Congratulations to the recipients of the C-RASC Summer 2024 Graduate Research Assistants Fellowship. Fellows will have support for developing their research agenda in addition to the particular research goals that are co-identified with the partner organization. These distinguished individuals have been chosen based on their exceptional academic and professional accomplishments.
Recipients include:
STAR-TIDES (Sharing To Accelerate Research – Transformative Innovation for Development and Emergency Support) is a global knowledge-sharing network focused on building sustainable resilience, supporting community and individual resilience to natural and man-made disasters, and promoting human security (“freedom from want“ and “freedom from fear”).
The 17th Annual STAR-TIDES Capabilities Demonstration took place on April 15th-16th, 2024 at George Mason University’s Mason Square campus in Arlington, VA.
The Demo showcased products and activities of the STAR-TIDES (Sharing To Accelerate Research – Transformative Innovation for Development and Emergency Support) global knowledge-sharing network.
The network includes thousands of members engaged in building sustainable resilience, promoting human security, and creating life-changing social and economic activities. STAR-TIDES is coordinated through GMU’s Center for Resilient and Sustainable Communities (C-RASC).
This year’s theme was “Adapting to Climate Change,” emphasizing collaborative cross-sector approaches (e.g., energy and communications) to help communities adapt to the “new normal” of climate change in their region. As Thomas Friedman has pointed out, “It’s not the strongest, fastest, or smartest that survives, but rather the most adaptable.”
The related TIDES event in the Pentagon Center Courtyard took place on April 17th-18th.
A student poster contest was held in conjunction with the Demo. The contest was open to students doing research in the areas of resilience, sustainability, disaster relief and recovery, emergency management, and related topics. Eleven students submitted an entry. Judges were recruited from among the exhibitors and a few of the attendees with strong backgrounds in these areas. None of the judges were affiliated with GMU.
The first-place winner was a Civil Engineering PhD student; the second-place winner was a team of Bioengineering undergraduates.
The 18th Annual STAR-TIDES Capabilities Demonstration will take place on April 13th-15th, 2025 at George Mason University’s Mason Square campus located at 3351 Fairfax Drive, Arlington, Virginia 22201.
We are inviting applications for summer research assistance funding from Mason Master’s and doctoral students who do not already have Mason summer funding. If accepted, each awardee will receive a stipend of $6,500 (Master’s) or $8,500 (Doctor’s). Applying students should provide a short summary of what project they will be working on over the summer. Fellows must agree to a scope of research, schedule, and deliverable work products with C-RASC before the start of the summer term (Faculty Mentor will facilitate this process in Spring 2024). Fellows will have support for developing their research agenda in addition to the particular research goals that are co-identified with the partner organization.
Applicants, please submit the following here by April 14th, 2024:
The application can be found here.
–Applicants must be Mason students listed in university records as full-time during Spring 2024 and must plan to return as a graduate student in Fall 2024.
–GPA 3.0 and good standing
–Receive no other funding from Mason over the summer
Mentors, please provide your quick endorsement here by April 14th, 2024. The endorsers must confirm that there are no alternative means of supporting the applicant over the summer.
The 17th Annual STAR-TIDES Capabilities Demonstration will take place on April 15th-16th, 2024 at George Mason University’s Mason Square campus located at 3351 Fairfax Drive, Arlington, Virginia 22201.
The Demo will showcase products and activities of the STAR-TIDES (Sharing To Accelerate Research – Transformative Innovation for Development and Emergency Support) global knowledge-sharing network.
The network includes thousands of members engaged in building sustainable resilience, promoting human security, and creating life-changing social and economic activities. STAR-TIDES is coordinated through GMU’s Center for Resilient and Sustainable Communities (C-RASC).
This year’s theme is “Adapting to Climate Change,” emphasizing collaborative cross-sector approaches (such as energy + communications) to help communities adapt to the “new normal” of climate change in their region. As Thomas Friedman has pointed out, “it’s not the strongest, fastest, or smartest that survives, but rather the most adaptable.”
Click here to register.
Linton Wells II
Kathryn Blackmond Laskey
Center for Resilient and Sustainable Communities
George Mason University
Introduction
The purpose of this report is to provide recommendations, along with corresponding justifications, to policy and regulatory decision-makers and institutions for cross-sector regulatory standards to address and mitigate the risks of cascading infrastructure failures. A companion report [1] focuses on elements of five infrastructure sectors that are closely related to Department of Defense (DoD) planning and operations: energy, communications, transportation, information technology, and emergency services. That report reviews existing policy and regulatory standards for disaster response and resilience and then briefly describes the nature and importance of the cross-sector interactions in these areas and the components of resilience. It also examines available capabilities, and their limitations, for enabling coordinated, cross-sector planning and operation of critical cyber and physical infrastructures.
