New NAP book: Frameworks for Higher Education in Homeland Security

NEW BOOK available from National Academies Press:
Frameworks for Higher Education in Homeland Security

This report explores whether there are core pedagogical and skill-based homeland security program needs; examines current and proposed education programs focusing on various aspects of homeland security; comments on the possible parallels between homeland security, area studies, international relations, and science policy, as developed or emerging academic thrusts; and suggests potential curricula needs, particularly those that involve interdisciplinary aspects. The report concentrates almost exclusively on coursework-related offerings, primarily at the undergraduate and graduate levels.

Free pdf version of the book can be obtained here.

USC's GamePipe Lab exploring virtual simulation in HS training

Via: GDC 2008 - Serious Games Summit Sessions

Serious Games Summit Session - The GROUND TRUTH of Game Technologies for Homeland Security Training

Speaker(s): Donna Djordjevich (Homeland Security Systems and Development Center, Sandia National Laboratories)

Emerging, changing modes of attack using weapons of mass destruction (WMD) within DHS and DoD threat scenarios require new approaches to examining detection, mitigation, and response options.

To educate and train decision makers in the modes of attack and response options specific to their unique requirements it was proposed the use of game-based training simulations.

This would place multiple participants in the center of the simulation and allow their decisions to influence scenario evolution in a responsive environment.

This research is aimed at constructing immersive, interactive, gaming environments that allow trainees to interact within the context of a virtual scenario populated by non-player characters and embedded with specific learning objectives.

This project is currently in year two of a three-year, internally funded, Sandia commitment.

Software engineer Donna Djordjevich, with the University of Southern California’s GamePipe Laboratory, is the principal investigator of a Sandia-funded project titled “Game Technology-Enhanced Simulation for Homeland Security.” Its mission is to create an interactive gaming platform specifically designed to prepare decision makers and first responders for weapons of mass destruction/weapons of mass effect (WMD/WME) attacks in metropolitan areas.

In its current form, says Djordjevich, Ground Truth is designed for high-level incident commanders who need to understand how to best allocate their resources given the unusual circumstances defined by WMD/WME threat scenarios.

Full article available at:
http://elianealhadeff.blogspot.com/2008/02/gdc08-game-technologies-for-homeland.html

Using virtual worlds to conduct online tabletop exercises

I've just happened upon what is assuredly a future fixture
in all training and higher education programs in homeland
security and emergency management: the use of virtual worlds.

I'm sure there are plenty of people out there light years ahead of me ...
such as the folks at Idaho State University Institute for Rural Health.

Play2Train is a virtual training space in SecondLife designed to support Strategic National Stockpile (SNS), Simple Triage Rapid Transportation (START), Risk Communication and Incident Command System (ICS) Training. This virtual environment spreads over two islands Asterix and Obelix (65536 x 2 sq. meters), with one island dedicated to a virtual town and the other a virtual hospital. The design of this virtual environment is influenced by dioramas frequently used by emergency services to support their tabletop exercises. A diorama is a partially three dimensional full-size replica or scale model of a landscape typically showing historical events, nature scenes, cityscapes, etc. for purposes of education or entertainment, source: wikipedia. Play2Train will provide opportunities for training through interactive role playing and will be the foundation for our emergency preparedness educational machinima. This site will document activities and developments in this part of the SecondLife virtual world.

http://irhbt.typepad.com/play2train/

This is, in a word: incredible. And just the beginning in terms of application
within the academic world. I would absolutely love to develop a group exercise
for my future online undergraduates (University of Maryland University College)
involving a virtual tabletop exercise. In fact, this is the ONLY way to recreate
the spirit and interpersonal nature of a group face-2-face exercise in e-learning.
Please contact me if you would like to collaborate on such a project.

Expect much much more from me in this forum on this topic.

AA program in HS/EM added to Delaware Tech & Community College

Delaware Technical & Community College has added an
Associate's Degree in Homeland Security and Emergency
Management at their Terry campus in Dover, DE.

