter-disinformation efforts can weaken the very democratic institutions they aim to
Bad Idea Poorly Executed: A Case Study of the Disinformation Governance Board →
