KU undergraduate team secures third place in national intelligence competition

LAWRENCE — A team of three University of Kansas undergraduate students has earned a third-place finish in the national collegiate Moonshot Labs Analyst Jam with IC Centers for Academic Excellence (MAJIC) Competition, surpassing numerous teams, including many composed of graduate students.

The KU team of Amy Wright, of Independence, Missouri; Alpha Ngo, Derby, and Katherine Koplik, Overland Park, competed against 19 teams from other institutions across the nation that, like KU, are affiliated with Intelligent Community Centers for Academic Excellence, which prepares students for careers in intelligence and national security.

The MAJIC Challenge is sponsored by the National Geospace Agency’s Moonshot Labs, the National Intelligence University and the Office of the Director for National Intelligence. This competition provides students the opportunity to collaborate with subject matter experts while analyzing real-world national security challenges and presenting innovative solutions.

The team’s participation was part of an undergraduate student research class, POLS 489 Topics in International Relations: China-US Relations, instructed by Kurt Preston, director of KU’s National Defense Initiatives.

“What makes this achievement particularly noteworthy is that the KU team consisted exclusively of undergraduate students, while the first- and second-place teams were primarily composed of graduate students,” Preston said. “This remarkable accomplishment highlights the exceptional quality of KU’s undergraduate research and the outstanding capabilities of its students.”

Wright, the team leader, reflected on the experience following the competition.

“It was an excellent learning experience and a good opportunity to put oneself in the mindset of the role,” she said. “It’s hard to know how to present on intelligence without actually presenting on intelligence.

“From a team perspective, I will say that it was and will be an astronomical advantage to have experience working in a team from such different backgrounds on a central topic. As analysts, navigating the conversation in context of others' backgrounds seems vital to success.”

As a result of their performance, the KU team now has an opportunity for its work to be published in NGA's Tearline Project and NIU’s academic journal. The students may also have the opportunity to present their findings to senior Intelligence Community leaders at the 2025 National Security Analysis & Intelligence Summer Seminar.

Through their participation in the MAJIC Challenge, KU students strengthened their analytical skills, gained valuable exposure to intelligence methodologies and established professional connections with both peers and intelligence community professionals, according to Preston. This experience provides them with practical insights that will prove invaluable in their future academic and professional endeavors.