Three members of CIB are among four students from Coastal Carolina University’s Intelligence and National Security Studies program whose paper abstracts were accepted this week to the NCUR conference in Asheville, North Carolina. NCUR, which stands for National Conferences on Undergraduate Research, is a project of the Council on Undergraduate Research, an organization established in 1987 to promote undergraduate research, scholarship, and creative activity in all fields of study. In April, NCUR will host its 30th annual conference at the University of North Carolina in Asheville.

One CIB officer, Diana Evans, and two CIB members and former officers, Sarah Harvey and Amy Thomas, were notified last week by the conference organizers that their paper abstracts were “chosen from more than 4,000 submissions” because they “demonstrate unique contributions to your field of study”. CIB former officer and current member Amy Thomas, who will present a paper on the online war between the Islamic State and the hacker group known as Anonymous, said she was “amazed and thrilled” at the opportunity to present her research at UNC Asheville. Amy, who will be co-presenting her paper with CCU student Rachel Drummond, said the timely topic of her research question was probably one of the reasons why her paper was accepted for presentation at the conference. “Having my abstract accepted to the NCUR will open doors for me in both future research endeavors and in my applications to universities for pursuing my PhD in the near future”, added Amy.

Sarah Harvey, who helped bring CIB to life in 2015 as dedicated officer,  spoke of the “feeling of pure accomplishment” she had when she found out that her abstract had been accepted. Sarah will be co-presenting her research on the impact for Chinese-American relations of the large data-breach suffered by the United States Office of Personnel Management (OPM) in June 2015, which has been widely blamed on China. “I could finally see my hard work paying off”, said Sarah of her success. “I am excited to share research on a topic that’s not only important to me, but crucial to the current state of information assurance”, she added, referring to the area of studies she wishes to pursue following her graduation from CCU in May. Sarah will co-present the paper with Diana Evans, CIB’s Communications Officer and chair of the organization’s Americas Desk. Speaking of her imminent presentation at UNC Asheville, Diana said it was “definitely an honor and a personal challenge, as well as “a milestone and highlight of my college career”.

The CIB students will be traveling to UNC Asheville in April along with nearly a dozen other UCC faculty and students, who will also present at the conference. Their trip is generously funded by CCU’s College of Humanities and Fine Arts and coordinated by the University’s Office of Undergraduate Research.