AMU Homeland Security Intelligence Terrorism

VACCINE Webinar Focuses on Decision-Making and Counter Terrorism

AMU Purdue VACCINE

By Glynn Cosker
Managing Editor, In Homeland Security

“The most significant aspect of terrorism that we’ll see evolve in the coming years is ideological based terrorism … Once you identify the ideology, you can then identify the causes, the roots, the underpinnings of that ideology – and that is going to determine the counter terrorism measures to utilize,” stated Dr. James Hess, Faculty Director & Associate Professor of Intelligence & Terrorism Studies at American Military University (AMU).

Dr. Hess is co-presenting the upcoming VACCINE Center series of counter terrorism-based webinars, co-sponsored by Purdue University and AMU.

Established in July 2009 in partnership with Purdue University, VACCINE is the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Center of Excellence in Visual and Data Analytics. Its mission focuses on creating methods, tools, and applications to analyze and manage vast amounts of information for all mission-critical areas of homeland security in the most efficient manner.

The first webinar, “Decision-Making and Counter Terrorism: How the Visual Analytics of Data Can Help Save Lives” is scheduled for July 31, 2015.

Dr. James Hess VACCINE
AMU’s Dr. James Hess is a co-presenter of VACCINE’s upcoming webinar.

“We are focusing our research and discussion points along the lines of the ongoing national conversation – the Department of Homeland Security’s efforts to ensure the safety of the country,” stated Dr. Hess regarding the first VACCINE webinar which – along with subsequent bimonthly webinars – will emphasize a specific structured dialogue topic related to homeland security technology in an effort to get people talking about problems, challenges, and solutions to keep the United States safe.

Assisting Dr. Hess on the first edition of the new webinar series will be Dr. Dennis Thom of The Institute for Visualization and Interactive Systems, University of Stuttgart and VACCINE Center’s Principal Investigator.

“We’re combining both of our fields of expertize. Dr. Thom focuses on visual analytics and I focus on building analytical frameworks to study terrorism organizations and the variables that are specific to the various terrorist groups,” said Dr. Hess. “Together, we’re focusing on how visual analytics can present the variables specific and unique to a terrorist organization.”

Dr. Hess and Dr. Thom hope that webinar registrants will leave each presentation excited to join the research effort. Three research questions are presented at the end of the webinar, and the goal is for the registered participants to investigate each question and – in turn – generate salient topics for subsequent webinars.

The upcoming webinars are in coordination with the framework of The National Conversation on Homeland Security Technology that was recently created by the Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology Directorate (DHS S&T).

Anyone interested in registering for the first seminar, may still do so by clicking here.

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