CTEC's J-Term’s Mentorship Continues to Shine with Undergrads Presenting in DC
| by Ian Driscoll
Under the guidance of Dr. Amy Cooter, Director of Research, Academic Development, and Innovation (RADI), Robin O’Luanaigh, a Research Lead, here at the Center on Terrorism, Extremism, and Counterterrorism, and additional support from Fariha Haque, Director of Middlebury in DC, two Middlebury College students, Hodo Abubakar (‘25) and Toby Graf (‘24.5) researched topics relating to terrorism and extremism.
Hodo analyzed how generative artificial intelligence could inform terrorist and extremist activities, propaganda creation, and ideological corroboration. She writes, “J-Term at CTEC was a fulfilling experience because I had the chance to learn about the various projects senior researchers are working on, and I had an amazing experience meeting some renowned middlebury alumni who are working in DC. I was able to envision my future through these diverse experiences, feeling like a collection of snippets of the many things I aspire to work on after completing my undergraduate studies.” Meanwhile, Toby analyzed Moms for Liberty discourse on “gender ideology,” and its parallels to rising violence being committed against the LGBTQ+ community.
I was able to envision my future through these diverse experiences, feeling like a collection of snippets of the many things I aspire to work on after completing my undergraduate studies.
Through this experience, both RAs met with and were mentored by various CTEC with experts, and were also able to connect with specialists from the center’s broader network who are involved in implementing security policy in DC. One highlight was meeting with Ben LaBolt, a Middlebury alum, and President Biden’s Current Director of Communications, who answered their questions pertaining to social media platforms and communication strategies. These interactions facilitated student’s original research and also helped them with connections beneficial to their eventual career trajectories.
Research Lead Robin, who designed and scheduled day-to-day programming for both Hodo and Toby, noted that both students were wonderful for many reasons, “the first being their questions! These students were immensely inquisitive and asked exceptional questions throughout their time here in DC.” Robin added that “both students were exceptionally respectful, kind, and eager to experience what living in DC is like - I know they made extensive use of DC’s public transportation systems and tried to visit as many museums and galleries as possible.”
These students were immensely inquisitive and asked exceptional questions throughout their time here in DC
Dr. Cooter notes that programs like this are crucial for affirming relationships between CTEC and Middlebury’s undergraduate campus and for identifying promising talent to shape the future of our field. “Middlebury students are both bright and eager, which makes mentoring them a positive experience for all involved. I’m grateful for Robin’s excellent work that provides them with such a robust experience during their time with us. We also could not provide such programming without support from Middlebury.”
Middlebury students are both bright and eager, which makes mentoring them a positive experience for all involved.
At the end of the program, Hodo and Toby presented their work to CTEC staff, who asked questions and gave constructive feedback. This program continues a strong tradition of CTEC giving students the tools to understand extremism and become the next generation of researchers and practitioners working to make the world a safer place. Both Hodo and Toby have been kept on at CTEC as paid research assistants this spring term, working remotely from Vermont as the regular semester resumes.