Director's Message
Dear SENTRY Community,
I am overjoyed to share that SENTRY has been reinstated as a Center of Excellence by the Department of Homeland Security, effective June 11, 2026. As we move forward, our research portfolio will evolve to reflect current homeland security priorities and emerging threats, while remaining grounded in our core mission of protecting soft targets and crowded places. Although the pause in funding interrupted many planned activities, it did not stop the work of our core team, partners, and stakeholders to position SENTRY for a strong return. Click to read the full message.
| | | Industry Advisory Board New Member Spotlight: InControl | InControl is a global software company that develops custom simulation and decision-support platforms designed to help organizations better understand, prepare for, and respond to complex operational challenges. Their expertise spans a variety of industries, with a particular strength in creating realistic, data-driven simulation environments that support planning, training, and operational decision-making. | | | CISA's Strategies to Deter Targeted Violence Webinar: Held virtually on August 26th from 1:30 - 2:30 PM, this event includes an introduction to the current threat landscape and provides a more in-depth understanding of de-escalation strategies to help prevent and protect against incidents of targeted violence. This webinar is intended for front-line staff, community members, and critical infrastructure operators. Click here for more information. | |
SENTRY's Jun Zhuang Awarded Fellowship, Best Paper
Congratulations to SENTRY Thrust Lead and researcher Dr. Jun Zhuang who was officially inducted as a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in May 2026, the world’s largest general scientific society and publisher of the journal Science. He was recognized “for distinguished contributions to game theory and its application to homeland security and military problems and for exceptional service to industrial and systems engineering.”
He also received the 2025 Best Paper Award at the Society for Risk Analysis Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C. The winning paper is titled “Game-Theoretic Optimization on School Safety: Resource Allocation Against Strategic Attacks.” The research examined how schools can optimally allocate resources across two complementary layers of defense: physical security measures and mental health interventions. Read more about the accomplishment here.
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SENTRY's Henry Medeiros NSF Research Advances AI for Smarter, More Resilient Airports
How can artificial intelligence help airports better manage delays, disruptions, and passenger flow? SENTRY researcher Henry Medeiros is part of a University of Florida team using AI and digital twin technology to simulate airport operations and develop strategies that improve efficiency and resilience. By modeling everything from baggage handling to weather-related disruptions, the NSF funded research aims to help airports anticipate challenges before they become costly problems. Click here to read the full story.
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SENTRY's Mohammadhadi Amini Awarded Patent
Congratulations to Mohammadhadi "Hadi" Amini, who has been awarded a U.S. patent for an AI-powered threat detection system developed through SENTRY-funded research. Designed to support the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's mission to enhance the safety and security of public spaces, the patented technology uses advanced computer vision and artificial intelligence to identify potential weapon-related threats while preserving bystanders' privacy. Read the newly issued patent to learn more.
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SENTRY Research Spin-Off Fuels Global Health Initiative
Building on technologies developed through SENTRY-supported research, Trace Sensing Technologies recently received funding from the Gates Foundation to advance a non-invasive, breath-based diagnostic for tuberculosis. The project will support proof-of-concept studies to identify and validate TB biomarkers with the long-term goal of enabling scalable screening in low- and middle-income countries. Read more from the Gates Foundation on the mission behind the grant funding.
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SENTRY SRT Research Earns Top Honor at Assistive Technology Conference
Congratulations to SENTRY student Tyler Ortiz, Professor Zhigang Zhu, and collaborators (including Professor Hao Tang) for receiving the prestigious Dr. Arthur I. Karshmer Award for Assistive Technology Research at the 41st CSUN Assistive Technology Conference. Ortiz and Zhu were supported by Follow-On funding from their SENTRY research conducted through the DHS Summer Research Team (SRT) Program in 2024. Zhu was a two-time SRT Team awardee (SENTRY and CCICADA), and Tang was a SRT team participant with CCICADA. Ortiz and Zhu co-authored Buddy Walk, an AI-powered travel assistant that uses vision-language models and mapping technologies to help blind and low-vision users navigate outdoor environments. Selected as the top paper among 24 journal-track accepted papers, this honor reflects the impact of student-led research supported through SENTRY's workforce development initiatives.
| | | Pictured left to right: Hao Tang, Tyler Ortiz, William H. Seiple, Zhigang Zhu | | | Northeastern Giving Page: Support SENTRY Research Efforts | As millions of people gather at stadiums, concerts, transit hubs, and other public venues, SENTRY's research is helping make these spaces safer. SENTRY has developed innovative tools, including advanced simulations and "digital twins" of venues, to help security professionals anticipate and respond to potential threats before they occur. Your support helps our center develop the technologies, partnerships, and solutions to protect soft targets and crowded places from existing and emerging threats. We encourage you to share our giving page with your personal network, or consider making a gift yourself. Thank you for your continued support! | | |
New Resource: Joint Interagency Task Force 401 C-UAS Handbook
The Joint Interagency Task Force 401 (JIATF 401) recently published a practical handbook designed to aid audiences across government, industry, and academia in building a shared understanding of the drone threat and the basic principles of protecting against illicit drones. The task force developed the guide, titled "Small Drones, Big Problems: A First Principles Approach to Countering-UAS," as part of its mission to synchronize counter-unmanned aircraft systems efforts across the War Department and federal interagency partners.
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