Breakout Session Descriptions


DAY 1, March 30th, 2011

Panel 1 TITLE: The Role of Transportation in the Spread of Disease
SUMMARY: In an increasingly connected world, many traditional boundaries to the spread of disease have dissolved. This panel will explore how cross-border and interregional transportation systems contribute to the global spread of disease from three unique perspectives.
LEADER: Grace Mei-Hua Hwang MITRE Corporation
SCRIBE: John Korah University of Texas at El Paso, NCBSI
PANELISTS: Jürgen Richt
Kansas State, CEEZAD
Transportation: A Key Force in Spreading and Preventing Animal Diseases
Katherine Waters
University of Minnesota, NCFPD
Transportation as an Attack Vector: The Role of Education in Preventing the Spread of Catastrophic Diseases
Jon Parker
Johns Hopkins University, PACER
The Inter-region Epidemic Dynamics Model

 

Panel 2 TITLE: Agricultural Supply Chain Vulnerabilities and Solutions
SUMMARY: Critical agricultural supply chain systems that deliver food and medicines remain vulnerable to disruption from both man-made and natural threats. This panel will address those vulnerabilities and will identify potential solutions that aim to ensure minimal disruption in the event of disaster.
LEADER: Tammy Beckham, Texas A&M University, FAZD
SCRIBE: Heather Simmons, Texas A&M University, FAZD
PANELISTS: Michael Orosz
University of Southern California, FAZD
FASTRANS: Food and Agriculture Sector Movement and Marketing Tracking System – The Next Phase
Claire Andreasen
Iowa State, CEEZAD
Partnerships to Ensure Transport of Eggs and Egg Products during Catastrophic Disease Outbreak
Alan Erera
Georgia Institute of Technology, NCFPD
Models to Assess Supply Chain Cost Impacts of Disruptions to Freight Transportation

 

Panel 3 TITLE: Balancing Commerce and Security: Threat Identification Methods and Promising Security Initiatives
SUMMARY: There is often a perceived conflict between freedom of economic activity and the need for increased security. This panel will explore the use of risk assessment, threat analysis, and economic modeling to build tools to compare the cost/benefit and effect on commerce of alternative security initiatives.
LEADER: Paul Kantor, Rutgers University, CCICADA
SCRIBE: Samrat Chatterjee, University of Southern California, CREATE
PANELISTS: Brian Jenkins
Mineta Transportation Institute, NTSCOE
Refining Terrorist Threat Analysis
Fred Roberts
Rutgers University, CCICADA
The Urban Area Commerce and Security Analysis
Stephen Hora
University of Southern California, CREATE
Portfolios of Counterterrorism Security Measures

 

Panel 4 TITLE: Balancing Commerce and Security: Technical Challenges in Cost-Benefit Analysis, Simulation Modeling, and Stakeholder Involvement
SUMMARY: As a complement to Panel 3, this panel will explore the use of mixed simulation and computational/mathematical (economic) models to connect micro-level individual behavior to macro-level economic consequences of security initiatives.
LEADER: Isaac Maya, University of Southern California, CREATE
PANELISTS: Adam Rose
University of Southern California, CREATE
Benefits and Costs of Counterterrorism Security Measures in an Urban Area
Renee Graphia Joyal
Rutgers University, CCICADA
Soliciting Stakeholder Groups and Eliciting Security Decision-Making Processes
Tayfur Altiok
Rutgers University, CCICADA
Simulation Modeling for Urban Area Commerce and Security Initiatives: Complexities and Challenges

 

Panel 5 TITLE: Data Driven Solutions for Preventing Cross-Border Terrorist Attack
SUMMARY: To combat an increasingly exploitive and clever adversary, the homeland security enterprise requires sophisticated tools and analytical frameworks. This panel will examine the use of empirical data and case studies to shape border security processes and models.
LEADER: Gary LaFree, U. of Maryland, START
SCRIBE: Mary Daughtrey, U. of Maryland START
PANELISTS: Jay Nunamaker
University of Arizona, BORDERS
Indentifying Terrorists at Border Crossings: Deriving Cues from Case Studies for Informed Interrogation at Land and Air Borders
Brent Smith
University of Arkansas, START
Characteristics of Border Crossings and Border Crossers Involved in American Terrorism
Victor Asal
University at Albany, SUNY
Planes, Trains and Automobiles: What Factors Make It More Likely That Terrorist Organizations Will Target Transportation Systems

