In the News A Call for Papers and Panels Conference on Protecting New York from Terrorism and Disaster: Taking Stock, Setting Directions, Looking Forward Thursday-Friday, January 10-11, 2008 The Levin Institute of the State University of New York 116-120 East 55th Street, New York, NY Read more about this in Events October 24, 2006 The Nelson A. Rockefeller Institute of Government FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE SUNY FACULTY INVITE COLLEAGUES TO JOIN PROTECT NEW YORK RESEARCH AND EDUCATION KEY TO PROTECTING STATE FROM TERRORISM AND DISASTER Albany, New York - Professors from 18 SUNY colleges and universities today invite their colleagues at universities throughout New York to join Protect New York, an academic society formed to foster research and teaching on ways to safeguard the state from disaster. The group was established in April and currently has over 100 members, almost all academic faculty from the State University of New York. "New York's colleges and universities employ brilliant, innovative personnel across nearly every discipline," said SUNY Chancellor John R. Ryan. "Homeland security efforts being made in New York and nationally will certainly benefit from the work that this group will do. I applaud the SUNY faculty members who have taken the initiative on this very important issue and commend those who choose to join them in the future." "September 11 proved that New York City is our nation's most likely target for terrorists seeking mass casualties," says Ernest Sternberg, president of Protect New York and a professor of urban and regional planning at the University at Buffalo. "The threats of terrorism and other disasters, including epidemics and hurricanes, will be with us for generations to come. We have formed Protect New York to help advance knowledge to lessen these long-term and complex dangers." Protect New York will sponsor panels on specialized topics, such as the ethics of surveillance or the psychiatric aspects of disaster and organize reviews of current research priorities and educational offerings related to homeland security and disaster planning. The group will hold a conference on lessons learned and future directions in the fight against terrorism and natural disasters, in New York City next 2007. Protect New York members represent many disciplines, including engineering, criminal justice, psychiatry, public administration, emergency medicine, public health, business management, and media studies. "In the short time since we formed our group," said Eva Cramer, society vice president and professor of cell biology at SUNY Downstate Medical Center, "those of us in the medical and biological fields have especially benefited from learning about the perspectives of other disciplines." SUNY Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Risa I. Palm said, "I am pleased that SUNY faculty have organized around this urgent topic, and I am confident that their work will have a major positive impact on New York's disaster preparedness." Protect New York's president-elect John Kostanoski already credits it with fostering new partnerships across campuses. A professor and chair of the Department of Security Systems at the SUNY College at Farmingdale, Kostanoski cited studies of port security, terrorist networks, and the challenge of evacuating people with disabilities-an effort that went terribly wrong after Hurricane Katrina, when many hospital patients were left in deplorable conditions. "Solving such complex and important problems requires collaboration across disciplines as well as campuses," said Kostanoski. "Our organization will enable us to focus our work, learn from each other, and better teach our students." Membership in Protect New York is open to academic faculty members and administrators, with associate memberships available to students. Professionals who are involved in emergency management, disaster planning, and homeland security and interested in advancing their fields through research are also welcome. To learn more about Protect New York, or to join, log on to www.protectnewyork.org. The site is hosted by SUNY's Nelson A. Rockefeller Institute of Government in Albany. "State and local leaders, both upstate and downstate, need to be aware of the most recent scientific findings and academic researchers need to be exposed to public officials' most pressing concerns," said Richard P. Nathan, the Institute's co-director. "We are proud of this opportunity to bring them together to serve New York State." Rockefeller Institute's previous work on homeland security issues can be found at RockInst.org/publications/homeland_security.html. Protect New York President Sternberg said, "Although the greatest catastrophic risks now facing New York are terrorism through multiple explosions in crowded facilities, pandemic influenza and sea surge from hurricanes along the coast, risks are constantly evolving. A greater threat over the coming decade or two will be biological weapons. Their potentials are especially horrific because rapid technological progress is making it ever easier for small, sometimes suicidal, groups to produce lethally infectious weapons in hidden laboratories and transport them without detection. Researchers have an obligation to apply our skills today to help avert the threats we are likely to face tomorrow." CONTACT Brian Stenson, (518) 443-5831 [Rockefeller Institute of Government] Ernest Sternberg, (716) 829-2133, ext. 224 HOME | RATIONALE | HISTORY | INFORMATION | NEWS | JOURNAL | EVENTS | BOARD & MEMBERS | BYLAWS | APPLICATION TO JOIN | CONTACT
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