Full story here:
http://www.delawareonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080124/NEWS/801240366/1008/NEWS03

Another online resource for emergency management and homeland security

Through on online seminar, I just came across a resource with some interesting reads:
http://www.gordonhomeland.com

In particular,

"Education and Training Initiatives
Needed to Address Threats and Challenges to Homeland Security"
http://users.rcn.com/pgordon/homeland/homeland_educ.html

"The State of Emergency Management and Homeland Security"
http://users.rcn.com/pgordon/homeland/stateofEM.html

"A Common Goal for Contingency Planning and Management, Emergency Management, and Homeland Security: Building a Disaster Resilient Nation"
http://users.rcn.com/pgordon/homeland/CommonGoal.html

more info on Joppatowne program in today's Baltimore Sun

Another article about the Joppatowne program in today's Baltimore Sun ... check it out:


The students were answering the questions during a homeland security and emergency preparedness class being piloted at Joppatowne High School this school year.The program was started to give students a chance to develop skills they can use. Students also will learn how the United States protects against threats to public health and safety, said Frank Mezzanotte, the magnet programs coordinator for the county's public school system.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/harford/bal-ha.homeland20jan20,0,703936.story

SE KY Community & Technical College and their HS Training Certificate Program

Homeland Security Training Certificate Program offered
Local News Commonwealth Journal

Southeast Kentucky Community & Technical College has become the first higher education provider in the nation to make the Homeland Security Training Certificate Program a fully credited class.

The unique Web-based training program is the result of a collaborative effort between The Center for Rural Development in Somerset; Teleologic Learning Co., headquartered in Atlanta, Ill.; and the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, Calif. It consists of a virtual city where participants can adopt the role of a police officer, fireman, mayor, city manager, etc., and play an integral part in thwarting a terrorist threat.

Article here:
http://blogs.open.ac.uk/Maths/ajh59/012375.html

latest ABC news piece on Joppatowne HS program

Here's the latest article on the Joppatowne program. Still more misunderstanding
of the term "homeland security" - perhaps it is time to rename the program "domestic tranquility" instead?

How to Stop Terrorism? Begin in School
Maryland High School Offers Homeland Security Courses
By SIBILE MORENCY
Jan. 11, 2008 —
Homeland security is one of the hottest issues in this year's presidential election, the candidates sparring daily over who is best qualified to protect the nation against terrorist threats.
Meanwhile, Leah Beaulieu is busy educating the next generation of security experts. Beaulieu teaches the nation's first homeland security high school program at Joppatowne High School in Joppa, Md.
Sixty-one Joppatowne 10th-graders enrolled this year to spend three years learning about protecting the country against terrorism.
The sophomores choose specific areas of homeland security that they would like to explore during their junior years. And as seniors, they complete internships or shadow homeland-security professionals on the job.
"We introduce our students to all major areas of homeland security. We start off with a historical perspective, learning where terrorism comes from, the political motivations, even going back to the Crusades and talking about change over time," said Beaulieu.
The program, which has been lauded by some in law enforcement, educates them on cutting-edge security technology, law enforcement and criminal justice, and teaches them to identify potential chemical and biological threats. Its creators say it will prepare the young students to enter a growing industry that could one day employ thousands of new workers.
But the program has also raised concerns about the appropriateness of teaching such a serious, politically charged subject matter to high school students.
Education or Indoctrination?
David Volrath, director of secondary education for Maryland's Hartford County public schools, insists that the school's main motivation is to help students find future jobs. There are high-tech companies in the area, and the Defense Department's Aberdeen Proving Ground is nearby.
"When we recognized that these industries were coming to support research at Aberdeen, we realized the opportunity for our students," he said.
And Jack Cloonan, a former FBI agent and president of Clayton Consultants Inc., a global risk crisis management firm, praises the high school for being the first in the nation to take this initiative.
"Those of us in this type of business often get criticized for running around, screaming the sky is falling, [but] we do have to keep the public vigilant," he said. "This is a very important educational message. If it's first introduced at the high school level, along the line it will increase people's professionalism."
But other observers warn that the the educational message must remain distinct from any political implications.
Jonathan Zimmerman, director of New York University's History of Education Program, encourages the inclusion of homeland security issues in the school's curriculum, but he urges the school to make sure it focuses on teaching national security.
"The devil is in the details. Is the school educating or indoctrinating? The job of public schools is not to get people to vote for or against Bush. [Rather] it's to teach kids the tools to evaluate Bush," he says.
Doron Pely, vice president of Homeland Security Research in Washington, D.C., says that by the time the students in the program graduate, homeland security will have grown into a $120 billion worldwide industry.
Nevertheless, he is wary of this novel integration of homeland security at the high school level.
"Kids at this age should just have fun," he said. "Homeland security is not fun. It starts from a paranoid worldview, someone is attacking me and I have to defend myself. I want my son running after girls, not defending himself."
Technology, Law Enforcement Cooperation
Frank Mezzanotti, magnet program coordinator for this homeland security program, says the Maryland Emergency Management Administration has invested $275,000 in the program
A large part of the program covers communications technology, which includes GIS software and technologies, Global Positioning System and satellite geo-spatial mapping. Other students specialize in law enforcement and criminal justice.
"The kids are learning what professionals know," said Beaulieu, who wants students to know how to read satellite images for signs of security threats. "We purchased a software program used professionally all over the country from SPACE STARS. It's the actual satellite program NASA uses."
Eddie Hanebuth, from the Department of Labor's National Standard Geospatial Apprenticeship Program, helped develop the curriculum.
"Students learn that location matters in several areas," he said. "When faced with limited resources, how do we respond and from which direction? [Students] will cover risk assessment, mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery. In each area they learn from a demonstration project, then they apply their skills and knowledge to their own community."
In the law enforcement and criminal justice component of the program, students are taught about the Constitution, criminal law and how laws are enforced. They also learn about criminal evidence collection and how the FBI and CIA operate.
The homeland-security sciences part of the program covers different biological, chemical and radiological threats.
"[Students] basically learn about different threats & how to protect yourself, what does it take to develop a gas mask," Beaulieu said. "They're also learning about the research design aspect. Everything we do, we relate it back to homeland security."
Copyright © 2008 ABC News Internet Ventures

