Penn State student wins Department of Homeland Security Scholarship(DHS)

Finding Peter Vining

“I don’t want to be James Bond,” joked 21-year-old Peter Vining of the Pennsylvania State University. Recently, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) selected him to participate in its undergraduate scholarship program. Vining will have the opportunity to work with some of the nation’s experts on counterterrorism research. The DHS program seeks undergraduates studying in fields ranging from information technology and engineering to biology, chemistry and the social sciences. 2008 marked Vining’s opportunity to use this opportunity “as a launching pad for a career in government service.” Vining’s proclivity to investigate and analyze was how he came across the DHS scholarship program. “I found it when I was looking for opportunities to work for the government,” he said.

When he was young, Vining wanted to be captain of an aircraft carrier. Vining also enjoyed playing strategy games such as Risk or chess. “I liked playing strategy games a lot as a kid, because they require skill and cunning rather than dumb luck,” he said. In strategy games like Risk, Vining uses the same mental functions that are innate to those in his field. He keenly observes his opponents’ movements for patterns in order to devise a counterstrategy. Now, he finds that his love for strategy games helps in shaping his quick, inquisitive mind. In meeting Vining, his eyes appear sharp and his mannerisms are stoic. His answers are well thought out, concise and precise. Overall, his demeanor is that of an excellent strategist, but then he reveals a smile that opens a window to the boyish charm that still remains.

Vining is double majoring in intelligence analysis (as part of Penn State’s new security and risk analysis program) and national security studies. He is also earning minors in biology and Chinese language. In addition, Vining has been engaged in research at Penn State. At the Center for Global Business Studies (CGBS), a division of Smeal College of Business, Vining studied global trends in a variety of subjects under the tutelage of the world renowned Dr. Fariborz Ghadar. Ghadar is a well respected authority on global economic trends, as well as global corporate strategy and implementation. The global tectonics program Vining worked for explores global trends in conflict, as well as those in natural resource usage, technology, terrorism, and demographics. The project is run by CGBS in conjunction with Erik Peterson, senior vice president of the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). By gathering and analyzing data from a variety of sources, Vining helped make predictions for the future in these areas. For Vining, the global tectonics project was a very helpful research experience in preparation for his work with DHS.

Vining had many people to thank for helping him earn the opportunity afforded to him by DHS. “Dr. Maitland and Dr. Ghadar both gave me wonderful opportunities to take some advanced classes and do research in these kinds of fields. The faculties of the IST school and political science departments have also been incredibly supportive of my education and I couldn’t have asked for a better program than the new SRA major” Vining said. Carleen Maitland is an associate professor in the School of Information Sciences and Technology. “My supportive friends and family have also been very important to me” he added.

The astute minded Vining stays well informed on global developments. And he is sure that his knowledge and moderate standing gives him objectivity. He thinks it is important for people to avoid subscribing to dogmatic ideologies because it takes a mix of many viewpoints to properly analyze and resolve the global issues of today. By participating in the DHS scholarship program, Vining has become an agent of change to help secure the country that “gave me (Vining) everything I have.”

Story by Olayemi Falodun