Student Opportunities

Core to the Center for Anticipatory Intelligence model is a commitment to education via direct engagement with academic, policy, and security institutions that are navigating and establishing the response framework to emergent security challenges. Since its founding in 2018, CAI has prioritized developing experiential learning opportunities for students through field excursion, simulation exercises, and classroom exercises; and has built collaboration opportunities with other universities, state and federal institutions, and private sector industries.

Field Excursions & Offsite Events

CAI students have the opportunity to travel with faculty mentors to security-oriented events both within and outside the state of Utah. Visits within Utah provide the opportunity to engage with CAI's I3SC sister program, UVU's Center for National Security Studies (CNSS), and collaborate with security-focused industries and organizations in the Intermountain West. Field excursions to the Denver metro area have included exercises and site visits with industry leaders like Google Boulder and DarkOwl. Past Washington, DC cohort trips have provided the opportunity for firsthand interaction with professionals in the Pentagon, In-Q-Tel, intelligence community agencies, and more. These engagements give students who are pursuing a range of professional paths the opportunity to interact with the private industry and national security professionals who are directly working the issues that will impact their own future fields and industries.

CAI students outside the US Capitol building on a field excursion to Washington, DC to visit key security policy institutions

CAI students on a group hike in Moab, UT

Hiking in Arches National Park after a class session on the USU Moab campus during the annual CAI Moab Excursion trip

CAI staff and students engaging with I3SC partners on the UVU campus at the 2022 China Challenge Summit forum

COL Chad Hackley onsite at NORAD/NORTHCOM in Colorado Springs with CAI students after a joint futures wheel exercise with DOD analysts

Then Principal Deputy Director of National Intelligence Sue Gordon addresses CAI students at the Stewart Security Summit in Salt Lake City

Hiking expedition in Garden of the Gods before onsite visits with industry leaders Google Boulder and DarkOwl in Colorado

Research & Engagement

A wide range of student research, presentation, and event opportunities are opened to students through CAI coursework and programming. These include a key focus on research mentorship and the opportunity to present or publish student research; the ability to engage with CAI institutional partners like US Strategic Command's Academic Alliance initiative; and the chance to regularly network with CAI visiting guests and program alumni on professional and career opportunities.

Noelle Cockett meets with CAI students presenting their projects at Utah's annual Research on Capitol Hill event

CAI is a member of US Strategic Command's Academic Alliance, along with other leading US and international universities

CAI student Chase Harward presenting at a STRATCOM conference

CAI student Chase Harward presents his undergraduate research at the STRATCOM Academic Alliance conference in Omaha, NE

CAI Director Jeannie Johnson's TEDxUSU talk

Director Jeannie Johnson delivers a TEDxUSU talk highlighting the CAI curriculum and student research projects

CAI students observe a robotics demo in class

Robotics researcher Dr. Mario Harper introduces "Spot" the robotic dog to CAI students in a special class presentation

CAI informal gathering with visiting guest

CAI students join visiting guest Cynthia Strand, former CIA Deputy Assistant Director, for an informal evening conversation

Simulation Exercises

CAI academic programs at every level place a heavy emphasis on experiential learning. Leveraging a wealth of national security community, intelligence community, and industry partners as role players and real-time mentors for students, several CAI courses utilize live-action simulation exercises that place students in security crisis scenarios and require them to apply institutional, substantive, and skill-based knowledge while working in cross-disciplinary teams to assess and react to new developments and inform next steps for simulated decisionmakers.

Conny Mayer meets with CAI students during a simulation exercise

Then State Department officer Conny Mayer coaches her CAI student team during a semester capstone simulation exercise

Visiting partners from National Intelligence University and the Intelligence Community role play the National Security Council

CAIers meet with NIU faculty member Gerry Sherrill

CAI students role playing the Defense Intelligence Agency pose with their simulation principal, NIU faculty member Gerry Sherrill