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UNDERSTANDING TEACHER ATTRITION IN NEBRASKA: A QUANTITATIVE APPROACH USING MARKOV CHAINS AND GRAPH THEORY
No full textTeacher attrition is a growing concern in Nebraska, particularly in rural and high-need districts where staffing challenges are most acute. This study applies a hybrid approach combining Markov Chain modeling and Graph Theory to analyze over three decades of longitudinal employment data from the Nebraska Department of Education. A discrete-time Markov model is used to estimate transition probabilities between roles such as Teacher, Administrator, and Exit, revealing high attrition risks among early-career educators and paraprofessionals. To complement this, a directed weighted graph is constructed to examine the structural properties of role transitions using centrality, clustering, and entropy metrics. Results show that the educator workforce network is highly connected but structurally shallow, with limited upward mobility and a strong directional flow toward exit. By integrating probabilistic and structural analysis, this research offers actionable insights for retention policy and career pathway development aimed at building a more stable and equitable education system in Nebraska
Pride and National Coming Out Day in Nebraska
No full textNote: This is a zine
In June, we celebrate Pride, which acknowledges and highlights the lives, legacies, loves, and joys of LGBTQIA2S+ individuals and communities. Pride events promote the rights, dignity, equality, and visibility of LGBTQIA2S+ people and are examples of liberation and activism. The first Pride events commemorated the Stonewall Uprisings, which occurred in New York City in 1969. Nebraskans celebrated LGBTQ+ dignity and visibility with picnics and gathers in the 1970s, but the first Pride parades and festivals in Nebraska would not occur until the 1980\u27s.https://digitalcommons.unomaha.edu/prideandjoy/1001/thumbnail.jp
Opportunities for Using Generative AI for Malevolent Creativity Information Gathering and Idea Generation
No full textThe success of terrorist and extremist organizations is dependent on their ability to be creative and innovative (e.g., Gill et al., 2013; Ligon et al., 2018; Logan et al., 2020). That is, these organizations are inherently focused on causing harm to their targets in ways that are novel, thus undetectable from threat assessment efforts. Homeland Security Enterprise can establish novel countermeasures to mitigate threats by engaging in the same creative problem-solving process as the terrorist and extremist organizations (e.g., d’Amato & Hunter, 2023). One way to do this is by using the same tools nefarious actors engage with for idea generation. Generative AI is the newest form of technology being used to aid the development and execution of attacks by enhancing the malevolent creativity process (d’Amato et al., 2025; Theobald et al., 2025), but it is paramount that the emerging technology is used optimally. This document serves as a guide to prompt engineer idea generation to simulate malevolent use cases with controlled, ethical prompt engineering to help operational teams better understand what threats generative AI might enable, accelerating threat identification and/or assessment
Knowledge Gaps and Future Vulnerabilities Arising from New and Emerging UAS Technology: Rapid Review C
No full textConsumer unmanned aerial systems (UAS) are rapidly gaining autonomy and global reach, creating new opportunities— and risks—for homeland security. The researchers synthesized recent academic and industry literature on four drivers of change: artificial intelligence/machine learning (AI/ML), next‑generation communications (5G/6G, low‑Earth‑orbit satellites, Li‑Fi, fiber tethers), community‑driven innovations , and increasingly powerful software/toolchains. Methods included targeted evidence scans and structured analysis of vulnerabilities and implementation pathways. Important findings include: (1) AI/ML reduces operator skill demands and enables autonomy and swarms; (2) expanding connectivity enables remote, persistent control; (3) open hardware/software ecosystems lower barriers to customization; and (4) planning tools make complex missions accessible. Corresponding vulnerabilities include adversarial ML and poisoning, communications interception/jamming/spoofing, insecure open‑source/DIY components, and geofencing and planning‑tool exploits. The researchers outline realistic acquisition and modification pathways (buy/steal commercial, build/retrofit) and highlights knowledge gaps requiring additional study. This directly informs DHS counter‑UAS prioritization, standards, acquisition, and operator training over the next 5 years
Lived Islam in Films: Faith-Based Resilient Responses of Syrian Refugees
No full textThis article provides educators in fields such as Middle Eastern studies, refugee studies, cultural and Islamic studies with a framework from documentaries to challenge stereotypes about Muslim refugees and migrants. Using the framework of lived Islam, the article explores how Syrian Muslim migrants, as seen in documentaries, draw on their faith to build resilience that enables them to continue striving for better lives. Resilience is defined as the ability to overcome challenges and catastrophes, envision solutions, and lead a purposeful life. This article conceptualizes resilience not only as a personal trait but also as a collective tool for survival and empowerment. Drawing on the three documentaries as primary sources: We Walk Together (2015), Meet the Syrians (2018), and Dalya’s Other Country (2017) the study analyzes how lived religion provides coping strategies that are relevant to contemporary crises such as epidemics, natural disasters, and war. The cultural insights gained through analyzing films from a strength-based model contribute to understanding, empathy, and humane thinking and emphasize agency and resilience. The article makes two significant contributions. First, it enriches the underexplored field of lived religion among Muslims, particularly in Western countries, by demonstrating how religion is embodied beyond places of worship and serves as a vital aspect of private life. Second, it offers a constructive teaching approach that uses films to highlight Muslim lived experiences in the diaspora while countering Islamophobia
Cinema Illuminating Reality: Media Philosophy through Buddhism
No full textThis is a book review of Victor Fan, Cinema Illuminating Reality: Media Philosophy through Buddhism (Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 2022
