Tuesday, May 13, 2008 Catastrophic Event Resource Planning Workshop

To foster dialogue among community leaders, industry and organizations in the Northwestern
part of Virginia, please participate in a Catastrophic Event Resource Planning Workshop. While an all-hazards approach provides the backdrop for this workshop, we will investigate the potential impact of a catastrophic event on Shenandoah Valley localities and how advance preparation can be instigated. Visit www.jmu.edu/iiia/CERPWorkshop for additional information. Reserve your place today. This event is FREE, but pre-registration is required. This event is hosted by IIIA with Central Shenandoah Health District and Lord Fairfax Health District of the Virginia Dept. of Health.

STTR/SBIR Collaboration Session For Universities and Small Businesses
February 8, 2008, James Madison University, Harrisonburg, VA

The Center for Innovative Technology partnered with James Madison University to host the latest "SBIR/STTR Collaboration Session for Universities & Small Business." Attendees learned collaborative proposal strategies, keys to collaborative research and successful technology transfer, business assistance available to foster collaboration and tech transfer, how to position research with DOD priority areas, and how to address intellectual property issues unique to collaborative proposals. DOD, NIH, and NSF SBIR/STTR program representatives were invited to attend, present their initiatives, and meet with attendees. Small tech firms and university researchers were invited to attend.

New RFP for Research just released. The Institute for Infrastructure and Information Assurance (IIIA) at JMU seeks proposals for applied and interdisciplinary research in the areas of information assurance and infrastructure protection from JMU’s faculty. IIIA's mission is to facilitate development, coordination, integration and funding of activities and capabilities of the JMU academic community to enhance information and critical infrastructure assurance at the federal, state, and local levels. The Institute also focuses on the integrative, interdisciplinary nature of real world problems and actively strives to cross traditional academic departments to develop solutions to the critical security problems facing our nation.
 
Technology plays an integral role in security, but studies examining policy, human interaction, economic impact to enhanced security and other non-technology based solutions are also of significant interest to the Institute for Infrastructure and Information Assurance. We encourage proposals that address either policy or technological solutions to the areas identified in the RFP.
 
IIIA seeks to facilitate multi-disciplinary collaboration and encourages proposals which involve cross departmental and college faculty and staff research teams. Please refer to the website for detailed proposal guidelines and deadlines.

For more information and application guidelines, download the Proposal Application. (RFP in WORD) (RFP in PDF) Proposals Due Date is January 31, 2008.

The feature article, “Out of Africa,” by Michael Petrou describes how al-Qaeda is “seeking a new stronghold at the very gates of Europe” in North Africa. Dr. Peter Pham is among those quoted in the article, along with Emily Hunt, formerly with the Washington Institute for Near East Policy; “a confidential source with ties to U.S. intelligence agencies”; and “an American military officer” serving with the Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa. Petrou, an Oxford University-educated historian-turned-journalist who has covered the war on terror in Central Asia, Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, interviewed Dr. Pham and quotes him as follows:
 
J. Peter Pham, director of the Nelson Institute for International and Public Affairs at James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Va., says the relationship between al-Qaeda and its latest franchise in North Africa is loose but valuable to both parties. “It works both ways,” he told Maclean’s. “Al-Qaeda gets to claim credit for actions in a theatre where it previously didn’t have an operational presence. And this local group now has an international brand. I don’t think there’s direct control. No one is sending orders from the tribal regions of Pakistan telling these guys what to hit. But it’s a mutually symbiotic relationship.”
 
Pham says al-Qaeda has much to gain from an alliance with a local jihadist group in North Africa because of the access North African Islamists provide to Europe. “French and Spanish intelligence have long noted that they have much better reach into the immigrant communities in western Europe than al-Qaeda itself does. So there’s a whole new opening.”…
 
The United States is also working to build the counter-terrorism capacities of local governments and militaries, often through training programs run by U.S. Special Forces…According to Pham, who consults for both the Pentagon and the Department of State, these programs have been successful in part because they don’t involve a large or disruptive American military presence. “The goal is to improve these countries’ capacities in self-governance. It’s not an American agenda. It just so happens that it also benefits America’s interests, and those of its Western allies,” he says.