 

Panel 6 TITLE: Novel Information Technology Solutions to Pervasive Issues in Homeland Security
SUMMARY: Advanced computing holds the promise of solving numerous homeland security challenges, particularly in cases involving data and communication gaps. This panel will include three presentations which discuss the use of advanced computing and algorithms to address such problems.
LEADER: Trent DePersia, Deputy Director, Infrastructure Protection and Disaster Management Division, DHS
SCRIBE: Alyssa Mangino
PANELISTS: David Ebert
Purdue University, VACCINE
Predictive Interactive Visual Analytics for Planning, Response, and Resiliency
Carl Crawford
Csuptwo LLC, ALERT
Facilitation of Third-Party Development of Advanced Algorithms for Explosive Detection
Eugene Fink
Carnegie Mellon University, CCICADA
Application of Machine Learning and Crowd Sourcing to Detection of Cybersecurity Threats

 

DAY 2, March 31th, 2011

Panel 7 TITLE: The Role of Social Media in Understanding and Managing Complex Catastrophic Events
SUMMARY: Harnessing real-time social media information in the event of a disaster could prove valuable to first-responders and the homeland security enterprise. This panel will explore the use of social media in the wake of a catastrophe and will discuss the potential benefits and shortcomings of relying on online venues such as Twitter and Facebook for high-value information.
LEADER: Alexander Siedschlag, Sigmund Freud Private University, Vienna
SCRIBE: Andrea Jerkovic, Sigmund Freud Private University, Vienna
PANELISTS: Hayley Watson
University of Kent
Social Media, Transport Chaos and a Volcanic Ash Cloud
John Preston
Cass School of Education, University of East London
Multiple Attacks on Transport Infrastructure: an Interdisciplinary Exploration of Social Networking Technologies upon Real-Time Information Sharing, Response, and Recovery
Eduard Hovy
University of Southern California, CCICADA
Continuous Geospatial Monitoring of Catastrophic Natural Disasters Using Twitter

 

Panel 8 TITLE: The Role of Transportation in Community- and Individual-level Resilience
SUMMARY: Understanding how and when citizen responders use transportation systems in response to a disaster plays a critical role in developing effective response and recovery plans. This panel will discuss how the homeland security enterprise can best prepare the general public to effectively use transportation systems in the event of a disaster.
LEADER: Michael Bruno, Stevens Institute of Technology, MIREES
SCRIBE: Leonid Lantsman, John Jay College of Criminal Justice
PANELISTS: William Wallace
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, NCDIEM
Transportation and the Social Resiliency of a Community
Brian Sauser
Stevens Institute of Technology, MIREES
Modeling the Influence of Zeroth Responders on the Resilience of a Transportation System
Thomas Montz
Louisiana State University, NCDIEM
Integration of Household Decision Making with Dynamic Transportation Modeling to Evaluate Hurricane Evacuation

 

Panel 9 TITLE: Transportation Infrastructure Analysis and Damage Assessment
SUMMARY: Securing the nation's critical transportation infrastructure requires fast and accurate assessments of structural integrity and damage. This panel features three novel technologies and methods that address this critical need.
LEADER: John Fortune, Infrastructure Protection and Disaster Management Division, DHS
SCRIBE: Bill Plott, Infrastructure Protection and Disaster Management Division, DHS
PANELISTS: Robert Abercrombie
Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Complex Structure Failure Forewarning System
Andrzej Nowak
University of Nebraska, Lincoln
Risk Analysis for Bridges
Lee Glascoe
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
Development and Application of a Fast-Running Tool to Characterize Shock Damage on Structures

 