Increased demand for online training in CJ, EM and HS?

According to the post below, there's a growing need for criminal justice graduates, which these days can have significant (minor concentraitons) components in emergency management and/or homeland security.

Which is a good segue for some shameless promotion for the programs I am part of at University of Maryland University College, with undergraduate, graduate and online education options.

Prospective students can ge here: http://www.umuc.edu/prospective.shtml


Right now is an ideal time to get a criminal justice degree online. According to The U.S. Department of Labor, by 2012, there will likely be a 24 percent increase in corrections across the country. Quite simply, national and private security is becoming more and more of a concern and as a result the demand for professionals in the field continues to grow. Since September 11, 2001, the need for criminal justice professionals has dramatically increased. Professionals are required for assisting in investigations, for working in prisons, for homeland security, and for protecting property. Governments at all levels as well as private companies and even private individuals can hire someone who has pursued a criminal justice degree online. Thanks to the establishment of the Department of Homeland Security and thanks to funding provided by security grants throughout the nation, security jobs are more plentiful and offer more room for advancement than ever before.

Full post here:
http://www.flixya.com/post/potofgold/93748/Demand_For_Professionals_With_A_Criminal_Justice

University of Arkansas: HS and rural transportation networks

Reducing cost to small government for federally-mandated security issues is always a good thing! Kudos to the folks at U. Arkansas.

Here's an excerpt from the press release: http://dailyheadlines.uark.edu/12038.htm
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. - Researchers in the Mack-Blackwell Rural Transportation Center at the University of Arkansas have completed a seminal study on the security of U.S. rural transportation networks. The study provides a low-cost and efficient tool to assess the vulnerability of rural transportation assets and will help officials develop and implement plans for emergency preparedness.

The report, "Homeland Security for Rural Transportation Networks," can be found at:
http://www.mackblackwell.org/web/research/ALL_RESEARCH_PROJECTS/2000s/2085/MBTC-2085.pdf

You can find a list of all ongoing projects at the Mack-Blackwell Center here:
http://www.mackblackwell.org/web/research/all-projects.htm

Newest addition to UMUC faculty - me!

