ALERT | Awareness and Localization of Explosive-Related Threats

ALERT invites you to the COE Summit on May 30-31, 2018! April 20, 2018

The Department of Homeland Security Centers of Excellence Summit 2018 will take place on May 30-31, 2018 at George Mason University in Arlington Virginia. ALERT would like to invite industry partners, researchers, homeland security operators, and other center community members to gather to collaborate on this year’s theme: University Research & Development to Protect the Homeland

Annual Student Pipeline Industry Roundtable Event (ASPIRE) 2018 April 15, 2018

26 Apr 2018

The Annual Student Pipeline Industry Roundtable Event (ASPIRE) will be held on Thursday, April 26, 2018 from 12:00 – 5:00pm at Northeastern University, Boston. The ASPIRE is hosted by the ALERT (Awareness and Localization of Explosives-Related Threats) & Gordon-CenSSIS (The Bernard M. Gordon Center for Subsurface Sensing and Imaging Systems). ASPIRE provides an optimum setting for dialogue among members of the academic, industrial and government communities and also provides networking opportunities for students looking for internships, co-op opportunities and full-time jobs.

Training for First Responders – A High ALERT Priority March 30, 2018

On January 30th and February 1st, ALERT researcher, Dr. Jimmie Oxley (University of Rhode Island) and her students traveled to Natick, MA to lead a course and field training titled “Explosives Chemistry for Emergency Responders” for twenty-three students from the Massachusetts 1st Civil Support Team (WMD) of the National Guard and the Department of Fire Services HazMat. The purpose of this training was to familiarize the teams with improvised explosives, to drill them in recognition of a variety of threats, and to test their use of personal protective equipment (PPE) and detection instrumentation. According to Dr. Oxley, “This was a learning experience for both students and teachers. We, the teachers, learned real-life concerns and constraints. They, the students, learned of new potential threats and the appropriate tools in their kits for detecting them. Field training, like this, is essential for readiness at crisis time.”

Innovation Business Partners: ALERT’s Newest Industrial Member March 2, 2018

ALERT is pleased to welcome Innovation Business Partners, Inc. (IBP) as its newest industrial member. IBP is a small business based in New Jersey that assists organizations and individuals in creating and spreading new knowledge to maximize their value and competitive advantage.

Professor Rappaport Delivers “Electromagnetic Screening for Airport Security” Lecture February 22, 2018

ALERT Deputy Director and Northeastern University Electrical and Computer Engineering Distinguished Professor, Carey Rappaport, gave an invited lecture on February 10th to the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory on the topic of “Electromagnetic Screening for Airport Security.”

Student Spotlight: Muhammad Usman Ghani (Ph.D. Candidate, Boston University) January 29, 2018

Muhammad Usman Ghani, a Ph.D. candidate in Electrical and Computer Engineering at Boston University, is now in his second year working on ALERT research with Professor Clem Karl. His project, “Advanced Multispectral Computed Tomography (CT) Algorithms” (Project R4-C.1), involves developing learning based algorithms to improve the quality of imaging reconstructions for CT, and applies many areas of his interest including, machine learning, computer vision, and statistical signal processing.

“ADSA in Three Words” (Video) January 29, 2018

At the last ADSA workshop (ADSA17 Workshop), ALERT asked several participants to sum up the biannual event in only three words. See what government, industry, and research participants had to say in “ADSA in Three Words.”

Save the Date: Upcoming ALERT Spring Events! January 29, 2018

Throughout the year, ALERT offers events that provide great networking, training, and technology opportunities to you, our center stakeholders. We hope you put the following events on your spring calendar: ASPIRE 2018 (4/26/18, Northeastern University), Fundamentals of Explosives Course (5/1/18 – 5/3/18, University of Rhode Island), ADSA18 Workshop (5/15/18 – 5/16/18, Northeastern University), and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Centers of Excellence (COE) Summit (5/30/18 – 5/31/18, George Mason University).

ALERT Attends AAAE/TSA/DHS Aviation Security Summit January 29, 2018

ALERT representatives attended the 17th Annual Aviation Security Summit convened by the American Association of Airport Executives (AAAE), the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on December 5-6, 2017 in Arlington, Virginia. The intention of the intensive day and a half conference was to bring together senior leadership from DHS and other components of the Homeland Security Enterprise, airport operators, and other key figures working in security policy and operations to review the complex issues surrounding aviation security today and to look ahead to challenges on the horizon.

Fundamentals of Explosives Course at University of Rhode Island – May 1-3, 2018 January 29, 2018

ALERT researcher, Dr. Jimmie Oxley of the University of Rhode Island, will be holding a “Fundamentals of Explosives” course for professionals working in the Homeland Security Enterprise from May 1-3, 2018, with the option of taking a “Laboratory Analysis and Safety” or “Field Instrumentation and Testing” course on May 4, 2018.