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Proceedings Published for 2011 DHS S&T University Summit

The Journal of Homeland Security has published the proceedings of the 2011 DHS Science Conference – 5th Annual University Network Summit, focused on Catastrophes and Complex Systems: Transportation. Thirty-seven white papers from the Summit, held March 30–April 1 in Washington, DC, are now available in a special on-line issue published on June 21, 2011 at: Homeland Security Journal DHS University Summit 2011

Audio Recordings Now Available

Audio recordings of the presentations from this year's DHS Summit are now available.

Student Posters Now Available

Posters from this year's Student Day are now linked on the Student Posters Listing page.

Student Presentations Now Available

Presentations from this year's Student Day are now linked on the Student Day Schedule page.

Presentations Now Available

Presentations from this year's Summit are now linked on the Materials page. They are linked within the agenda also.


Student Day Poster Competition

The Student Day Poster Competition is closed. The Student Day Poster Competition is an opportunity for students to present their research, conducted within three years, to other students and to professionals with expertise in homeland security science technology engineering and mathematics research areas. The theme for the 2011 Summit and Student Day is “Catastrophes and Complex Systems,” with a focus on the role of transportation systems in preventing, mitigating, responding to, and recovering from natural or man-made disasters. Separate registration is required to attend the Student Day event.

To be considered for the Student Day Poster Competition students should submit an abstract detailing a research project in which they have had significant involvement. Abstracts must be submitted from November 12, 2010-December 19, 2010 no later than 11:59 p.m. Eastern Standard Time. Each student is allowed to submit one abstract. Abstracts from the student participants funded through the following programs are eligible:

  • Undergraduate and Graduate students that are sponsored by a DHS Center of Excellence
  • DHS Scholars and Fellows
  • DHS Summer Research Teams
  • Students supported through CDGs
  • Students supported through SLA grants
  • Any student with two letters of recommendation from COE, SLA, CDG Representatives

A panel of DHS subject matter experts will review each of the abstracts and select the poster presenters. DHS will pay Student Day and Summit related travel expenses for approximately 20 eligible students (US citizenship required). International and non-US students may submit abstracts, and if selected, will also be invited to participate, but expenses must be paid by the COE or University. There will be first, second and third place recognition given to the student poster presenters. This year a People’s Choice award has been added as well. All selected abstracts and posters will be posted on the Summit website and will be made available under Summit Materials.

Winning abstracts will be announced in January 2011. All students will be notified via email if they have or have not been selected to participate in the Student Poster Competition.

NOTE: Student submitters will also be considered to do oral presentations during Student Day or the Summit. Oral presenters will be notified in January as well.

Abstract Guidelines

The theme for this year’s Summit is “Catastrophes and Complex Systems,” with a focus on the role of transportation systems in preventing, mitigating, responding to, and recovering from natural or man-made disasters. Complex transportation systems can be hit by natural disasters, targeted for terrorist attacks, or used to spread disease or toxins with wide-scale consequences. They also comprise an integral component of response and recovery systems.

Abstract must:

  • Be no more than one page in length
  • Preference will be given to topics which are relevant to the Summit theme, but any abstract from the following research areas will be considered: Advanced Data Analysis and Visualization; Biological Threats & Countermeasures; Border Security; Chemical Threats and Countermeasures; Communications and Interoperability; Community, Commerce and Infrastructure Resilience; Explosives Detection, Mitigation and Response; Emergency Preparedness and Response; Food and Agriculture Security; Human Factors; Immigration Studies; Infrastructure Protection; Maritime and Port Security; Natural Disasters and Related Geophysical Studies; Risk, Economics, and Decision Sciences; Social and Behavioral Sciences; Transportation Security
  • Include an abstract title
  • Include names of contributors (list student submitting the abstract first and underline this students name)
  • Include contact information for the student submitting the abstract
  • Include the name and contact information of the principal investigator (PI) mentor, or sponsor from the Center of Excellence.
  • Identify program affiliation (i.e. COE, CDG, S&F, SLA, SRT, HS-STEM Intern, and other)
  • Identify the appropriate research topic
  • Contain the following subsections:
    • Project Scope/Problem Statement/Hypothesis
    • Discussion on methodology
    • Discussion on data collection techniques
    • Results/Findings to date
    • Conclusion, future research, and references

