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Building America’s Future Homeland Security Science and Engineering Workforce


The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and its homeland security mission are born from the commitment and resolve of Americans across the United States in the wake of the September 11th attacks. In those darkest hours, we witnessed true heroism, self-sacrifice, and unified resolve against evil. We rallied together for our common defense, and we pledged to stand united against the threats attacking our great Nation, fellow Americans, and way of life.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) Office of University Programs (OUP) streamlines access to the expertise of the nation's colleges and universities to address pressing homeland security needs. Jump start your career with an opportunity at DHS through an ORISE internship. Utilize the information on this site to familiarize yourself with ORISE Research Participation Programs at DHS. 

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Through DHS Education Programs students acquire advanced technical knowledge and training and gain exposure to and experience handling complex real-world challenges.

Our participants are excited about the educational research they are doing

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    Meet Tesfa Greaves

    Tesfa Greaves took a childhood passion for technology and joined the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in their mission to protect the U.S. from online threats.

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    Meet Scarlett Wedergren

    Scarlett Wedergren is passionate about emergency preparedness and the state of public health. With the wide range of disciplines needed as a public servant, she spent the summer with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) learning about and developing strategies for communicating with lay people and financial experts.

  • nicole-fernandez-tejero.jpg

    Meet Nicole Fernández-Tejero

    Nicole Fernández-Tejero has been learning to fine-tune food contamination methods to protect the public.

  • camarillo-james-torres.jpg

    Meet Omar Camarillo, Ph.D., Xandra James and Cecilia Torres

    Through the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Summer Research Team Program for Minority Serving Institutions, Omar Camarillo, Ph.D., Xandra James and Cecilia Torres, from left, conducted a social media analysis on the public perceptions of Mexican drug cartels and U.S.-based gangs at the Criminal Investigations and Network Analysis Center.
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    Meet Dr. Vivek Tandon, Angel Rodarte and Jorge Navarrete

    Dr. Vivek Tandon, Angel Rodarte and Jorge Navarrete helped stakeholders measure infrastructure resiliency in the wake of increasing hydrometeorological events

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    Meet Dr. Camellia Okpodu & Raisa Barrera

    Okpodu and Barrera investigated coastal resilience in response to sea level change in coordination with Old Dominion University’s Resilience Collaborative, part of the Coastal Resilience Center housed at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

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    Meet Dr. Torina Lewis and Michael English

    Torina Lewis, Ph.D., a mathematics professor at Clark Atlanta University, and her student, Michael English, spent this past summer at Arizona State University (ASU) developing models used to predict and optimize air passenger traffic.

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    Meet Dr. Sara Kien, Ashley Lee, and Tatyanna Begay

    Cognitive psychologist Sara Kien, Ph.D. and Ashley Lee and Tatyanna Begay explored the impacts of cyber communication on public perception and reaction to mass shootings. 

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    Meet Dr. Ricardo Infante, Omar Lourido-Canales and Annette Medina-Valentin

    Dr. Ricardo Infante, Omar Lourido-Canales and Annette Medina-Valentin travelled to the Center of Excellence for Awareness & Localization of Explosives-Related Threats (ALERT) at the University of Puerto Rico-Mayaguez in Mayaguez, Puerto Rico. The Center of Excellence for ALERT, led by Northeastern University, develops new means and methods to protect the Nation from explosives-related threats.

  • “Spend a portion of each day learning something new about your facility or department to gain a more holistic perspective and to recognize how your research can be informed by all that is currently developing around you. Use this opportunity to expand your horizons and consider future internship or work opportunities that you never considered before.”

    —Scarlett Wedergren

  • "This has been one of the most educational and best experiences I’ve had as a graduate student. I 100% recommend the ORISE program to expand your knowledge base, expose yourself to different working environments and continue understanding your field more in depth."

    —Nicole Fernández-Tejero

  • “The most enjoyable parts of researching as a team include the creativity in research ideas and problem solving that emerge out of the diversity in expertise and skill sets. I was impressed by my two students’ work ethics and their ability to persevere in spite of research and communication challenges.”

    —Dr. Sara Kien

  • “The research opportunity required that I collaborate with researchers in other Arctic engineering domains than mine. Participating in group discussions with these researchers was one of my favorite parts of the program, as was getting my two students to develop their skill sets in a fairly short time period. We all learned a lot and, if given the opportunity, I plan to participate in this program again.”

    —Dr. Eranna Guruvadoo

  • “My overall impression of this experience was amazing because of the degree of hospitality and welcoming I received from the hosting faculty and students. Yes, I would recommend it to others. One of my favorite parts of this program was working alongside undergraduate and graduate students of various ethnic and cultural backgrounds.”

    —Jacquan Malik Deontrez Pollard
Read more about our participants