Students and recent graduates from the University of Nebraska System and beyond have joined the National Strategic Research Institute at the University of Nebraska to contribute their time and talent to two projects in support of U.S. Strategic Command’s mission for joint electromagnetic spectrum operations.

NSRI serves as a University Affiliated Research Center designated by the U.S. Department of Defense. It is sponsored by USSTRATCOM and affiliated with NU. The annual internship program bridges academia and defense to create career-developing experiences for students and deliverables for the Command.

“I’m incredibly proud of the trajectory of this program,” said Chris Luther, NSRI senior operations analyst and strategic deterrence internship program lead for the institute. “We have recruited exceptional students who have delivered fantastic work over the years and leaders across the DOD have taken notice. This year’s students fill essential capacity for new projects that directly impact NSRI’s sponsor, USSTRATCOM. This is a great example of what makes our institute unique — we have access to top academic talent and a passionate next generation work force.”

One project will provide a foundational prototype to explore feasibility of basic frequency capture and retransmission functionalities. It is led by Dr. Andrew Harms, assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln.

A second project aims to develop a system for accurately geo-locating emitters in a congested environment using Software Defined Radio receivers. It is led by M. Can Vuran, Dale M. Jensen Professor of Computing at UNL.

“Having a father in the U.S. Marines, the goals of national security hit close to home for me,” said Robert Garcia, a graduate student in telecommunications engineering at UNL. “Electromagnetic warfare is going to become one of the most vital forms of conflict as radio and cellular communications continue to become more commonplace and necessary for advanced warfare. The potential for interference, deception, jamming and electromagnetic pulse attacks against communication systems becomes higher and higher if the proper steps aren’t taken to prevent and strengthen these systems against adversaries.”

2025 NSRI Strategic Deterrence Interns

• Rutherford Ankrah, senior, electrical & computer engineering, Ohio State, Navy ROTC
• Robert Garcia, graduate student, telecommunications engineering UNL
• Brody Marr, junior, electrical engineering & robotics, UNL
• Nathan Meyer, graduate student, telecommunications engineering, UNL
• Eddie Morrissette, senior, mechanical engineering, UNL
• Ben Taylor, senior, aerospace engineering, Colorado-Boulder, Air Force ROTC
• Jennifer Thames, senior, math & physics, Anges Scott College, GA, Army ROTC
• Thy Tran, senior, electrical engineering, math, physical phenomena, UNL
• Jeremy Weber, senior, computer science & cyber, Central Missouri, Army ROTC
• Sebastian Wysocki, senior, computer science & cyber, UNL

Since 2018 the NSRI strategic deterrence internship experience has invited 46 NU students and 24 cadets from ROTC programs throughout the country to expand their mindset about national security and contribute their knowledge to key initiatives such as wargame scenario research and database development.

The institute launched the joint civilian-DOD aspect of the internship experience in 2020 to bring military, government and academia purposefully together in a problem-solving experience. The cadets and their NU counterparts learn to recognize the unique value each perspective brings.

“While many aspects of this internship align with my degree and career goals, there are also parts that introduce me to unfamiliar tasks and situations,” said Jennifer Thames, a senior math and physics major and Army ROTC at Anges Scott College. “From this experience, I hope to improve my communication skills, especially when interacting with individuals who work in this space regularly. I also aim to gain a better understanding of how the military partners with institutions like NSRI.”

Learn more about NSRI’s student opportunities at nsri.nebraska.edu/workforce.

National Strategic Research Institute