Panel 10 TITLE: Assessment of Critical Infrastructure Pre- and Post-Event
SUMMARY: When disaster strikes, infrastructure owners and emergency managers need to know if a bridge will hold or a dam will crack. Researchers on this panel are discovering better ways of finding out, including quicker methods of predicting and assessing damage to bridges and dams from explosions or natural disasters.
LEADER: Mary Ellen Hynes, Director of Research, Infrastructure Protection and Disaster Management Division, DHS S&T Directorate
SCRIBE: Denise Kruse, Support Contractor, Infrastructure Protection and Disaster Management Division, DHS S&T Directorate
PANELISTS: James O'Daniel
Engineer Research and Development Center
Underwater Explosion Bubble Jetting Effects on Infrastructure
Eric B. Williamson
University of Texas, Austin
Simplified Procedure for Evaluating the Response of Bridge Columns Subjected to Blast Loads
Richard Christenson
University of Connecticut, NTSCOE
Rapid and Robust Evaluation of Bridge Load-Carrying Capacity Post-Disaster

 

Panel 11 TITLE: The Role of Transportation Systems in Large-Scale Event Evacuation
SUMMARY: Although most event venues maintain highly sophisticated building evacuation procedures, many of these plans fail to address the high-levels of coordination, communication and planning required to evacuate outlying areas. This panel will address the common challenge of coordinating the safe and rapid evacuation of a venue in the event of an emergency.
LEADER: Mike Matthews, Infrastructure Protection and Disaster Management Division, DHS
SCRIBE: Emily Saulsgiver
PANELISTS: Yi-Chang Chiu
University of Arizona
Developing Traffic Evaluation Strategies for Large-Scale Public Events
Jeffrey Wojtowicz
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
The Role of Transportation in Responding to a Catastrophe at a Planned Special Event
Scott Parr
Louisiana State University
Utility of a Transit-Signal Priority for No-Notice Urban Emergency Evacuation

 

Panel 12 TITLE: The Role of Transportation Systems in Regional Evacuation Models
SUMMARY: Coordinating regional evacuation efforts remains one of the most important functions of the homeland security enterprise. This panel will present three studies which address this critical function and provide suggestions on how evacuation plans can be designed most efficiently.
LEADER: Herb Engle, Infrastructure Protection and Disaster Management Division, DHS
SCRIBE: Vinayak Dixit, Gulf Coastal Center for Evacuation and Network Resilience
PANELISTS: Brian Wolshon
Louisiana State University
Regional Scale Multimodal Evacuation Planning and Analysis
Yi-Chang Chiu
University of Arizona
Evaluating Regional Contra-Flow and Phased Evacuation Strategies: Central Texas Case Study
Eva Kassens – Noor
Michigan State University
Planning Against Hazards for a Resilient and Sustainable Community Through Adaptive Transportation Systems

 

DAY 3, April 1st, 2011

Panel 13 TITLE: Risk and Opinion: Assessing the Impact of Transportation Counterterrorism Policies
SUMMARY: Designing effective counterterrorism strategies requires consideration of the potential impact of a policy on both the general public and adversaries. The first two presentations will address the nexus of counterterrorism policy effectiveness and public opinion. The final two presentations will explore the use of modeling to study strategic interactions between terrorists and transportation systems.
LEADER: Heather Rosoff, CREATE
SCRIBE: Heather Rosoff, CREATE
PANELISTS: William Burns
Decision Research, CREATE
Public Response to Recent Terrorist Attacks in the US: A Longitudinal Look
Robin Dillon-Merrill
Georgetown University
Examining Divergent Beliefs and Values in the Policy Debate over Full-Body Airport Screening Technology
Richard John
University of Southern California, CREATE
Modeling Effects of Counterterrorism Initiatives on Reducing Adversary Threats to Transportation Systems
Jun Zhuang
University of Buffalo, CREATE
Technology Evolutionary Games in Complex Transportation Systems in the Face of Adaptive Adversaries

 

Panel 14 TITLE: Threat Recognition and Prevention
SUMMARY: This panel will provide diverse perspectives on novel methods to identify and prevent terrorist related disasters before they occur. Panelists will discuss many of the fundamental challenges faced when attempting to identify potential threats, as well opportunities to fine-tune detection methods.
LEADER: Michael Silevitch, Northeastern University, ALERT
SCRIBE: Mariah Nobrega, Northeastern University, ALERT
PANELISTS: Douglas B Boyd
TeleSecurity Sciences Inc
Automatic Threat Recognition Solutions for Security Imaging
Richard Moore
Massachusetts General Hospital, ALERT
An Application of Radiological Methodologies for the Assessment of Whole Body Screening
Jimmie Oxley
University of Rhode Island, ALERT
A Comprehensive View of Explosive Attack Prevention

