Episodes

  • Calculating Criminal & Structural Social Networks with Dr. Nathan Jones and Braell Dotson

    Calculating Criminal & Structural Social Networks with Dr. Nathan Jones and Braell Dotson
    Aug 5 2026
    Every actor is within six degrees of separation from Kevin Bacon. We can measure and chart that professional network - and we can do it with Mexican drug cartels and critical infrastructure assets. This week, we chat with Dr. Nathan Jones, professor and chair of the Security Studies department at Sam, and Braell Dotson, an enterprising recent graduate who coded a plugin to open-source software used by law enforcement to measure and track criminal networks.
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    47 mins
  • Emerging Threats & Risk Management in Trucking with John Contestabile

    Emerging Threats & Risk Management in Trucking with John Contestabile
    Jul 29 2026
    The trucking industry faces myriad modern challenges. Some are conventional, but plenty of others are emerging and evolving quickly. This week, we're podcasting a keynote address from our transportation symposium earlier this summer. John Contestabile, the director of public safety solutions at Skyline Technology Solutions, explores that changing threat landscape and how it affects risk management and prudent planning.
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    32 mins
  • Risk Management in Critical Trucking Infrastructure with Angelica Garcia and Daniel Sandoval

    Risk Management in Critical Trucking Infrastructure with Angelica Garcia and Daniel Sandoval
    Jul 15 2026
    Trucking and transportation are all about logistics - and risk management. How can you run lean while keeping your eyes on the road? This week, we're revisiting a panel from our livestreamed transportation symposium in May with John Suarez from the Institute for Homeland Security and Angelica Garcia and Daniel Sandoval from Cocoon Consulting and Logistics Services.
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    59 mins
  • "No Pasa Nada" and Crisis Preparedness with Catherine Martin-Trujillo

    "No Pasa Nada" and Crisis Preparedness with Catherine Martin-Trujillo
    Jul 1 2026
    In a crisis, knowing who to call is critical - and when to call for backup. This week, we unpack a crisis management and tabletop hurricane exercise down in the Valley with Catherine Martin-Trujillo, the emergency preparedness coordinator for the Brownsville Public Utilities Board, and explore big takeaways for emergency exercises and preparation.
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    43 mins
  • Screwworm Eradication & Hurricane Preparation with Dr. Monty Dozier, Heberto Villarreal & Dr. Robert Gauthreaux

    Screwworm Eradication & Hurricane Preparation with Dr. Monty Dozier, Heberto Villarreal & Dr. Robert Gauthreaux
    Jun 17 2026
    The new world screwworm is a nasty pest that's back in Texas for the first time in decades. Monitoring and communication are key - but so is old-school technology to eradicate the parasite without pesticides. Also, the Institute for Homeland Security is headed to Brownsville this week to help strategize hurricane preparations and response. We're bringing along an interactive "Simtable" and our resident meteorologist as well.

    We're joined by Dr. Monty Dozier, the program director for disaster assessment and recovery at the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service; Heberto Villarreal, the project manager for the transportation systems sector at the Institute for Homeland Security; and, Dr. Robert Gauthreaux, assistant professor of practice in the Department of Media & Communication.
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    1 hr and 9 mins
  • Everybody's Getting Too Much Information All The Time with Dr. Robert Gauthreaux & Dr. Tony Yao

    Everybody's Getting Too Much Information All The Time with Dr. Robert Gauthreaux & Dr. Tony Yao
    Jun 3 2026
    Information is everywhere. Do you have a plan to cut through the noise in a crisis? This week, we chat about information overload and effective communication strategies with Sam Houston State's Dr. Robert Gauthreaux, an assistant professor of practice of journalism and emerging media, and Dr. Tony Yao, an assistant professor of emerging media.
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    55 mins
  • Predicting and Managing Risk in the Energy Sector with Brandon Martin

    Predicting and Managing Risk in the Energy Sector with Brandon Martin
    May 27 2026
    There's always some subjectivity in security assessments, but translating that expertise into business speak and statistical equations can make a world of difference in corporate security. This week, we chat with Brandon Martin, the executive director of the Energy Security Council, about his organization and lessons learned from his years in law enforcement and the private sector.
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    59 mins
  • Decoding AI Processes & Networking at INFORMS Analytics+ Conference

    Decoding AI Processes & Networking at INFORMS Analytics+ Conference
    May 20 2026
    Generative artificial intelligence has the potential to upend most industries - but it only works if you know how to work with it, not hide behind it. This week, we look back on last month's INFORMS Analytics+ conference with Daniel Windle, director of sales operations at Trinity Industries; Andrew Hartley, a data analyst with Navy Federal Financial Group; and David Stone, a research associate with the Institute for Homeland Security.
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    1 hr