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Research for Intelligence & Security Challenges (RISC)

One of the biggest challenges facing the defense and intelligence communities is the competition for talent. The demand for employees who hold security clearances continues to outpace the supply of available workers, particularly in STEM fields (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) and with rigorous academic training. 

In 2020, ARLIS launched the Research for Intelligence & Security Challenges (RISC) initiative to help fill the deficit of government employees needed to address today’s intelligence and security challenges, particularly those with training in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) fields and rigorous research-driven analysis. The ARLIS RISC program provides a pipeline of student talent at both graduate and undergraduate levels, providing students an opportunity to work on real-world problems within ARLIS focus areas. 

Over an intensive 10-week virtual program, competitively selected interns work in teams under guidance from faculty mentors and government champions. Government operators pose problems supported with realistic data sets and other materials. The interns visit ARLIS in College Park at the end of the summer for a capstone event allowing them to brief their projects and interact in person with their teams, sponsors and mentors.

Read more about RISC in our 2024 Program Report.

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