 

Panel 15 TITLE: Risk, Network, and Data Driven Approaches to Assess Vulnerability of Transportation Systems
SUMMARY: Given the complex interconnected nature of the Nation’s transportation systems, attacks on one node have the potential to cause far-reaching impact. This panel will address a variety of approaches to assess and mitigate risks to transportation systems, particularly highlighting the interconnectedness and unique security vulnerabilities of existing surface transportation systems and planned High-Speed Rail (HSR) networks.
LEADER: Rod Diridon, Mineta Transportation Institute, NTSCOE
SCRIBE: Michael Accorsi, University of Connecticut, NTSCOE
PANELISTS: Michael Greenberg
Rutgers University, NTSCOE/CCICADA
A Set of Blended Risk-Based Decision Support Tools for Protecting Passenger Rail-Centered Transit Corridors Against Cascading Impacts of Terrorist Attacks
Nicholas E. Lownes
University of Connecticut, NTSCOE
Network Vulnerability and High-Speed Rail
Bruce Butterworth
Mineta Transportation Institute, NTSCOE
The Use of Empirical Data in Mitigating the Risks of Catastrophic Terrorist Attacks

 

Panel 16 TITLE: Challenges and Innovations in Risk Assessment for the Homeland Security Enterprise
SUMMARY: Risk assessment is at the core of planning, response, and recovery efforts across the Homeland Security Enterprise, providing quantitative and qualitative measures from which decisions about resource allocation for risk mitigation can be prioritized. This panel will provide a forum for discussion of innovative ideas related to assessing risk and will address how risk assessment can be used to prioritize targets for protection and resources allocation.
LEADER: Debra Elkins, Office of Risk Management and Analysis, DHS
SCRIBE: John Lickfett, University of Chicago
PANELISTS: Douglas Himberger
University of Chicago
Seaborne Attack Impact at Transportation, Energy, and Communications Systems Convergence Points in Inland Waters
Henry H. Willis
RAND Corporation, CREATE
Setting Priorities for Protecting Transportation Systems
Samrat Chatterjee
University of Southern California, CREATE
Development of Risk-Based Preventative Radiological/Nuclear Detection Resource Allocation Decisions

 

Panel 17 TITLE: System Optimization for Mitigation, Response and Recovery
SUMMARY: Efficiency gains may often play a critical role in mitigation, response, and recovery efforts. This panel highlights some of the most promising system optimization projects from across the homeland security enterprise.
LEADER: Thomas Wakeman, Stevens Institute of Technology, MIREES
SCRIBE: Angelica Sogor, University of Miami
PANELISTS: Heather Nachtmann
University of Arkansas, NTSCOE
The Inland Waterway Transportation System’s Role in Response and Recovery
Christos Cassandras
Boston University
Optimizing the Transportation System’s Response Capabilities
Blaine Fahey
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, CCICADA
Disaster Relief Safe Routing Software
Ali Mostashari
Stevens Institute of Technology, MIREES
Architecting Cognitive Port Processes and Port Resilience

 

Panel 18 TITLE: Modeling Risk and Disruptions on Transportation Networks
SUMMARY: This panel will highlight three key projects using modeling techniques to explore applications of risk analysis, simulation, and sensor data integration to surface transportation security.
LEADER: Jack Aherne, Transportation Security Administration
SCRIBE: Carol Lewis, Texas Southern University
PANELISTS: Jeffrey Short
American Transportation Research Institute
Assessing the Impact of Major Interstate System Disruptions on Freight Movement Using GPS Data from Commercial Vehicles
Adel Sadek
University of Buffalo
Advanced Transportation Simulation Modeling for Transportation System Evaluation and Management during Emergencies
Alexei Kolesnikov
Towson University
Risk Analysis: Toxic Materials Transportation Security