PATRICK D. LYNCH ’07M Patrick Lynch’s master’s degree in Applied Intelligence has propelled him to the front lines of the efort to improve the security of nuclear power programs around the world.
began in 1992, Pat was part of the frst cohort once a full-fedged master’s program was launched. He says the “applied” part of the title is what made it valuable to him.
During Professor Kris Wheaton’s class in Advanced Analytical Techniques, Pat became fascinated by what analysts could learn from commercial satellite imagery. Hired by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) as soon as he fnished his coursework, he spent a year in Vienna, Austria, using satellite data to monitor nuclear programs. He then moved to the IAEA’s Nuclear Power and Engineering Section. The frst non-nuclear scientist hired by that section, he helped evaluate potential nuclear power programs—using open source data to review everything from political and fnancial stability to power grid connectivity. Returning to the States in 2009, he joined the Global Security Directorate at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, where he’s responsible for a $12 million portfolio of U.S. State Department programs that help technical staf, academic leaders and governments around the world improve the safety and security of Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) facilities. He focuses particularly on the human element, ensuring that individuals with access to sensitive information and materials aren’t vulnerable to being exploited, reducing the risk of insider threat. He’s currently working with about a dozen nations and spends much of his time traveling.
He points, in particular, to the 10 weeks he and his classmates spent identifying trends in criminal activity and policing within the European Union. The research was commissioned by European Parliament member Bill Newton Dunn, who few to America to be briefed on what they found. “I’d never had the opportunity to supply something tangible to a decision-maker in a classroom setting,” he recalls. “After that I was prepared on my frst job to provide whatever my management would ask of me.” He says Mercyhurst also provided invaluable training in writing and presenting for decision-makers. “This Mercyhurst program has a tremendous reputation in Washington and other areas,” Pat notes. He himself has been a powerful ambassador for Mercyhurst, bringing Mercyhurst students to ORNL for internships and briefngs, and encouraging his coworkers to pursue online intelligence certifcates. Pat and his wife, Mary, live in Knoxville, Tennessee, with their daughters, Autumn and Nora. His mom, Mary Lee McGraw Lynch is a 1970 graduate, and his uncle, Joseph McGraw, graduated in 1985.
Though the Research/Intelligence Analyst Program (RIAP) at Mercyhurst
RYAN KERR ’10 With no immediate job prospects after graduation, Strategic Communication major Ryan Kerr took the proceeds from a summer spent waiting tables and jumped on a MegaBus to New York City. The gamble paid of big time. “Since moving here, I have done everything from selling T-shirts at Mamma Mia to being an Upper East Side nanny,” he laughs. But he soon got his foot in the door with a temp job at Forbes Media, which led to a full-time job managing conferences and events for the global media giant. “I’ve been pretty fortunate to see the country and meet many inspiring people along the way.” Today, as conference manager for The New York Times , his work focuses on “Live Journalism,” conferences that bring Times journalists together on stage with decision-makers in a given feld. There’s a live audience, but the presentations are also streamed online and covered in print editions. In July, he organized a “Cities for Tomorrow” conference in New York, inviting government ofcials, architects and others to discuss how cities are dealing with today’s pressing issues. The conference featured a screening of the documentary Citizen Jane: Battle for the City , a chronicle of activist Jane Jacobs’ fght to
save historic New York City from ruthless redevelopment in the 1960s, and a talkback session with director Matt Tyranuer. Other panels discussed what
cuts in federal funding could mean for nonprofts; the current heroin epidemic; and how food halls can help revive city neighborhoods. In May, college presidents, provosts, deans and chancellors took part in the Higher Ed Leaders Forum, and earlier he headed to the West Coast for “Get with the Times,” an efort to connect with college students and show them how to use their political voices, featuring an interview and performance by Hamilton’s Leslie Odom Jr. on the UCLA campus. “The purpose of these events is to engage in a new and exciting way in a time where factual news and action couldn’t be more important,” Ryan says. He says his well-rounded communication education gives him fexibility to grow and change with his career, adding, “I don’t really have a long-range career goal other than to keep growing and learning. I try to mix things up often and will always gravitate toward doing something new.” Along those lines, he says he tries to explore a diferent city for a long weekend somewhere every couple of weeks.
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