{"655259":{"#nid":"655259","#data":{"type":"news","title":"GTRI Researcher Leads Nunn School Class Built on NATO Innovation Challenge","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ENATO is calling upon university students around the world to provide solutions for some of its biggest challenges, and students in a new class in the Sam Nunn School of International Affairs are answering.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.act.nato.int\/articles\/innovation-challenge-2021-2-countering-cognitive-warfare\u0022\u003ENATO Innovation Challenge\u003C\/a\u003E \u0026mdash; along with the class of the same name, \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/intaadvising.gatech.edu\/internships\/inta-4901-8901-nato-innovative-challenges\/\u0022\u003EINTA 4901\/8901\u003C\/a\u003E \u0026mdash; lets students tackle some of the biggest problems in international affairs today, while also preparing them for a career in international security.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;The Nunn School is uniquely placed at our current inflection point, where the lines between defense and commercial technologies have been blurred,\u0026rdquo; said course instructor Nicholas Nelson, a principal researcher at the Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI). \u0026ldquo;International affairs students don\u0026rsquo;t need to be the technical experts on these technologies, but they need to be able to communicate with the engineers and computer scientists. That\u0026#39;s where our future national security challenges lie.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EStudents from across campus are eligible to take the course, which began with a pilot in Spring 2021, and is highly competitive: Nelson selected just one of every four applicants for the Fall 2021 semester, the start of the first full yearlong cycle of courses.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe course is designed in such a way that, in the fall, students propose solutions for problems facing NATO, building out each possible answer\u0026rsquo;s strategy, technology, and policy. In the spring, those who want to continue with their research can participate in an independent study class, where they will write a report on their fall projects and findings for NATO\u0026rsquo;s magazine, \u003Cem\u003ENATO Review\u003C\/em\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThis year, students split into two teams, one focused on the future of warfare related to artificial intelligence (AI) and autonomy, the other on solutions to key issues in space, particularly potential conflict. The students ended the semester by presenting their projects to the director of the NATO Innovation Hub, the AI and autonomy policy leader for NATO headquarters, and a representative from the NATO Parliamentary Assembly.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EMany of those stakeholders requested the opportunity to participate in brainstorming sessions with this spring\u0026rsquo;s students.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ENATO is interested in showcasing students\u0026rsquo; work largely as part of their \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.nato.int\/nato_static_fl2014\/assets\/pdf\/2021\/6\/pdf\/2106-factsheet-nato2030-en.pdf\u0022\u003ENATO 2030\u003C\/a\u003E initiative, which seeks to connect a young workforce to an organization of experienced public servants.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ENelson, joined GTRI after 15 years working in emerging and dual-use technologies, or those with defense and civil government uses. He developed the concept for the course while working with researchers at Johns Hopkins University on their security projects. Some of his colleagues reached out about expanding the NATO Innovation Challenge. Nelson had been looking for more ways to mentor students and figured the Challenge would be a perfect program to bring to the Nunn School.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ESimilar to the NATO Innovation Challenge, the School places a premium on international security and working with international organizations.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ENelson spends a large portion of the course helping students prepare for jobs in consulting, public service, at think tanks, and more. He held career-focused office hours with last fall\u0026rsquo;s students and coached several through interviews. Presenting to mid- to senior-level officials within NATO also teaches students the importance of client service and delivering on a specific request.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;This class is not just about the subject matter,\u0026rdquo; said Nelson. \u0026ldquo;It\u0026#39;s also developing important technical skills. Understanding how to put a good PowerPoint deck together, how to do basic things in Excel when it comes to a real-life environment \u0026mdash; those are the things that are going to differentiate you during entry-level job interviews.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ESince beginning the program in 2021, three students have received offers from consulting firms, another has received an internship with a D.C. think tank, and two more have advanced to final-round interviews with NATO.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ENelson hopes this class inspires a passion for working in international security, particularly for organizations such as NATO.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;We need more folks coming in from a variety of backgrounds who understand the day\u0026rsquo;s challenges and who are passionate about solving them,\u0026rdquo; he said.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ENicholas Nelson teaches INTA 4901\/8901 and helps prepare students for security careers.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Nicholas Nelson teaches INTA 4901\/8901 and helps prepare students for security careers."}],"uid":"34946","created_gmt":"2022-02-07 16:56:21","changed_gmt":"2022-02-07 16:56:21","author":"gwyner3","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2022-02-07T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2022-02-07T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"655258":{"id":"655258","type":"image","title":"NATO Flag","body":null,"created":"1644252805","gmt_created":"2022-02-07 16:53:25","changed":"1644252805","gmt_changed":"2022-02-07 16:53:25","alt":"A flag with the NATO logo blows in a clear blue sky.","file":{"fid":"248424","name":"16 x 9 Aspect Ratio (3200 x 1800 px) (4).jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/16%20x%209%20Aspect%20Ratio%20%283200%20x%201800%20px%29%20%284%29.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/16%20x%209%20Aspect%20Ratio%20%283200%20x%201800%20px%29%20%284%29.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":197095,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/16%20x%209%20Aspect%20Ratio%20%283200%20x%201800%20px%29%20%284%29.jpg?itok=S8Rc9Bx2"}}},"media_ids":["655258"],"groups":[{"id":"1281","name":"Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts"},{"id":"1285","name":"Sam Nunn School of International Affairs"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"995","name":"NATO"},{"id":"1188","name":"International Affairs"},{"id":"3763","name":"international security"},{"id":"167256","name":"Sam Nunn School of International Affairs"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:gwyner3@gatech.edu\u0022\u003EGrace Wyner\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ECommunications Officer\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ESam Nunn School of International Affairs | School of Public Policy\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}