Introduction: About the SENTRY Reconnect Modules

Each June, the Center for Discreet Mathematics and Theoretical Computer Science (DIMACS) at Rutgers University hosts a week-long Reconnect workshop, designed to engage STEM faculty with current research topics that are relevant for classroom presentation. Each year has a specific theme. Workshop sessions are facilitated by leading experts in government and industry, and participants engage in research and writing to produce useful classroom materials to share with their peers.

This publication is a collection of the Reconnect Workshop participants’ modules, developed for the 2022 and 2023 Reconnect Workshops. These workshops were co-sponsored by SENTRY (Soft Target Engineering to Neutralize the Threat Reality), a multi-institution Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology Center of Excellence. SENTRY strives to ensure the existence of safe, secure public spaces by creating functional and adaptable solutions to detect and mitigate targeted violence. An important component SENTRY’s efforts involves workforce development, which involves educating students in mathematical concepts relative to security. To that end, the 2022 and 2023 SENTRY Reconnect workshops focused on the concepts of optimization and risk management.

The first four modules address concepts relative to mathematical optimization. The field of optimization provides language and tools to surmount complex problems in real applications. Optimization tools and algorithms have transformed fields ranging from biology to finance, touching our everyday lives through more efficient supply chains, better traffic management, and more secure power grids.

The second four modules address concepts relative to risk management, a process of identifying, analyzing, and preparing for potential risks, such as natural or man-made disasters. Risk assessment seeks to better understand and model an organization’s vulnerability to risk, and then prescribe control measures and contingency plans to minimize its potential impacts.