Jane DOE speaks with Dr. Deborah Pfaff, Associate Professor of Research in NIU’s Office of Research, about the privatization of space. Noting that space-related activities make up 25 percent of the U.S. economy, Dr. Pfaff highlights existing space policy and the current practice of commercializing space exploration—providing the private industry with government contracts but no oversight. The article mentioned in this episode: Spacing Out: Will we allow the privatization of space to eclipse NASA and NRO?(originally published in The Hill)

Manolis Priniotakis, NIU’s Vice President of Research and Infrastructure, discusses the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Intelligence and Analysis and its role within the department with Assistant Secretary Shannon Corless. They also explore the intersection of economics and national security and what that convergence looks like in practice. 

Jane DOE speaks with Dr. Neil Johnson from the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and NIU faculty member in the Anthony G. Oettinger School of Science and Technology Intelligence. Examining deepfake technologies, Dr. Johnson discusses multimedia forensics and the ongoing efforts of the IC, U.S. Government, and global organizations to provide users and viewers with education and resources to combat the malicious use of deepfake technologies. 

Jane DOE speaks with Dr. Jennifer Sciubba, an internationally recognized expert in the field of demographic security and a Wilson Center fellow, about her book, 8 Billion and Counting: How Sex, Death, and Migration Shape Our World, and the security predictions we can make by examining existing global populations. 

Jane DOE speaks with Dr. Rod Schoonover, a former Senior Scientist and Senior Analyst in the State Department’s Bureau of Intelligence and Research and founder of the Ecological Futures Group, about the science behind climate change and how it affects U.S. security. Dr. Schoonover also addresses the implications of politicizing a national security issue steeped in science.