July 13, 2005
Purdue to measure response to simulated homeland security threats
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – The Purdue Homeland Security Institute on Wednesday and Thursday (July 20-21) will sponsor its fourth annual conference that includes a supercomputer-based simulation with local, state and federal officials responding to large-scale mock terrorist attacks.
Alok Chaturvedi (a-LOKE CHAT-ur-vedi), director of the Purdue Homeland Security Institute, said this year's conference, Measured Response '05, presents a simulation that applies new national standards, as well as homeland security keynote speakers and a panel that includes top state and federal officials.
"The simulation will focus on role-playing participants applying the National Response Plan and National Incident Management Systems to a number of catastrophic scenarios," said Chaturvedi, who also is a Krannert School of Management associate professor. "Measured Response '05 also will showcase new research in the prevention, preparedness and response to homeland security events, such as the recent London bombings, and provide policy-makers with both the theory and practice of these new national standards."
While the simulation itself is not open to the public, a number of related events on Wednesday are free and open:
• 12:30-1:30 p.m. – Welcome and opening remarks and terrorist simulation overview, Rawls Hall, third-floor commons, by Richard A. Cosier, Krannert School dean and Leeds Professor of Management; Charles Rutledge, vice provost for research; Jim Davis, FBI assistant special agent in charge; and Chaturvedi. Charles McQueary, U.S. Department of Homeland Security Under Secretary for Science and Technology, will give the conference keynote address, "Combating Terrorism with Science and Technology."
• 1:30 p.m., Purdue Memorial Mall mobile command post tour.
• 2-2:30 p.m., Stewart Center's Envision Center Panel, "NYC (9/11), Madrid and London: Understanding, Preventing and Responding to Homeland Security Threats," Eric Dietz, Indiana Department of Homeland Security executive director; McQueary; and Chaturvedi.
• 2:45-3:45 p.m., following the panel discussion in the Envision Center, simulation demonstration and Envision Center tour.
Events open to the public and press on Thursday (July 21) in the Purdue Memorial Union South Ballroom are:
• 8:30 a.m., opening remarks by Chaturvedi, followed by keynote address, "New Opportunities at Muscatatuck Training Facility," by Brig. General Omer C. Tooley, Joint Forces Deputy Commander, Indiana National Guard.
• 12:30-1:15 p.m., post-simulation review and closing remarks, by Tim Collins, David Hankins, and Tejas Bhatt, Purdue Homeland Security Institute staff; and Chaturvedi.
"Simulation participants will be local, state and national officials," Chaturvedi said. "We've seen with the recent London terrorist attacks the dynamic we have to deal with in the foreseeable future.
Chaturvedi said homeland security has made major advances and become much more sophisticated since 9/11.
"London has been targeted by terrorists at least 26 times since 9/11. While the terrorists were successful in the London attack, authorities are doing a complete postmortem on the incident. This analysis will pick up key signatures of the network, their approach, their logistics, communication patterns, coordination and the like. We will learn from this and thwart many of their future attempts."
Chaturvedi said he sees the simulation as an important engagement function for the institute, but the primary long-term and day-to-day business of the institute is research.
"Our annual simulations enable local, state and national officials to learn to better respond to all kinds of security events," he said. "The rest of the year at PHSI, we're bringing science and technology to bear on homeland security threats."
The Purdue Homeland Security Institute is part of the e-Enterprise Center at Discovery Park, Purdue's interdisciplinary hub for research and enterprise. There are four research centers at the homeland security institute: the Center for Computational Homeland Security, the Center for Sensing Science and Technology, the Center for Security of Large Scale Systems and the Center for Military and Law Enforcement Technology, Tactics, and Training. The institute is funded by the National Science Foundation, Department of Defense, and the Indiana 21st Century Research and Technology Fund.
Writer: Mike Lillich, (765) 494-2077, mlillich@purdue.edu
Source: Alok Chaturvedi, (765) 494-9048, alok@mgmt.purdue.edu
Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu
Note to Journalists: Journalists wishing to contact Alok Chaturvedi or others during the conference on July 20-21 should call Gina Niemi, Purdue Homeland Security Institute administrative assistant, (765) 494-9793, phsi@purdue.edu.
While the simulation itself is not open to the press, several events, talks, panels and demonstrations are.
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