    • Please do your best to fill out all subsections described above

The following items are not permitted:

  • Official Use Only or For Official Use Only
  • Unclassified Sensitive Information
  • Classified Information

Abstract Format

  • MS Word file only (MS Word File COE Student Template, MS Word File Non-COE Student Template)
  • Font: Times New Roman; 12 pt
  • One page, single spaced
  • Title should be bold and center title on the page leaving one space before the next line.
  • From left to right, list the names of researchers to be recognized; name of student submitting the abstract should be first and underlined; Center the names across the page; Do not bold.
  • Non-COE students should: List contact information for the student submitting the abstract, as well as the PI, mentor, or sponsor. List the academic institution and the education program you are affiliated with on the following line; center the institution name and the program affiliation across the page (do not bold).
  • COE students should: List contact information for the student submitting the abstract, as well as the PI and his/her contact information. List the academic institution and the COE on the following line; center the institution name and the COE across the page (do not bold).
  • List one of the appropriate research topics from the choices above. Leave two blank lines between the research topic and the body of the text.
  • Body of text should be aligned on the left margin
  • Do not use headers, footers or pagination
  • Figures, tables, etc., may be incorporated as long as they are supported by MS Word
  • Margins
    • Top- 1.5”
    • Bottom- 1”
    • Left- 1.25”
    • Right- 1”
  • Save your abstract using the following naming scheme:
    • Non-COE students: Last name of primary student researcher and affiliated education program (Example: Johnson_Scholarship, Example: White_SummerResearch)
    • COE Students: Last name of primary student researcher and COE (Example: Smith_CREATE)

Review Criteria

A team of subject matter experts from DHS S&T will review each of the abstracts submitted and select students using the following criteria:

  • Scientific and technical merit
  • Relevance to the Summit Theme, Catastrophes and Complex Systems
  • Adherence to abstract guidelines and format

Poster Review Criteria

Reviewers will evaluate the student posters based on five key criteria areas: Quality, Evidence, Illustrations, Overall Appearance, and Presentation.

Criteria and design recommendations for effective poster composition
Clear statement of research question or relationship being investigated Ambiguous or unclear statement or purpose
Poster “stands alone” requiring no additional explanation Poster is difficult or impossible to comprehend without additional information
Logical and thorough explanation of the research question Illogical or inadequate explanation
All components in presentation given appropriate level of attention Insufficient treatment of components
Research objectives and mission relevance outlined precisely Research objectives not stated or unclear
Appropriate research methodology selected and explained effectively Inappropriate research methodology or unclear methods
Significance of findings made clear No significance identified
 
Argument well supported by extensive primary research, evidence, and examples Inadequate or no primary research, evidence, or examples
Accurate presentation of evidence and examples Incomplete or questionable evidence and examples
Adequate consultation of sources; sources cited correctly Inadequate literature review; sources not cited correctly
 
Effective use of figures, tables, illustrations, maps and other illustrative material Little illustrative material or used ineffectively
Illustrations correctly cited, presented well Poorly presented, incorrect citations
Visual material well integrated into the evidence of the argument Visual material used to illustrate, not argue or as evidence
 
Poster carefully produced Poster presented poorly (i.e. sloppy)
All text legible from 4 feet away Much text illegible from moderate distance
Material presented is well organized Poor organization of material
 
Speaker is able to articulate ideas clearly Speaker is unable to explain the research clearly
Speaker is able to provide answers or additional references Speaker does not have full understanding of the project

Submission

Submit abstracts through the Abstract Submission form by 11:59 p.m. December 19, 2010. Late submissions will not be considered. A checklist is provided to ensure compliance. All abstracts that are chosen are expected to be announced in January 2011. All students will be notified via email if they have or have not been selected to participate in the Student Poster Competition in Washington, D.C. In addition, all selected abstracts and posters will be posted on the Summit website.