NCITE Insights

Fighting Fentanyl: A Book Talk with Jake Braun

"The thing that people don't get about fentanyl is that almost no one seeks fentanyl ... most people who use drugs are avoiding fentanyl like the plague." NCITE Assistant Research Professor Alex Bruens, Ph.D., sits down with Jake Braun, member of the NCITE expert consortium and author of the new book, "Fentanyl: Fighting the Mass Poisoning of America and the Cartel Behind It." They discuss how the drug created a health crisis in the United States, the Mexican drug cartels (led by Sinaloa) developing the drug, the progress that has been made to combat its manufacture and dissemination, and what remains to be done to fight the health crisis.  Braun is the executive director of the Cyber Policy Initiative at the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy. He is also the CEO of Cambridge Global Advisors and served in the White House for over seven years in several capacities, including as the Acting Principal Deputy National Cyber Director and White House Liaison to the Department of Homeland Security. He holds an M.A. in both international relations and education and grew up in Omaha, NE. Inquiries regarding the book can be sent to jakebraun@uchicago.edu.  Inquiries for Bruens can be sent to ncite@unomaha.edu.

The Annunciation Attack, Soft Target Protection, and Nihilistic Violent Extremism (NVE)

Following the attack on the Annunciation Catholic School Church in Minneapolis on Aug. 27, the term "nihilistic violent extremism" has been floated to describe the attacker's motives. Ben sits down with two NCITE research associates, doctoral students Brenna Helm (ABD) and Angie Benda, to discuss the new term and soft target protection. Visit our website for a comprehensive list of NCITE research related to NVE [https://www.unomaha.edu/ncite/news/2025/08/nve-landing-page.php].

Methods: The Value of Data-Generating Processes

On the latest episode of the podcast, NCITE doctoral student Callie Vitro hosts NCITE research associate Michael Becker, Ph.D. to discuss all things methods. They cover 1) how they source data, 2) how they process data, and 3) Becker's work on the NCITE geospatial technologies project [https://www.unomaha.edu/ncite/research/research-projects/doctor-geospatial-technologies.php]. To check out the unique data request form generated by Becker and his team, see the YouTube version of this episode (20:23–42).  Curious to learn more? Email Dr. Becker at mbecker26@nebraska.edu or NCITE at ncite@unomaha.edu. NOTE — At 3:15, it is the National Incident-Based "Reporting" System (NIBRS), not "Response".

Public Perceptions of Punishment For Mass Violence

Ben sits down with Erin Kearns, Ph.D., NCITE director of law enforcement partnerships, and visiting scholar Adam Ghazi-Tehrani, Ph.D., associate professor of criminology and criminal justice at Indiana University. The two discuss their research into the similarities and differences in 1) the scholarship on, 2) the public conceptualization of, and 3) the public attitudes toward punishment for terrorism, hate crimes, and other forms of mass violence.

AI Case Studies Report

Ben sits down with two of the authors of a new NCITE report on malign case studies of AI: NCITE Senior Scientist Sam Hunter, Ph.D., and I-O psychology doctoral student Alexis D'Amato. They discuss malign use of specialized, unconstrained LLM's, AI-generated music, autonomous weapons systems (AWS), and more. Follow this link to read the full list of case studies: "Examining the Malign Use of AI: A Case Study Report" by Emma Theobald, Alexis d'Amato et al. [https://digitalcommons.unomaha.edu/ncitereportsresearch/126/] For more NCITE research on AI, check out the below articles:  * Examining Similarity-Attraction Principle and Intergroup Conflict on Malevolent Creativity Ideation [https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/jocb.70027?msockid=2eb44821e23b6f953a905e28e36c6e89] * Harnessing Harm: Artificial Intelligence’s Role in the Amplification of [https://psycnet.apa.org/doiLanding?doi=10.1037%2Faca0000742] Malevolent Creativity and Innovation [https://psycnet.apa.org/doiLanding?doi=10.1037%2Faca0000742]