The University of New Mexico

Spring 2019

WE'VE MOVED!

NSSP / CTSP is now in Electrical & Computer Engineering, Suite 137

Here is a map to our new location on campus

WACABQ: Wednesday, 16 January 2019, at 6:00PM. The Program: “Autonomous Weapons and the Future of War” - Militaries around the world are racing to build robotic systems with increasing autonomy. What will happen when a Predator drone has as much autonomy as a Google car? Should machines be given the power to make life and death decisions in war? Paul Scharre, a former Army Ranger and Pentagon official, will talk on his new book, Army of None: Autonomous Weapons and the Future of War. Army of None was named one of Bill Gates’ Top 5 Books of 2018. Scharre will explore the technology behind autonomous weapons and the legal, moral, ethical, and strategic dimensions of this evolving technology.

WACABQ: Thursday, 24 January 2019 at 6:00PM. The Program: “Special Operations in the Middle East during WWI” a presentation by J. R. Seeger. From 1916-1918, the British forces in the Middle East conducted a series of special operations against the Ottoman forces and their German allies. The most famous of these special operations was the unconventional warfare effort known as the Great Arab Revolt and its famous practitioner, T.E. Lawrence. In fact, Lawrence was only one of many British and ANZAC officers and non-commissioned officers involved in operations that included direct action, unconventional warfare, and intelligence operations behind Ottoman lines. This presentation provides a summary of these diverse operations and how they were coordinated (or not) by the British command known as the Egyptian Expeditionary Force.

11-15 February, 2019: the Agency's recruiting team will be on campus at various locations.

NEW! 13 February 2019: The first NSSP/CTSP ALL HANDS meeting will take place in Dane Smith Hall, room 129. We will meet in the atrium as usual for food and drink at 5:30 or so, and then head up the room where the Agency recruiters will hold a "Q&A" session. It should be fascinating. We hope you can make it!

WACABQ: Tuesday, February 12, 2019, 6:00 PM. The speaker will be Dr. Caleb Richardson on the subject of “Brexit: Its Origins and its Future” - In June 2016, the British voted to leave the European Union. It was the first of several shocks to the established political system that year, and it was potentially one of the most far-reaching, with political and economic consequences that extend far beyond Britain itself. This talk will explore the history of the relationship between Britain and Europe, the Brexit vote and its aftermath, the current state of the debate, and the significance of Brexit for U.S. politics.

The Center for Global Security Research at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory is now accepting applications for summer 2019 student research associate interns. This posting will close on March 15, 2019.  The posting can be found here:  https://careers-llnl.ttcportals.com/jobs/3557713-center-for-global-security-research-student-intern

WACAbq Tuesday, February 12, 2019: “Brexit: Its Origins and its Future” - In June 2016, the British voted to leave the European Union. It was the first of several shocks to the established political system that year, and it was potentially one of the most far-reaching, with political and economic consequences that extend far beyond Britain itself. This talk will explore the history of the relationship between Britain and Europe, the Brexit vote and its aftermath, the current state of the debate, and the significance of Brexit for U.S. politics.

Wednesday 13 February 2019: The first NSSP/CTSP ALL HANDS meeting will be held in Dane Smith Hall, room 129.

THIS JUST IN: CRITICAL TECHNOLOGY SUMMER RESEARCH FUNDING OPPORTUNITY!

What:  One-month research project approved by a faculty member involving Critical Technology (incl: CS, Data Science, Stat, STEM related data analysis, Info Tech, cyber, social media analysis, quantitative modeling and analysis) – an expansion of a class project is encouraged.

When: Summer 2019 – Project to cover at least a 6-week effort. Meeting and kick-off, June 3-4

How Much/Many: Up to 30 stipends of $3,000 each for completion and written summary of project approved by a faculty mentor.

Qualifications: Join Critical Technology Studies Program, be an undergraduate or graduate student, a US citizen, and participate in occasional CTSP activities – such as engage in a poster and/or briefing opportunity, attend events at the April 9-10 UNM Security Symposium, etc.

Apply: Contact CTSP office in ECE 137 for application or go to nssp.unm.edu for more information and/or application on the CTSP program and summer project.

The next meeting of the World Affairs Council of Albuquerque will be Wednesday, March 6, 2019. Ali Banuazizi will discuss “Four Decades of U.S.-Iran Conflict and the Drumbeats of a Regional War” - The row between the United States and Iran that began with the Iranian Revolution of 1979 has been a dominant feature of each country’s foreign policy and regional alignments in the Middle East for the past four decades. President Trump’s withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal, the re-imposition of crushing sanctions, and veiled threats of regime change have pushed the conflict toward a potential military confrontation between Iran and the U.S. and its regional allies. The talk will examine the history and the driving forces of this conflict and the likelihood of its turning into a confrontation that would involve other players in the region and beyond.

Monday, March 25, 2019: WACAbq’s 9th meeting of the year. The Program: “End of an Era: How China's Authoritarian Revival is Undermining Its Rise” - China's reform era is ending. Core factors that characterized it-political stability, ideological openness, and rapid economic growth-are unraveling.  Since the 1990s, Beijing's leaders have firmly rejected any fundamental reform of their authoritarian one-party political system, even as a decades-long boom has reshaped China's economy and society. Carl Minzner is Professor of Law at Fordham University, and author of End of an Era (Oxford University Press, 2018) . He has written extensively on Chinese law and governance in both academic journals and the popular press, including op-eds appearing in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, and Christian Science Monitor. Talk begins at 6:00 PM, Tanoan Country Club, 10801 Academy Blvd NE. See attached flier HERE.

27 MARCH 2019: The15th Annual Computer Science Student Conference! The Computer Science Student Conference (CSSC) is a student-organized conference series that has traditionally presented new developments in computer science, as well as the latest research directions within the Computer Science department at UNM. The conference will be held on March 27 and this year we aim to showcase the exciting research that is happening at UNM. This year's Keynote Speaker is Professor Christopher Moore. Authors are invited to submit original or previously published manuscripts on a wide range of computer science areas, including (but not limited to) algorithms, systems, HPC, cybersecurity, robotics, non-conventional computing, data science, and applications. All students are welcome to participate in the event! Here is the flier.

Website is here

STAY TUNED - MORE TO COME!