Students win with ideas to counter disinformation

An 11-student team from the University of North Georgia (UNG) won its topic stream in the international Countering Disinformation Challenge hosted virtually Oct. 21 by the William & Mary Innovation Challenge and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).

The UNG students crafted potential solutions for battling disinformation in the Russia-Ukraine War. UNG won the Alpha Stream against teams from Oxford University, Keele University, the American University in Cairo, and Nottingham Trent. That victory gave Gabriella Bartlett, a junior from Johns Creek, Georgia, a chance to present UNG's project summary to all of the participating schools.

"Our team's success against Oxford University and others is a testament to the quality of the education our students receive in the Department of Political Science and International Affairs," Dr. Hamid Serri, associate professor of political science and international affairs, said. "I also attribute this success to the excellent teamwork by faculty and students across Dahlonega and Gainesville campuses. I am very proud of our students."

Our team's success against Oxford University and others is a testament to the quality of the education our students receive in the Department of Political Science and International Affairs.

Dr. Hamid Serri

UNG associate professor of political science and international affairs

Bartlett, who is pursuing a degree in international affairs, said the UNG students' recommendation was twofold. They suggested helping Ukrainians have quality internet so they can share accurate information, as well as working with private corporations to create virtual private networks that would allow Russians to receive information from sources other than state media.

"We turned a simple idea into a full-fledged proposal," Bartlett said. "It was interesting to see how everyone could collaborate and look at the pros and cons."

Bartlett said she and her peers thrived on the chance to show others their skills.

"It was important for us to represent UNG well on a global stage," Bartlett said. "It was exciting to be a part of something with so many students who shared the same goals."

Autumn Coan, a sophomore from Lawrenceville, Georgia, pursuing a degree in strategic and security studies, said she grew a great deal from the challenges involved in the event.

"I absolutely loved the thrill of competing. Starting bright and early at 8 a.m., the clock was running and the pressure was on. We were all hard at work down to the wire," Coan said. "I enjoyed the closing ceremony and being able to hear all of the other winning schools' proposals within each stream topic. There's always so much to learn from your team and fellow competitors."