Inaugural Program Culminates in #OnlyatGw Experience for Undergraduates
Capstone projects are rigorous culminating educational experiences traditionally reserved for Elliott School M.A. students. Each year, students collaborate with client organizations to identify policy solutions to current global challenges. Capstone teams conduct in-depth research and analysis, ultimately presenting policy recommendations to some of the most prestigious institutions in Washington and beyond.
For the very first time this past semester, Elliott undergraduates were given the same opportunity to undertake a capstone course. Students who signed up for the inaugural course were lucky enough to have Dr. Keith Noble as their instructor. By day, Dr. Noble serves as the Bureau Chief Data Officer and Director, Office of Advanced Analytics, in the Department of State’s Bureau of Conflict and Stabilization Operations (CSO). He leads the Bureau’s efforts to harness data analytics to enhance foreign policy decision-making on issues related to conflict prevention and stabilization. Prior to joining the State Department, Dr. Noble co-founded Blackcloud International, LLC, a leading data analytics firm based in Abu Dhabi, UAE. He also previously served as the Pinkerton Consulting & Investigations, Inc. and spent nearly a decade with the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).
The student-led teams presented on a diverse variety of topics, including gang demographics in Haiti, mapping pro-democracy groups in Burma, climate security in Women, Peace, and Security (WPS) National Action Plans (NAPS), disarmament, demobilization, and reintegration efforts (DDR) in WPS National Action Plans, and protest trends in Central Asia. Officials from across the State Department attended the presentations, including CSO leadership and desk officers from relevant regions.
As students entered the State Department building adjacent to the Elliott School for a security check, they appeared a bit awestruck. However, they quickly found their footing as they presented their findings to an in-person and remote audience, eagerly responding to questions and receiving compliments from relevant CSO teams.
We spoke with Dr. Noble about his motivation for teaching an undergraduate capstone course at the Elliott School. He shared, “The Elliott School has some of the most accomplished and dynamic international affairs students in the country. I had little doubt that a class of undergraduate students—working in tandem with my colleagues in the Bureau of Conflict and Stabilization Operations (CSO)—would provide valuable research to address some of the Department’s highest priorities.”
One student remarked as he exited, “This is something I could never have imagined myself doing before coming to the Elliott School.” Clearly, Dr. Noble succeeded in his goal of helping to inspire and mentor the next generation of international affairs scholars and practitioners.