The Terrorism Research Center and the Department of Sociology & Criminology in Fulbright College congratulate senior swimmer 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.
Simpson, who is triple majoring in psychology, sociology and criminology, currently serves the Terrorism Research Center as a project manager for the American Terrorism Study. 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 $1,000 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 awards’ namesake, professor emeritus Brent L. Smith, is considered a pioneer in the criminological study of terrorism and violent extremism. Establishing the Terrorism Research Center at the U of A 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 U of A as Distinguished Professor and former department chair in December 2019.
“Brent was always sure to incorporate graduate and undergraduate students into his research projects. He mentored and supported many students who presented terrorism-related studies at conferences around the country,” said Jeff Gruenewald, the current TRC director. “So, it’s fitting that Rebecca will be using the funds associated with this inaugural award to present findings from a study he began over 30 years ago.”
