Fall 2022 Field Trips

After a long hiatus due to the pandemic, TISS was thrilled to resume our student field trips this semester with not one, but two fantastic experiences!

In September, we partnered with the Duke Program in American Grand Strategy to take 22 students to Washington, DC led by TISS Deputy Director Kyle Beardsley.

On the trip, students had the chance to visit sites across the intelligence community, as well as the Pentagon, and to hear from policymakers about their portfolios. All in all, it was a great chance for students from all four of our consortium schools to learn more about how foreign and national security policies are made and implemented and about the wide range of agencies and institutions that support the policy process.

With generous support from the Stanton Foundation, we were able to take 18 students to visit Oak Ridge National Laboratory once again led by TISS Deputy Director Kyle Beardsley.

At Oak Ridge, students learned about nuclear non-proliferation, safeguards, and inspection protocols from the expert team there. The students absolutely loved the hands-on demonstrations and labs on the first day, describing them as “really awesome.” The chance to take part in role-playing exercises was another highlight. Participants also visited the American Museum of Science and Energy – and the graphite reactor!

These trips are a wonderful opportunity to bring together students from different institutions and programs of study, furthering our commitment to advancing the study of national and international security.

A big thank you to our partners and hosts for making these opportunities possible – we’re already looking forward to the next one!