Event Archives (page under construction)

Talks/Seminars

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Roundtable Discussion on Bio-Surveillance Information Technology Issues with Lockheed Martin and Health Authority Personnel
Location: University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Date: November 12, 2004
Description: ISTAR, together with Lockheed Martin and Health Authority collaborators are endeavoring to analyses the local Philadelphia bio-alert systems in an effort to identify strengths and weaknesses. We hope to eventually recommend initiatives that will improve the regional bio-surveillance capacity, the robustness of the system, and use this as a platform for regional application.

Conference on Homeland Security and Civil Liberties cohosted by the United States Army War College Strategic Studies Institute, ISTAR, and Penn Law
Location: University of Pennsylvania Law School, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Date: June 18, 2004
Description: The U.S. Army War College, together with the University of Pennsylvania Law School and ISTAR, cohosted an event featuring national experts drawn from the military, federal government, legal academia, and the civil rights bar. The panelists discussed the nation's security needs and the potential tradeoffs involving civil liberties and security when confronted with new threats arising after the September 11 attacks.
Click here for the event Schedule
If you are interested in attending please contact ISTAR.

31st Annual Educational Conference and International Meeting of the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology Inc. (APIC)
Location: Phoenix, Arizona
Date: June 6-10, 2004
Description: This event will feature a talk by the 2003 Belldegrun Scholar, Emily Mok entitled "Smallpox Bioterrorism Vaccination Policy Decision Analysis Using Computer Modeling and Simulation".

The First Conference on Living with Terror: Psycho-Social Effects
Presented by the University of Haifa and the University of Pennsylvania
Location: National Press Club, Washington, D.C.
Date: June 28-29, 2004
Description: The University of Haifa in Israel, together with the University of Pennsylvania, 14 national health care professional societies, and the United States Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) have joined to host The First International Conference examining the psycho-social effects of terrorism on individuals and on society.
Further Informaiton: See Conference Program
Video from CSPAN

Director Harvey Rubin Delivers Talk at Dow Jones
Location: Dow Jones Corporation
Date: May 20, 2004
Description: The talk covered the mission of ISTAR, targets of terrorism, the nature of the threats, the relevant research groups at Penn working in the area of strategic threats and terrorism with examples of their work and future goals of our interdisciplinary group at Penn.
For more information: See Presentation Slides

ISTAR Fall Lecture featured Theodore Sorensen
In honor of the 40th anniversary of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, the ISTAR Fall Lecture for 2003 was “Presidents and Their Advisors During Crisis.” The keynote speaker was Theodore Sorensen, who drew on his experiences as President Kennedy’s special counsel discussing the inner workings of the American leadership’s response to major crises. The symposium took place on Thursday November 13, 2003.

ISTAR Monthly Seminar Series
November's ISTAR seminar featured a talk by Frederick S. Calhoun entitled "The Transportation Security Administration: From Ground Zero to Now—Creating a Research Analysis Unit that Matters." Frederick S. Calhoun is Research Analysis Leader at the Transportation Security Administration. Also, Dr. Harvey Rubin gave a talk entitled "The Department of Homeland Security: One Year Later."

October's ISTAR seminar featured a talk by Professor Howard Kunreuther entitled "You Can Only Die Once: Dealing with Interdependent Security Problems." Professor Kunreuther is Co-Director of the Risk Management and Decision Processes Center at the Wharton School.

The Realities of Chemical, Biological and Nuclear Attack
This discussion was the first in a series where the members of the Mid-Atlantic Universities Consortium for Homeland Security brought together experts to discuss homeland security issues.
Consortium members: Carnegie Mellon University, Johns Hopkins University, Pennsylvania State University, Princeton University, Rutgers University, University of Delaware, University of Maryland, University of Pennsylvania, University of Pittsburgh

Executive Briefings on Homeland Security
ISTAR director, Harvey Rubin, spoke on a panel addressing the needs created by the new homeland security environment. Keynote speakers at the conference included, Carl M. Buchholz, former special assistant to the president and executive secretary at the White House Office of Homeland Security, and Mark A. Holman, former deputy assistant to the president for homeland security at the White House Office of Homeland Security. The event was presented by the Delaware Chapter of the National Defense Industrial Association, and co-sponsored by ISTAR, Blank Rome, LLP, and the City of Philadelphia.

Iraqi Marshlands: Can They Be Saved? Assessing the Human and Ecological Damage
ISTAR member and Professor Emeritus Middle Eastern History, Thomas Naff, spoke on the panel discussing the Iraqi marshlands. The event took place at the Brookings Institution in Washington, DC, and was sponsored by the British Embassy and the Brookings-SAIS Project on Internal Displacement.

Security in Society: Protecting an Increasingly Connected World
ISTAR director, Harvey Rubin, MD, PhD, presented his views on security in an interconnected world at the George C. Marshall Institute’s Washington Roundtable on Science and Public Policy.

Keystone Alliance Summit on Homeland Security
The Keystone Alliance, the University of Pennsylvania, Penn State, the University of Pittsburgh, and Carnegie Mellon University, sponsored a summit to showcase research related to homeland security to members of the Pennsylvania federal congressional delegation and sponsors of homeland security related R&D such as DHS, DoD, NIH, NSF, DOE, DTRA, USDA and state agencies.

Advanced Computation Inspired by Biological Processes
This workshop brought together researchers who work in areas close to biology and computer and information science to discuss how biological systems are able to achieve their robustness and reliability by incorporating computing principles into artificial systems. The conference was sponsored by the National Science Foundation.

Managing Political Risk in Business and Government
A speakers series sponsored in conjunction with the Department of International Relations
Speakers:
Dr. Karim Pakravan, Director and Head of Country Risk, Bank One
Mr. Raymond Biagini, Managing Partner, McKenna, Long, and Aldridge, Ltd.
Mr. Greg Janiec, Director, Homeland Security, Weston, Inc.
Dr. Jerry Smith, Chief Technology Officer, IPR International, Inc
Ms. M.P. Azevedo, International Regulatory Affairs Consultant

U.S. Vulnerability to Natural, Industrial, and Deliberate Disasters, and the Little that Could Be Done
Dr. Charles Perrow, Emeritus Professor of Sociology, Yale University
Sponsored in conjunction with the Center for Organizational Dynamics, Department of Sociology.

Iraq: The End of the Beginning?
ISTAR member and Lauder Professor of International Relations, Arthur Waldron, spoke on the panel discussing the war in Iraq. This event was co-sponsored by the Solomon Asch Center for Study of Ethno political Conflict and Penn’s School of Arts and Sciences.

ISTAR External Board Inaugural Meeting
Leaders from the field of strategic threats, science, business, and education gather to discuss ISTAR’s growth and development.

HomeFront Greater Philadelphia Conference
ISTAR Director, Harvey Rubin, moderated a roundtable discussion on marshalling regional assets to secure the home front.

Strategic Thinking: How Climate, Disease and Socio-Political Structures Become Strategic Threats
ISTAR Inaugural Symposium
Speakers:
Robert Giegengack, Chairman, Department of Earth and Environmental Science
Gary Smith, Professor of Population Biology and Epidemiology; Chief of the Section of Epidemiology and Public Health
Harvey Rubin, Director, ISTAR; Professor of Medicine, Microbiology, and Computer Science
Arthur Waldron, Professor of History; Lauder Professor of International Relations

White House Town Hall Meeting on Cyber Security
ISTAR faculty members participated in this town hall meeting discussing cyber security at the White House.

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