FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Lou Elin Dwyer
TIDES Program Coordinator
National Defense University
(202) 685-3916
(Washington, DC) For the 8th year, the National Defense University (NDU) is hosting a live demonstration of innovative technologies to improve disaster assistance and development. From October 7-10, more than 70 civilian groups and businesses will set up with no water, no power, and no shelter; nothing except what they make for themselves. Non-profit organizations, citizen associations, specialized vendors, and others will be showing off their best ideas and tools to help people in post-disaster, post-conflict, or in extreme poverty situations.
The demonstration, held on campus at Fort McNair in Southwest Washington, is an offshoot of the TIDES (Transformative Innovation for Development and Emergency Support) research project at NDU. TIDES focuses on identifying emerging technologies and sustainable solutions to support a variety of missions. More a science fair than a trade show, different inventors and field operators exchange insights and experiences, promoting public-private cooperation through presentations, technology demonstrations, workshops, and networking.
Speakers will discuss cross-cutting issues ranging from logistics and soft power, to information-sharing and community-based solutions. Speakers include Dr. Reginald Brothers, Under Secretary for Science and Technology at the Department of Homeland Security; Mr. Dennis V. McGinn, Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Energy, Installations & Environment); and Dr. Sheldon Himelfarb, Director of Media, Technology & Peacebuilding at the United States Institute of Peace.
There also will be discussion groups open to the public throughout the week that will address a variety of pertinent issues centered on this year’s theme: “Collaborate, Respond, Recover.” Specific areas that will be addressed include:
• Building Integrated Partnership Capacity in austere environments. Focusing on cross-cutting solutions that can be sustained by local populations and on information flows designed to reduce the likelihood of violent outbreaks in stressed situations.
• Foreign disaster preparedness and humanitarian assistance. Featuring results from the quarterly field experiments at Camp Roberts, California, which recently focused on improving the quality and reducing the time to provide open source imagery to emergency responders.
• Post-war stabilization and reconstruction. Those with recent Afghanistan experience will be on site to discuss approaches and share ideas in sustainable socio-economic development, green-white information sharing, and "sense-making" from large amounts of data.
• Disaster response in the U.S. and Defense Support of Civil Authorities (DSCA). This will involve links between DHS, FEMA, and NORTHCOM, along with ties to commercial supply chains, empowering citizens in austere environments, enhancing system resilience, and so forth.
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
Tuesday, October 7, 2014 (9:00 am – 5:00 pm)
10:00 – 10:45 am: Facilitated discussion with Lt. Col. Mary Zajac, National Guard Bureau, State Partnership Program and Colonel Edwin W. Larkin Chief, J5 Plans & Strategy National Guard J5 Plans, Policy & International Affairs Directorate.
Noon – 1:00 pm: Lunchtime speaker series with Dr. Sheldon Himelfarb, Director of Media, Technology & Peacebuilding at the United States Institute of Peace.
3:00 – 3:45 pm: Facilitated discussion with Sarah Williamson, Protect the People, Private Sector Partnerships for HA/DR, with a focus on R&D for innovative technologies.
Wednesday, October 8, 2014 (9:00 am – 5:00 pm)
10:00 – 10:45 am: Facilitated discussion with Dr. Walter Dorn, Peacekeeping Technology Operations.
Noon – 1:00 pm: Lunchtime speaker series with Dr. Reginald Brothers, Under Secretary for Science and Technology, Department of Homeland Security.
3:00 – 3:45 pm: Facilitated panel discussion on Leveraging the Crowd to Support Disaster Response and Resilience, Homeland Security Studies and Analysis Institute (HSSAI).
Thursday, October 9, 2014 (9:00 am – 5:00 pm)
10:00 – 10:45 am: Facilitated discussion with Dr. Patrick P. Meier, Emerging Technologies in Humanitarian Response.
Noon – 1:00 pm: Lunchtime speaker series with Dennis V. McGinn, Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Energy, Installations & Environment). Bill Erwin, Deputy Chief Management Office Innovation in Government through Challenges, Recognition of CTNSP Challenge Winners.
3:00 – 3:45 pm: Facilitated discussion with the exhibitor panel.
Friday, October 10, 2014 (9:00 am – Noon)
9:00 am: Exhibit opens.
Noon: Exhibit closes.