The Terrorism Research Center (TRC) and Department of Sociology & Criminology in Fulbright College congratulate Rebecca Simpson as the inaugural winner of the Brent L. Smith Undergraduate Research Award. The award recognizes undergraduate students who have demonstrated exceptional leadership in advancing original research projects with the potential to inform evidence-based counterterrorism policies and practices.
A senior who is triple majoring in Psychology, Sociology, and Criminology, Simpson currently serves as a TRC Project Manager for the American Terrorism Study (ATS). She has contributed to research projects funded by the National Institute of Justice, Department of Homeland Security, and National Science Foundation, playing integral roles in managing large databases and overseeing the work of multiple TRC research interns. Simpson intends to use the $1000 associated with the Award to support her travel to the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences annual conference where she will present her study titled “Radical Islamic Terrorist Plots in the U.S.: Comparing Foiled and Completed Plots Since 9/11”.
The new awards’ namesake, Professor Emeritus Brent L. Smith is considered a pioneer in the criminological study of terrorism and violent extremism. Establishing the TRC at the University of Arkansas in 2003, he strove to conduct research that could inform the policies and practices of the law enforcement and intelligence community. He retired from the University of Arkansas as Distinguished Professor and former Department Chair in December 2019.
“Professor Smith was always sure to incorporate graduate and undergraduate students into his research. The number of students he mentored and who he supported presenting original terrorism-related research at conferences around the country is remarkable,” said current TRC Director, Jeff Gruenewald. “It’s fitting that Rebecca will be using the funds associated with the inaugural Award to present her findings from a study that Professor Smith began over 30 years ago.”