I have good news - I will be joining the faculty of University of Maryland
University College to help develop curriculum and teach courses for their
undergraduate Homeland Security and Emergency Management programs.

Here's the link to our new programs:
http://www.umuc.edu/programs/undergrad/hmls/
http://www.umuc.edu/programs/undergrad/emgt/

Founded in 1947, UMUC offers a broad range of cutting-edge classes and has earned a global reputation for excellence. Headquartered in Adelphi, Maryland, UMUC has classroom locations in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area, Europe, and Asia, and provides award-winning online classes to students worldwide.

We had over 150,000 online course enrollments in 2006!
I'm excited to join the team!

Daniel Webster College (NH) offers undergraduate major in homeland security

Daniel Webster College now offers the only undergraduate homeland security major in New England.

For more information on this major, go to http://www.dwc.edu/admissions/programs/hs/

College's quest for economic connection in curriculum matches needs of business
By JOHN WHITSON
New Hampshire Union Leader Staff
Sunday, Dec. 23, 2007

NASHUA – Relevancy.
The word comes up again and again.
As Daniel Webster College revamps its curriculum with an eye toward becoming a regional leader in science and technology education, administrators are embracing the business community to ensure one overriding goal is met: relevancy.
"We're on the constant lookout for ways to be relevant to the needs of the state and the region," said Michael Fishbein, provost and vice president of academic affairs at DWC.
Teaching computer science changed this fall from traditional lecture-and-note-taking classrooms to student-led project learning.
The school now offers a gaming, simulation and robotics major.
Next fall, DWC welcomes its first class of homeland security majors -- making it the only school in New Hampshire offering that course of study.

Full article here:
http://www.unionleader.com/article.aspx?headline=College's+quest+for+economic+connection+in+curriculum+matches+needs+of+business&articleId=da99d0c9-15ba-4d6d-8276-487ad9430f43

Iowa Central Homeland Security Training Center and federal spending

Well, this is one way for localities to get federal dollars -- in West Virginia, we call these "Byrd droppings" (after the one and only Senator Robert C Byrd). Here's an example from the recently passed 2008 omnibus spending bill:

U.S. Rep. Latham: Training center provides important resources for Iowa's first responders
12/20/2007
WASHINGTON, DC — Iowa Congressman Tom Latham has secured $423,000 in funding for a state-of-the-art first-responder training program at Iowa Central Community College in Fort Dodge, Iowa. “These funds will allow this important program to continue to provide first-rate training for all of Iowa’s first responders,” Latham said. “It’s essential that the brave men and women Iowa families trust with their help in times of crisis have the most up-to-date tools and training available.

Iowa Central Community College is the leader in helping our professional first responders prepare for worst case scenarios.”The funds secured by Latham will allow the Iowa Central Homeland Security Training Center (ICHSTC) to move forward with its instruction for law enforcement personnel and others, as part of a six-state rural preparedness consortium.

To-date Latham has secured over $1.7 million for the center, which has trained over 21,755 first responders during 795 different training sessions. The first responder training includes terrorism awareness, basic incident command and bombing awareness.

http://www.iowapolitics.com/index.iml?Article=113775

They key part of this is the "six-state rural preparedness consortium" that will help out a part of the country that is likely to suffer once funding goes to a purely risk-based system.

2008 guidelines for DHS Scholarship/Fellowship program

2008 Competition Guidelines for DHS Scholarship and Fellowship Program
have been announced:

For full article, see:
http://www.orau.gov/dhsed/

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) realizes that the country’s strong science and technology community provides a critical advantage in the development and implementation of counter-terrorist measures and other DHS objectives. The DHS Scholarship and Fellowship Program is intended for students interested in pursuing the basic science and technology innovations that can be applied to the DHS mission. This education program is intended to ensure a highly talented science and technology community to achieve the DHS mission and objectives.

