DHS S&T details fifth Hacking for Homeland Security course

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) recently initiated its fifth Hacking for Homeland Security (H4HS) program.

“We’re excited to provide this unique opportunity for students who’ll bring fresh ideas to real-world government problems,” DHS Under Secretary for Science and Technology Dimitri Kusnezov said. “H4HS is expanding its innovation network to reach diverse talent by broadening its scope of universities. As the program grows, we look forward to seeing its impact on the DHS mission.”

The Fall 2022 semester offering is presently available for students at the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) and Texas A&M University (Texas A&M) to develop solutions for Transportation Security Administration (TSA), Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) challenges.

The scope of work, officials noted, involves RIT students focusing nationwide on improving real-time translation and communication tools during airport screening for TSA while also anticipating future disaster impacts and risks for FEMA.

Additionally, RIT is addressing efforts to prioritize multimedia incident information reported to CISA 9-1-1 call centers and processing application data for HSI with regard to individuals seeking to be in the country temporarily, DHS S&T noted.

Meanwhile, authorities shared Texas A&M student teams are aiding TSA in conducting an independent assessment of industry and government implementations of open architecture to capture key elements of a successful approach.

The exploration includes identifying risks and recommended strategies for optimizing the TSA’s open architecture strategy regarding technical, acquisition, and organizational components.