On Monday, March 26 at 11:30 am, Barnett Koven and Rachel Gabriel will give a lecture titled "Machine Learning and Big Data for Predictive Modeling of Asymmetric Threats" at START headquarters. The event is free and open to the public, but RSVPs are appreciated. If you are not a START affiliate, please email Eva Coll (escoll@umd.edu) if you're interested in attending for more information.
This talk explores how information pulled from social media might be able to help us predict future trends in online extremist radicalization, as well as potentially preventing real world threats such as terrorist attacks. For example, studying hashtags, reposted topics, and @ mentions help to reveal ideological trends and influential individuals. This approach can be expanded by exploring how the fashion industry predicts trends, and applying similar methods to predicting politically motivated violence. This talk is based on several previous and ongoing START projects about using trend forecasting and big data analytics to improve understanding and predictive capabilities regarding threats.
Rachel A. Gabriel is a Researcher and Project Manager for Strategic Multilayer Assessment and NSF INSPIRE projects at the University of Maryland’s National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism (START). Ms. Gabriel received her M.Sc. in International Relations and Conflict Studies from the London School of Economics and Political Science and her B.A. in International Affairs and Philosophy from the George Washington University.
Barnett S. Koven is a Senior Researcher and the Political Instability, Counterterrorism and Gray Zone Portfolios Lead at START. He is also the Founder and CEO of BSK Consulting, L.L.C., a boutique consultancy specializing in practitioner education and mixed-methods (quantitative and qualitative) research in support of national security practitioners and policy-makers. In addition, Koven is a Fellow at the Jack D. Gordon Institute for Public Policy at Florida International University, a Professorial Lecturer in Political Science & International Affairs at George Washington University (GWU), an Associate Member of the Graduate Faculty and a Lecturer in Public Policy at the University of Maryland (UMD), an Adjunct Presenter at the U.S. Air Force Special Operations School and a Quantitative Social Scientist at Performance Systems, LLC. He received his Ph.D., M.Phil. and M.A. in Political Science, as well as a B.A. in International Affairs and Latin American and Hemispheric Studies from GWU. Koven also holds a Certificate in Conflict Analysis from the United States Institute of Peace and a Certificate in Advanced Security in the Field from the United Nations System Staff College.