Eligible students must be studying in a homeland security related science, technology, engineering and mathematics (HS-STEM) field with an interest in one of the homeland security research areas listed below:
Explosives Detection, Mitigation and Response
Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences
Risk and Decision Sciences
Human Factors Aspects of Technology
Chemical Threats and Countermeasures
Biological Threats and Countermeasures
Food and Agriculture Security
Transportation Security
Border Security
Immigration Studies
Maritime and Port Security
Infrastructure Protection
Natural Disasters and Related Geophysical Studies
Emergency Preparedness and Response
Communications and Interoperability
Advanced Data Analysis and Visualization

In 2007, there were only 15 of 262 accepted among the undergraduate applicants and 13 of 347 graduate applicants. So its pretty competetive! This is the fifth competition cycle thus far.

Illinois Universities Create Homeland Security Education Alliance

This is an interesting concept that tries to pool e-learning university resources in emergency management and homeland security.


Illinois universities have created a homeland security education alliance that aims to equip students and professionals with emergency management tools and boost the state’s overall preparedness levels. This cooperative agreement allows students at any of the eight participating universities to enroll in an online course at any of the other schools and use the credit hours toward a homeland security degree or track. This alliance broadens the number of courses available to students.

Full article here:
http://www.nga.org/portal/site/nga/menuitem.9123e83a1f6786440ddcbeeb501010a0/?vgnextoid=0abdb76030446110VgnVCM1000001a01010aRCRD

AmeriCorps and Homeland Security

Barack Obama is pitching a massive expansion of AmeriCorps and added "units" to deal with special topics, to include homeland security. This, in part, could solve some workforce and credentialing issues at the scene of a large-scale emergency where many volunteers and/or citizen recruits would be needed.

Here's the AP article:
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5gQNzkvQdOVeBPKyqUTjgLct0wbNwD8TBI4OG0

Presumably, this would be an expansion of the National Civilian Community Corps
(for more info, see http://www.americorps.org/about/programs/nccc.asp), a program
I can vouch for as a dear friend's daughter is mid-way in her service and has nothing but really positive things to say about the whole situation.

National Academic Consortium for Homeland Security

Looks like there is a new academic consortium group out of Ohio State University

http://homelandsecurity.osu.edu/NACHS/index.html

Welcome to the web site for the National Academic Consortium for Homeland Security. The Consortium comprises public and private academic institutions engaged in scientific research, technology development and transition, education and training, and service programs concerned with current and future U.S. national security challenges, issues, problems and solutions, at home and around the world.

This web site offers registered academic institutions the opportunity to share information describing its organizations, research projects, technology development and deployment activities, education and training programs or courses, and service activities pertaining to international and homeland security. It also offers you the capability to identify institutions, research projects and capabilities, education and training programs, and other activities concerned with various aspects of U.S. national security, at home and abroad.

Frameworks for Higher Education in Homeland Security

New report is out by the Committee on Educational Paradigms for Homeland Security, National Research Council. Free pdf download through National Academy Press:

http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=11141

This report explores whether there are core pedagogical and skill-based homeland security program needs; examines current and proposed education programs focusing on various aspects of homeland security; comments on the possible parallels between homeland security, area studies, international relations, and science policy, as developed or emerging academic thrusts; and suggests potential curricula needs, particularly those that involve interdisciplinary aspects. The report concentrates almost exclusively on coursework-related offerings, primarily at the undergraduate and graduate levels.

HS leadership program at U Conn

U Conn plans to train close to 700 folks under this grant, perhaps a good opportunity for local public health leaders of the future.


"The Department of Homeland Security has awarded a $1,334,200 competitive training grant to the Center for Continuing Studies at UConn.
The Center will develop and deliver a Collaborative Leadership in Homeland Security program for state and local homeland security senior and emerging leaders nationwide during the three-year project period, which began Oct. 1."

http://www.advance.uconn.edu/2007/071203/07120301.htm

Joppatowne High School is "one of a kind"

Joppatowne High School in Maryland starts the first pre-college
program in "Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness"

From the article, "About 110 students expressed interest in signing up, and 61 10th-graders — 38 male and 23 female — were selected."

http://www.examiner.com/a-1070285~Homeland_Security_program_ties_lessons_to_real_world.html