Linton Wells II, Executive Advisory, Center for Resilient and Sustainable Communities (C-RASC), George Mason University
Kathryn Blackmond Laskey, Director Emerita, Center for Resilient and Sustainable Communities, George Mason University
Abstract
As climate change accelerates the frequency of disruptive events, and critical infrastructures become increasingly interdependent, there is a growing need to ensure the policies and standards for the nation’s critical infrastructure, including cyber-physical systems, are sufficiently robust and adaptable. This document focuses on elements of five infrastructure sectors that are closely related to DoD planning and operations: energy, communications, transportation, information technology, and emergency services. These have significant interdependencies and crosscutting cybersecurity vulnerabilities, which also are addressed in some detail. It reviews existing policy and regulatory standards for disaster response and resilience and then briefly describes the nature and importance of the cross-sector interactions in these areas and the components of resilience. It also examines capabilities that are available, and their limitations, for enabling coordinated, cross-sectoral planning and operation of critical cyber and physical infrastructures. A large amount of very good high-level guidance is available which emphasizes the need for cross-sector collaboration and the incorporation of cybersecurity. But turning these into effective plans and operations is hard. A regional area is used as a case study to illustrate the complex interactions that are needed to align public-private elements at the Federal, state, and local levels. The history and context of how existing policies were conceptualized, as well as their limitations are considered, along with emerging threats, including compound ones (cyberattacks in conjunction with man-made or natural disasters). Holes in capabilities and research topics are identified. A follow-on paper will provide recommendations with corresponding justifications to policy and regulatory decision-makers/institutions for cross-sectoral regulatory standards.
Cross-Sector Infrastructure Policy
Abstract
As climate change accelerates the frequency of disruptive events, and critical infrastructures become increasingly interdependent, there is a growing need to ensure the policies and standards for the nation’s critical infrastructure, including cyber-physical systems, are sufficiently robust and adaptable. This document focuses on elements of five infrastructure sectors that are closely related to DoD planning and operations: energy, communications, transportation, information technology, and emergency services. These have significant interdependencies and crosscutting cybersecurity vulnerabilities, which also are addressed in some detail. It reviews existing policy and regulatory standards for disaster response and resilience and then briefly describes the nature and importance of the cross-sector interactions in these areas and the components of resilience. It also examines capabilities that are available, and their limitations, for enabling coordinated, cross-sectoral planning and operation of critical cyber and physical infrastructures. A large amount of very good high-level guidance is available which emphasizes the need for cross-sector collaboration and the incorporation of cybersecurity. But turning these into effective plans and operations is hard. A regional area is used as a case study to illustrate the complex interactions that are needed to align public-private elements at the Federal, state, and local levels. The history and context of how existing policies were conceptualized, as well as their limitations are considered, along with emerging threats, including compound ones (cyberattacks in conjunction with man-made or natural disasters). Holes in capabilities and research topics are identified. A follow-on paper will provide recommendations with corresponding justifications to policy and regulatory decision-makers/institutions for cross-sectoral regulatory standards.
From November 30 to December 12, 2023, global policy leaders gathered in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, for COP28, the United Nations Climate Change Conference.
COP28, or the 28th Conference of the Parties, is a crucial international event focused on addressing climate change. It brings together governing officials, thought leaders, policymakers, scientists, and stakeholders from around the world to discuss and collaborate on strategies to combat the ongoing global climate crisis.
Topics included carbon emissions reduction, renewable energy adoption, climate adaptation, and financing mechanisms to support climate action planning. The conference serves as a vital platform for nations to come together and work towards a sustainable and resilient future for the planet.
Among these leaders was C-RASC Member and former Co-Principal Investigator, Dr. Tonya E. Thornton.
Before her departure from Mason, Dr. Thornton also served as a Research Professor and the Director of Grants at Mason’s Schar School of Policy and Government and was an Advisory Council Member for the Institute for a Sustainable Earth. Currently, Dr. Thornton is the Director of Critical Infrastructure Protection at the Global Connective Center and as an Advisory Committee Member for the STAR-TIDES Network. The GCC is an independent, non-partisan integrator, which brings together world class expertise, leading-edge technologies, and system-of-systems integration to deliver extraordinary solutions.
At COP28, Dr. Thornton was the subject of an executive interview titled: Keeping The Supply Chain Online: How Sustainable Digital Infrastructure Is ‘mission Critical’ For Climate Adaptation And Disaster Resilience.
Using her academic background and diverse professional experiences, Dr. Thornton had the opportunity to provide a unique ‘pracademic’ perspective on the issues at hand, including disruptive technology, cyber security, climate crisis, and the environment.
The motif of her talk was clear: risks from disasters, such as natural exposures, human-induced hazards, cyber security attacks, and pandemics, are rapidly increasing. As government and industry leaders gather at events, such as COP28, responding to, coping with, recovering from, and rebuilding after those disruptive events will be essential for future planning and preparedness activities.
To mitigate these challenges, Dr. Thornton highlighted the critical infrastructure systems identified for the successful functioning of government at the community level. These include:
Lastly, Dr. Thornton’s plea to participants was straightforward: grasping the significance, origins, seriousness, and frequency of potential threats, whether inferred or real, is fundamental to the process of finding whole-of-nation solutions.
Learn more about COP28 here.
