The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) Office of University Programs (OUP) offers postsecondary institutional grants, internships and summer research experiences to build a diverse, highly capable, technical workforce for the homeland security enterprise.

OUP enables Department of Homeland Security (DHS) components and their partners to bring innovation to operations by tapping the expertise of the Nation’s colleges and universities.

When disasters and flu outbreaks strike communities, hospitals; emergency responders; and other city, state, and federal response agencies need to know what resources are available to accommodate a potentially large influx of injured or ill patients. Until now, emergency planners have lacked reliable tools to help them manage their resources for specific disasters or disease outbreaks.

Transit workers must operate at a heightened sense of awareness to counter surface transportation threats to buses, subways and trains. They must be alert to a variety of threats — from bombs, to intentional derailments, to chemical releases — while enabling millions of people to safely travel. To assist, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology (S&T) National Transportation Security Center of Excellence (NTSCOE) developed security training videos tailored to the unique needs of surface transportation workers.

Developed by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology (S&T) Directorate Center of Excellence for Zoonotic and Animal Disease Defense at Texas A&M University, AgConnect® is a suite of data integration and analysis products designed to enhance situational awareness during infectious animal disease outbreaks.

The Global Terrorism Database (GTD) is helping intelligence analysts, law enforcement, and policymakers understand terrorist groups’ modus operandi, tactics, and activity level. GTD users apply this understanding to identify trends and inform strategies to counter terrorist activities.

Marcello is a customizable, Web-based tool that integrates oceanic and atmospheric forecasting, plume modeling, and real-time information updates that can help decision-makers and emergency responders prepare for, respond to, and recover from events. The tool overlays multiple datasets, model outputs, and information sources in a single, user-friendly interface.

The Maritime Security Center of Excellence (MSC) is developing Passive Acoustic Detection Systems that can help the U.S. Coast Guard and other law enforcement entities detect illegal vessel traffic and intruders in maritime and port security zones.

To help mitigate the interruption of lifeline supply chains, researchers at a Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology Directorate Center of Excellence, the Food Protection and Defense Institute (FPDI), are developing new ways of identifying and understanding how and where supply chains are vulnerable to disruptions. As part of this work, research teams are also finding methods to document and assess the components of food supply chains – something that could also help meet goals of the Food Safety Modernization Act.

FPDI has developed an early prototype software tool for supply chain mapping, vulnerability assessments and analysis called Criticality Spatial Analysis (CRISTAL). Through CRISTAL, FPDI aims to develop a new capability to: (1) define and document food critical infrastructure, and (2) assess risk in the global food supply chain.

The Visual Analytics Law Enforcement Toolkit (VALET) integrates large volumes of criminal, traffic and civil incident data into a single, interactive user interface to help law enforcement decision makers, analysts and officers identify crime trends and patterns, discover crime anomalies, and perform predictive crime analytics in order to assist in allocating law enforcement resources.

Developed by the Center for Visualization and Data Analytics, a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology (S&T) Center of Excellence, VALET provides users with a visual display of multiple integrated crime datasets and a variety of crime analyses capabilities.