"Each night will focus on a different theme," said lecture series organizer and Center Assistant Director Ron Dolin. "Our goal is to present information on varying homeland security topics and provide a public forum for discussions on homeland security threats, consequences, protections, and technologies. We want to foster an open dialog with the community. The more people know about planning, preparing, and preventing terrorism the more secure we all are."
The lecture series begins on Monday, May 5, with an overview of national, regional, state, and local homeland security issues.
Tuesday, May 6, a panel of nuclear and radiological experts will discuss terrorist motivations, threat identification, preventative measures, threat detection and incident response.
Wednesday, May 7, a panel of experts will discuss chemical and biological concerns. "The threat from bioterrorism and emerging and reemerging infectious disease is an important societal issue that is impacting our daily lives," said Gary Resnick, associate center director for Chemical and Biological Programs.
"We are fortunate to be able to convene a panel of experts from our own community to discuss the biothreat challenge and what research is in progress to deal with the problem," said Resnick.
Thursday, May 8, Dr. Igor Shafhid, a former Russian army medical doctor, will describe his experiences responding to the Chernobyl nuclear plant disaster.
The Chernobyl incident is in many ways similar to the potentially catastrophic aftermath of a terrorist event. "I will give details on Chernobyl and impact of Chernobyl nuclear plant incident on local communities, and states of the former Soviet Union," Dr. Shafhid said, referring to the initial evacuation and longer downwind fallout. He will also talk about mistakes made and public safety lessons learned.
Friday, May 9, the focus shifts to threats to critical infrastructures. Issues involved with protecting both physical and cyber infrastructures will be described along with a description of Los Alamos' role in event simulation.
These lectures are free and open to the public. They will be held at the University of New Mexico-Los Alamos Student Union Building beginning at 7 p.m. each evening, except for the May 9 lecture, which begins at 5 p.m. From describing the effects of chemical, biological, and nuclear agents, to showing the aftermath of a nuclear disaster, these lectures contain mature discussions and graphic images. Parents are urged to take that into consideration. More information is available on the Center's website at: www.lanl.gov/orgs/chs/.
The Center for Homeland Security provides advanced research and technology, situational analysis, and operational expertise to policy managers, decision makers, and incident responders. The Center's role in securing America's homeland complements, exploits and augments the Los Alamos National Laboratory's long and distinguished history of national security contributions.
Los Alamos enhances global security by ensuring the safety and reliability of the U.S. nuclear stockpile, developing technologies to reduce threats from weapons of mass destruction, and solving problems related to energy, environment, infrastructure, health and national security.
Los Alamos National Laboratory, a multidisciplinary research institution engaged in strategic science on behalf of national security, is operated by Los Alamos National Security, LLC, a team composed of Bechtel National, the University of California, The Babcock & Wilcox Company, and Washington Group International for the Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration.
Los Alamos enhances national security by ensuring the safety and reliability of the U.S. nuclear stockpile, developing technologies to reduce threats from weapons of mass destruction, and solving problems related to energy, environment, infrastructure, health, and global security concerns.