USFUNIVERSITY OF SOUTH FLORIDACOLLEGE OF ARTS & SCIENCES
03 / STUDENT INVOLVEMENT

YOUR PERSPECTIVE.
REAL POSSIBILITIES.

Bring your questions, your skills and your curiosity to research at the intersection of human dynamics and technology.

LEARN THROUGH CONTRIBUTION

MORE THAN A SEAT
IN THE ROOM.

SAIL brings students into a research environment where different disciplines have something to contribute. Undergraduate and graduate students, including student veterans, can explore how research and analytical tools inform complex security questions.

Contributions can span source research, analysis, writing, visualization and software development. The starting point is an interest in learning and a conversation about where your skills fit.

Connect about student involvement
Nico Lavaud speaks about student opportunities during the SAIL ribbon cutting
Student speaker Nico Lavaud · SAIL opening · Corey Lepak / USF
FIND YOUR WAY IN

DIFFERENT SKILLS.
A SHARED CURIOSITY.

These are areas of student contribution. Specific opportunities and availability are discussed with the team.

01

RESEARCH & ANALYSIS

Explore evidence, actors and context. Learn to ask a focused question and build an assessment that can be examined.

  • Source research and evidence review
  • Stakeholder and issue development
  • Scenario exploration
02

DATA & DEVELOPMENT

Help turn analytical questions into tools. Connect technical skills with research needs and practical workflows.

  • Data preparation and integration
  • Website and application development
  • Visualization and analytical tools
03

WRITING & COMMUNICATION

Make complex work understandable. Build experience communicating an assessment and the evidence behind it.

  • Analytical writing and editing
  • Report design and visualization
  • Research communication

START A CONVERSATION.

Tell us what you're studying, what you want to learn and where you'd like to contribute. The team can discuss current availability and next steps.

A FEW THINGS TO KNOW

CURIOUS ABOUT
GETTING INVOLVED?

Do I need a technical background?

Student contributions include research, writing and analysis as well as data and software development. Share your current skills and interests so the team can discuss a suitable fit.

Are specific positions currently available?

Contact the team for current opportunities, eligibility and application steps. This website does not list an active opening or guarantee a placement.

What should I include in my introduction?

Your program and year of study, areas of interest, relevant experience and availability are useful starting points. You can also share what you hope to learn.

Where can I find related USF opportunities?

USF maintains a directory of student opportunities in national security, analytics and related areas. Explore USF student resources

INSIGHT CORE / PUBLICATION FORMAT
FORMAT PREVIEW · NOT A PUBLISHED ASSESSMENT

INSIDE A
FLASH REPORT.

A proposed structure for a concise, evidence-based assessment. This example contains no study findings, modeled results or institutional conclusions.

01

THE QUESTION

State the issue, the geographic and time scope, and why it matters to the intended reader.

02

KEY JUDGMENTS

Present the central assessments with appropriate confidence and uncertainty.

03

ACTORS & DRIVERS

Identify the stakeholders, issues and relationships most relevant to the assessment.

04

SCENARIOS & IMPLICATIONS

Compare possible outcomes, explain assumptions and note the conditions that could change the assessment.

05

EVIDENCE & METHOD

Identify sources, methods, model contributions, limitations and authorship.

INSIGHT CORE / FLASH REPORT
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS & SOURCES

ROOTED IN
THE REAL SAIL.

Institutional information and photographs are drawn from University of South Florida sources. Team portraits and labeled student imagery are placeholders.

THE LAB & THE TEAM

SAIL's purpose, INSIGHT's role and team contacts are grounded in USF's published pages. Application descriptions reflect the INSIGHT Core development work.

SAIL OPENING PHOTOGRAPHY

Lab visitors, ribbon cutting and student speaker Nico Lavaud: photos by Corey Lepak / University of South Florida, published in the College of Arts and Sciences' opening story. The ceremony took place October 9, 2026.

View the original USF story

JOHN AND GRACE ALLEN BUILDING

Exterior photograph from USF News' 2023 campus infrastructure coverage. It is an archival building image.

View the building photo source

SAIL IDENTITY

The existing SAIL logo is used throughout. USF green (#006747) and gold (#CFC493) anchor the website's visual identity.

STUDENT RESOURCES

Related student opportunity links direct to USF's maintained directory. Current placements, eligibility and availability are discussed directly with the team.

USF student opportunities