The full text of the article is available online at:
 
http://www.macleans.ca/world/global/article.jsp?content=2007118_32492_32492

European Union: United in Diversity is the theme for the 2007 International Week September 24-28 at James Madison University. Dr. Angelos Pangratis, Deputy Head of the Delegration of the European Commission to the United States, will be discussing trade relation issues between the E.U. and the U.S. at a special reception for business leaders. The Harrisonburg-Rockingham Chamber of Commerce is co-hosting with IIIA this special event on Tuesday, September 25, 4-5:30 p.m. in Leeolou Alumni Center's Great Room. Please RSVP to the Chamber at 540-434-3862 ext. 100 or office@hrchamber.org.

JMU Authors Release 'Understanding Homeland Security' Textbook.
HARRISONBURG -- John Noftsinger, Kenneth Newbold and Jack Wheeler of James Madison University have written the first comprehensive academic text regarding homeland security. "Understanding Homeland Security: Policy, Perspectives, and Paradoxes" is published by Palgrave Macmillan.

As a text for students of homeland security, public policy and terrorism studies, "Understanding Homeland Security" explores the complex issues within the emerging domestic protection framework, providing current and future practitioners with a thorough view of the social, psychological, technological and political aspects that have shaped the growth of this movement.

Utilizing a multidisciplinary approach, the authors have created a text that is all-encompassing. On one hand, the book provides an analysis of how past events have formed the terrain for homeland security within the Unites States, offering an in-depth look at government response to both man-made and natural hazards, conveying the message that there are valuable lessons to be learned from history. Further, with an emphasis on emergency management and effective frontline response, "Understanding Homeland Security" identifies and examines key operations within this arena, including bureaucratic and legislative initiatives, critical infrastructure protection, information/cyber security, public health, border and transportation security, intelligence collection and dissemination and emerging issues.

The text includes a foreword by John O. Marsh, former Secretary of the Army, congressman and counselor with cabinet rank to President Gerald Ford. In addition, each chapter begins with a hypothetical scenario and ends with a case study, placing the reader in decision-making positions in which they must explore the nuances of homeland security and develop creative solutions based upon the guidance presented throughout the book.

The text has received critical acclaim from notable figures in this growing field:

"To illuminate Homeland Security is an ambitious undertaking in a world where the topic often generates more heat than light. Through integration of governmental, business, and academic perspectives, the authors succeed in providing the reader with a vital framework for understanding."
--Dr. Gregory Saathoff, Executive Director of the Critical Incident Analysis Group at University of Virginia's School of Medicine

"The balancing and integration of subjects that impact public and private sector organizations as well as academia provide the instructor and student with a unique text that will also serve as a ready reference long after the class has concluded."
--Paul Maniscalco, Chairman of the Gilmore National Terrorism Commission

Or click here to read the full article on the JMU Media Relations site.

HARRISONBURG -- An innovative approach to studying global migration patterns developed at James Madison University will be presented this week at the Oxford Round Table, "Global Migration: Benefits and Detriments," at the Harris Manchester College in the University of Oxford, England.

The collaborative project highlights the work of JMU faculty researchers in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders and the Institute for Infrastructure and Information Assurance. Read more.

Second Annual Symposium: The Institute for Infrastructure and Information Assurance and the Federal Facilities Council co-presented on May 16, 2007 "Cascading Infrastructure Failures: Avoidance and Response" at the National Academy of Sciences in Washington DC. The forum is designed to illuminate best practices for avoiding and responding to cascading failure contingencies created by natural, accidental, or malicious infrastructure debilitation. Visit the Symposium wrap-up page for more details.

The annual IIIA Research Review featuring presentations on research findings from the 2006 RFP process was held on Friday, September 8. Download the Review Agenda for more information on the schedule and abstracts.

The 2006 Spring Research Symposium, "Homeland Security: Engaging the Frontlines," was held at the National Academy of Sciences on May 12, 2006. To experience the Symposium, please visit the proceedings page.

Despite billions of dollars invested in infrastructure security and the issuance of several major national strategy documents on the subject, the message is not getting to many organizations and people at the grass roots level who can make the most difference in preventing attacks, protecting systems, and recovering from catastrophic events, viz. the general citizenry, private infrastructure owners, and local governments.

The 2006 Research Symposium "Homeland Security: Engaging the Frontlines" was co-presented by IIIA and the Federal Facilities Council of the National Academies of Science.