End of Program Year 4

The BTI Institute concluded Program Year 4 on June 30, 2019. What follows is a brief highlight of Institute activities and efforts. 

The Research Effort

The research effort for this program year focused on customer discovery in an attempt to fully understand the challenges faced in order to develop research solutions that address those challenges. As a result, the BTI Institute leadership met with a number of DHS agencies to include:

• CBP Office of Trade
• CBP Office of Field Operations
• US Border Patrol Strategic Planning and Analysis Directorate
• CBP Office of Human Resources Management
• Office of Citizenship
• CBP Office of Training and Development

These meetings resulted in the production of 22 White Papers, four of which were declined by the Research Committee, four declined by DHS, and six progressed to Work Plans during Program Year 4. 

RFP 19-01

Additionally, the Institute invited proposals that addressed research questions related to the Conference on Prosperity and Security in Central America as part of the BTI Institute RFP 19-01. The questions focused on economic and social development in the Northern Triangle countries as a means to manage migration push factors. Seven proposals through the BTI Institute are currently under review by DHS. 

Current Funded Projects

At the end of PY4, the Institute had five funded research projects:

The Education Effort

The education effort of the BTI Institute merged academic subject-matter expertise with the current and future DHS workforce.

Curriculum Development

The BTI Institute initiated a project this program year, championed by Paul Baker, Ph.D., Deputy Assistant Commissioner, CBP Office of Training and Development, to develop curriculum that would provide current DHS personnel educational opportunities for career advancement and establish a pathway for post-secondary graduates to pursue a career within the Homeland Security Enterprise. The plan will result in new degrees in Border Management, Trade, and Transport Security at the Bachelor of Science, minor, and Master of Science levels. Additionally, a new certificate program will be created in Borders, Trade, and Transport Security and Border Operations Management and Security. As of the end of the program year, one course, “Introduction to Homeland Security,” is developed and under review, and a second course, “Introduction to Borders Management,” is under development.

Lunch-and-Learns

The BTI Institute conducted three brown bags in Program Year 4. Academic researchers discussed topics in their respective fields to an audience of students, faculty and DHS personnel. 

• Combating Human Trafficking: The Roles of the Legal and Medical Professions. Presenters: Juhi Jain, M.D., Fellow at Emory/Children's Healthcare of Atlanta; Edward Gallagher, J.D., Adjunct Professor at the University of Houston Law Center; Sherri Lynn Zack, J.D., Human Trafficking Coordinator for the Southern District of Texas; and Alfonso Lopez de la Osa Escribano, Ph.D., L.L.M., J.D., Director of the Center for U.S. and Mexican Law at the University of Houston Law Center
• Blockchain: Transforming Global Supply Chain Security. Presenter: Weidong "Larry" Shi, Ph.D., University of Houston
• Policy in Cybersecurity and Critical Infrastructure. Presenter: Chris Bronk, Ph.D., University of Houston

Academy Summer Internship

The Institute hosted Cadet Sarah Donaldson, United States Military Academy at West Point, as part of the BTI Institute’s Academy Summer Internship program. Cadet Donaldson worked with Weidong “Larry” Shi, Ph.D., Associate Professor at the University of Houston, and Chris Bronk, Ph.D., Associate Professor at the University of Houston, on an overview of cybersecurity.

DHS Minority Serving Institute Summer Research Team

The Institute hosted Dr. Nursen Zanca, Economics Coordinator at the University of the Incarnate Word, and graduate student Nicholas Randol as part of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Minority Serving Institutions Summer Research Team program. They are working with Maura Pereira de Leon, Ph.D., Manager of Education and Training for BTI, and Luis Torres, Ph.D., Associate Dean of Research and Strategic Partnerships at the Graduate College of Social Work.

Dr. Zanca and Mr. Randol are researching the methodology and meaning behind the Global Terrorism Index. The GTI is estimated from the Global Terrorism Database collected by the National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism (START) DHS Center of Excellence. The GTI ranks nations according to terrorist activity based on number of terrorist incidents, number of fatalities associated with terrorist incidents, number of injuries associated with terrorist incidents, and the approximate level of property damage from terrorist incidents.

Their research will investigate the methodology behind the index, past and present trends in the GTI score for the U.S., and the economic cost of terrorism on the U.S. economy.