ESU Students Attend Academic Seminar on National Security in Washington, D.C.

Two East Stroudsburg University students attended the program “Academic Seminar on National Security” through The Washington Center in Washington, D.C. The seminar, which was held May 13-20, focused generally on the landscape of national security challenges facing the world today. The seminar gave college students from across the country a more in-depth understanding of the policy, operations, technology and risks surrounding cyber and national security in the United States. Discussions focused on such hot topics as countering violent extremism in a digitally connected world, illicit trafficking and transnational criminal networks, shifting dynamics in the Middle East, the intelligence collection cycle, ethics, law and accountability in national security, the private sector and national security, the national security ecosystem, sanctions for cryptocurrency enforcement, the impact on AI on national security, the role of media in national security and offered students advice on future government careers in national security and foreign policy.

The ESU students who participated in the national security seminar were Carmen Santos, a senior majoring in computer science from Tobyhanna, Pa., and Liv Shumski, a senior majoring in mathematics from Peckville, Pa.

Students spent the mornings on-site at The Washington Center for Internships and Academic Seminars listening to a diverse itinerary of speakers including Tricia Bacon, Former Counterterrorism Official, U.S. Department of State; Andrew P. Bakaj, Chief Legal Counsel at Whistleblower Aid; Julian E. Barnes, National Security Reporter for the New York Times; Col (Ret.) Mark Cancian, senior advisor at Center for Strategic and International Studies; Eric Daniels, senior intelligence analyst, National Space and Air Intelligence Center at the U.S. Department of State; Abdullah Hayek, Middle East analyst for Young Voices; Michael Jacobson, senior fellow, at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy; Greg Myre, National Security Correspondent at NPR and many other experts in national security.

In the afternoons, the group traveled to locations throughout the nation’s capital for educational briefings. The briefings included meetings with officials held at the Embassy of Ukraine, the U.S. Secret Service, the CATO Institute, and the National Nuclear Security Administration within the U.S. Department of Energy. The TWC programs are open to all majors. Both students received scholarships to cover the cost of their participation in the program.

“I am so proud of Liv and Carmen. They are outstanding students and they represented ESU admirably in DC. We are pleased to offer students high impact experiential learning experiences, like this Academic Seminar on National Security, that allow students to witness governmental agencies and personnel up close and personal,” Adams said. “I hope our two students were able to network to secure future internships and/or employment opportunities through their TWC experience.”

For more information about the seminar and Washington Center Programs, contact Dr. Adams by calling (570) 422-3924 or email ksadams@esu.edu.

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