• LANGUAGES & SECURITYFewer U.S. College Students Are Studying a Foreign Language − and That Spells Trouble for National Security

    By Deborah Cohn

    In 1958, following the Soviet Union’s launch of Sputnik, the National Defense Education Act authorized funding to strengthen U.S. education in language instruction, in addition to math and science. More than six decades later, a new Modern Language Association report is raising concerns about America’s foreign language capabilities anew. Having fewer U.S. college students who learn a foreign language creates greater risks for national security.

  • CYBERSECURITY EDUCATIONCyber Defenders: Interns Take on National Security Challenges

    By Mollie Rappe

    Over the past two decades, nearly 500 undergraduates and graduate students in cybersecurity, computer science, computer engineering and related fields have worked on research projects, attended training courses and technical tours while receiving mentorship and unparalleled networking opportunities.

  • PANDEMIC LOSSESAn Experiment to Fight Pandemic-Era Learning Loss Launches in Richmond

    By Alec MacGillis

    After intense opposition and skepticism, two elementary schools opened 20 days early to help students make up for what they missed during the time of remote learning. The first question: Would kids show up in the middle of summer for extra schooling?

  • CYBEREDUCATIONTraining Students to Succeed in the “Fourth Industrial Revolution”

    Transformational changes are already underway in the manufacturing industry as technological advancements, such as artificial intelligence (AI) and smart devices from the “fourth industrial revolution” or Industry 4.0., inspire a digital-first approach to engineering. University of Missouri researchers are using a $1 million grant to support the development of an Industry 4.0 lab, training engineering students for the future of digitization in manufacturing.

  • CYBERSECURITY EDUCATIONVirtual City Prepares Students for Future of Cybersecurity

    By Logan Burtch-Buus

    CyberApolis is a virtual city used to train the next generation of cyber professionals to address national security concerns. The “city” includes a bank, hospital, large retailer, water company, power companies, an underground hacker community, an organized crime family and a growing number of smaller retailers.

  • CYERSECURITY WORKFORCENSF Renews Cybersecurity Workforce Development Projects

    The U.S. National Science Foundation CyberCorps Scholarship for Service program is renewing funding for seven academic institutions, providing more than $24 million over the next four years. For over 20 years, the CyberCorps SFS program has played an important critical role in developing the U.S. cybersecurity workforce.

  • CHINA WATCHHow U.S. Colleges, Universities Can Mitigate Risks Related to Foreign-Funded Language and Culture Institutes

    A new report from the National Academies recommends steps that U.S. colleges and universities can take to identify and mitigate risks associated with foreign-funded language and culture institutes on campuses. The report follows one released in January that examined Confucius Institutes — Chinese government-funded language and culture centers.

  • PANDEMIC SCHOOL-CLOSURE COSTSCan America’s Students Recover What They Lost During the Pandemic?

    By Alec MacGillis

    Disastrous test scores increasingly show how steep a toll the COVID-19 era exacted on students, particularly minorities. Schools are grappling with how to catch up, and the experience of one city shows how intractable the obstacles are.

  • NUCLEAR POWERTesting Gaming Technology to Train Nuclear Workforce

    By Kristen Mally Dean

    Video game software paired with high-tech hard hats can bridge theory and reality to engage a new generation of workers. Argonne engineers tested extended reality tools at the nation’s largest liquid metal test facility.

  • NUCLEAR POWERPreparing Students for the New Nuclear

    By Kara Baskin

    Nuclear power has gained greater recognition as a zero-emission energy source, and an MIT program trains leaders for a rapidly evolving industry.

  • NUCLEAR WEAPONSBen Thomas: Spotlighting Careers in Nuclear Nonproliferation

    The goal of Ben Thomas of the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory is not only to bring universities and colleges from across the U.S. into the nonproliferation network, but also to significantly increase the number of minority-serving institutions, or MSIs, participating in the National Nuclear Security Administration Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation University Consortia.

  • SCHOOL SHOOTINGSFive Years After Parkland, School Shootings Haven’t Stopped, and Kill More People

    By David Riedman, James Densley, and Jillian Peterson

    Since the 2018 Parkland attack, there have been over 900 shootings in K-12 school settings. Thirty-two were indiscriminate attacks apparently driven by the intent to kill as many people as possible, including mass casualty events.

  • GUNSStudying Gun Violence

    Otto Meisenheimer was a 21-year old college student when he was killed in 1977 in random shooting at a bowling alley outside of Chicago. His family has committed significant funds to establish the Center for the Prevention of Gun Violence in his name at Indiana University School of Public Health.

  • CYBERSECURITY EDUCATIONGrant to Support High-Potential Computer Science Students

    The University of Texas at El Paso received a $5 million grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to provide financial support and professional development experiences to talented students in the field of computer science.

  • CHINA WATCHWhen Could a College or a University Hosting a Confucius Institute Receive DOD Funding?

    A new report proposes a set of criteria for the U.S. Department of Defense to consider in developing a waiver process that would potentially allow U.S. institutions of higher education to receive DOD funding while hosting a Confucius Institute.