ALERT | Awareness and Localization of Explosive-Related Threats

Guardian Centers Joins ALERT, Presents at Industrial Advisory Board Meeting

November 27, 2017

ALERT held its annual Industrial Advisory Board (IAB) Meeting at the Kostas Research Institute in Burlington, MA on October 16^th. The agenda attracted many of ALERT’s industrial members, representatives from ALERT’s DHS Office of University Program (OUP) customers and other DHS components, such as DHS S&T, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Customs and Border Protection (CBP), and Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).  It was ALERT’S highest attended IAB Meeting to date and many new relationships were established, laying the groundwork for potential future collaboration.

The agenda included welcoming remarks from Tim Connelly, the Executive Director of the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative, presentations from two guest and one faculty presenters, a student poster session, a testimonial of successful government/faculty/industry collaboration within ALERT, and a tour of the ALERT Video Analytics Laboratory, followed by a networking reception. Presenters included:

• Guest Presenter: Thriving in the Innovation Economy through Collaborations of Government, Universities, and Industry, Gary Markovits, CEO, Innovation Business Partners, Inc.
• Guest Presenter: Guardian Centers Capabilities and Case Studies, Tim Maloney, VP, Business Development, Guardian Centers, LLC.
• Industry-Academic Team Presenter: An ALERT Case Study for Successful Collaboration and Transition, Jeff Schubert, Sr. Staff Scientist, AS&E, and Dr. Brian Tracey, Research Faculty, Tufts University, ECE.
• Research Presenter: Imaging at Speed Using a Multicoded Compressive System, Jose Martinez-Lorenzo, Assistant Professor, Mechanical and Industrial Engineering Jointly Appointed, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Northeastern University.

ALERT had the privilege of introducing the Guardian Centers, LLC as not only a guest presenter, but also our newest ALERT Industrial Member. Guardian Centers is a dynamic and immersive urban terrain campus that replicates realistic natural and man-made disasters. They provide custom services that include complete exercise design and planning, training and certification, and full-service logistics support at its state of the art flagship training campus in Perry, Georgia, or at any client location throughout the world. Guardian Centers demonstrates exceptional performance and results delivering specialized training courses and practical exercises for special skills certification and professional services training.

ALERT’s annual IAB Meeting and other members-only events provide industrial members with the opportunity to network with other members, faculty from ALERT’s partner institutions, and representatives from local, state, and federal government institutions. Other advantages of ALERT industrial membership include admission to the Annual Student Pipeline Industry Roundtable Event (ASPIRE), providing industrial members with access to qualified job-seeking students; the opportunity to request targeted research in an area of interest to their organizations; and waivers of ALERT workshop registration fees. For more advantages of ALERT industrial membership, please see the Benefits of Collaboration, or contact our Industrial and Government Liaison Officer, Ms. Emel Bulat at [email protected].