Structurally Sound - Institute for Homeland Security

In a crisis, knowing who to call is critical - and when to call for backup. This week, we unpack a crisis management and tabletop hurricane exercise down in the Valley with Catherine Martin-Trujillo, the emergency preparedness coordinator for the Brownsville Public Utilities Board, and explore big takeaways for emergency exercises and preparation.

The new world screwworm is a nasty pest that's back in Texas for the first time in decades. Monitoring and communication are key - but so is old-school technology to eradicate the parasite without pesticides. Also, the Institute for Homeland Security is headed to Brownsville this week to help strategize hurricane preparations and response. We're bringing along an interactive "Simtable" and our res...

Information is everywhere. Do you have a plan to cut through the noise in a crisis? This week, we chat about information overload and effective communication strategies with Sam Houston State's Dr. Robert Gauthreaux, an assistant professor of practice of journalism and emerging media, and Dr. Tony Yao, an assistant professor of emerging media.

There's always some subjectivity in security assessments, but translating that expertise into business speak and statistical equations can make a world of difference in corporate security. This week, we chat with Brandon Martin, the executive director of the Energy Security Council, about his organization and lessons learned from his years in law enforcement and the private sector. 

Generative artificial intelligence has the potential to upend most industries - but it only works if you know how to work with it, not hide behind it. This week, we look back on last month's INFORMS Analytics+ conference with Daniel Windle, director of sales operations at Trinity Industries; Andrew Hartley, a data analyst with Navy Federal Financial Group; and David Stone, a research associate wit...

Imagine a ladle on a stick. Now imagine you're dipping in untreated waste water. How many viruses would you pull up - and what could those pathogens say about local health? This week, we chat about wastewater monitoring, viral DNA and public health with Dr. Michelle Crum, the interim chair of the department of preventative medicine and population health at the University of Texas at Tyler, and Dr....

How do you plan for mass casualty incidents, especially in healthcare? Tabletop exercises and planning are a good start - especially when they prompt unexpected or innovative questions. This week, we chat with Donald Berger, Administrative Director of Safety Operations at University Medical Center and El Paso Children’s Hospital, and Dr. Joel Hendryx, the recently retired chief medical office...

Who do you trust? Who would you call  right now  if your industry took a sudden left turn? If a name isn't springing to mind, then you might want to work on building your trust network. This week, we chat with Dr. Jason Davis and Mike Maloney about the importance of trust, how to build likeability and memorability, and the importance of strong and weak ties.

Everyone notices when something expensive breaks. Smaller issues, like water leaks and electrical issues, can fly under the radar - but those charges  really  add up. They can also fall under different terms or onto different expense reports, making them harder to track and prevent. This week, we chat with Dr. Robert Emery, the vice president for safety, health, environment & ri...

Effective communication is all about cutting through the noise and providing accurate information - especially during a crisis. This week, we chat about agricultural crises, trust networks and a bit of farm economics with Blair Fannin, the media relations manager and disaster assessment and recovery public information officer for the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service.

A few months ago, when the Iranian government faced major nationwide protests, they turned off the internet for most of the population. Could that happen in the United States? This week, we chat with Dr. Karpoor Shashidhar and Dr. Cihan Varol of the computer science department at Sam Houston State about internet infrastructure at home and abroad. We also talk with Scott McHugh, program executive f...

Let's imagine your company relies on a major transportation hub or port of entry. You get a call in the middle of the night - that hub is shut down for ten days. Do you know who to call? Do you have a plan? Those aren't hypothetical questions for anyone in El Paso, where the airport was suddenly closed last week. It reopened after a few hours but it's a good example of the need for diversification...

In a crisis, reliable and direct communication strategies are key - and sometimes old technology is the most robust. This week, we chat with Texas Association of Broadcasters President Oscar Rodriguez about AM radio's resiliency during disasters, and why Congress is interested in preserving car radios.

How secure are your physical devices? Are they engineered to be cyber-secure overall, or is the focus on protecting data? This week, we chat with Joe Weiss, a managing partner at Applied Control Solutions, about building inroads and translations between the different worlds of IT, OT and engineering.

Fighting wildfires is all about risk management - weather patterns, wind strength, fuel conditions and equipment locations all play a role in planning and prevention. AI and emerging technology could make a big difference, too. This week, we chat with Joel Hambright, the longtime Regional Operations Chief for region four of the Texas A&M Forest service, about forestry management and risk mitig...

It's tough to measure things that  don't   happen, especially in dollars and cents, but a quantitative approach and well-honed communication skills go a long way. This week, we chat with Dave Komendat, a retired vice president and chief security officer for Boeing and a member of the inaugural Hall of Fame Speaker series at our Thought Leaders Conference last fall. We're also joined...

We're accustomed to prioritizing energy independence as a national security concern. Is the infrastructure for artificial intelligence also becoming critical? This week, we chat with Jason Davis, a research professor and co-director of the Emerging Insights Lab at Syracuse University, about sovereign AI and the broad infrastructure it requires. We also touch on articles about data centers and rela...

Exemplary corporate security begins with effective communication - knowing your audience, knowing when to be direct and when to tell a compelling story. This week, we chat with Kirsten Meskill, the Chief Security Officer at Solventum and the second in our Hall of Fame Speaker Series following our Thought Leaders Conference in October.

How has the war between Israel and Hamas affected the Middle East and the United States? What's next for Gaza, and what can the conflict teach us about intelligence and critical infrastructure? This week, we chat with Dr. Nadav Morag, a professor and chair of the Security Studies department at Sam Houston State as well as a former senior director for Israel's National Security Council, about the w...

What makes a great chief security officer, or chief information security officer? It's not only about security knowledge - intentionality, agility and personnel development all play a big role. This week, we chat with Jim Hutton, a former CSO for Procter & Gamble and other major companies as well as a member of the inaugural Hall of Fame Speaker series at our recent Thought Leaders conference....

If you put the right camera on a drone, it can spot cracks in a rooftop or nitrogen levels in crops, among other versatile and positive uses. If you're up to no good, though, the same drone could cause plenty of problems for public- and private-sector critical infrastructure operators. This week, we chat with Dr. Art Wolfskill, professor and head of the agribusiness program at Sam Houston State, a...

Safety, security and resilience require planning and agility. They also require partnerships both within a company and between private and public groups - especially in critical infrastructure. This week, we chat with Julio Gonzalez, the CEO of Sentinel Resilience Group, about building resilient frameworks and avoiding silos.

Most critical infrastructure is operated by private companies, not the government - and those corporations are facing existential threats emerging from cybersecurity, social media and international adversaries. This week, IHS Program Executive Scott McHugh and IHS Coordinator Shelby Payne introduce our upcoming Thought Leaders Conference featuring seasoned leaders innovating solutions and strategi...

Historically, nuclear energy has faced two major obstacles - it's expensive and scary. Both may be changing rapidly. This week, we chat with Robin Gaster, the research director for the Center for Clean Energy Innovation at the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation, about how small modular reactors could make nuclear power more affordable and accessible at home and abroad. We also t...

All disasters are local. Disaster preparation often comes down to reliable information and accessible routine. This week, we chat with Justen Noakes, the Executive Director of Before/During/After and HEB's former "hurricane guy," about how an accessible and localized information hub can help small business plan, react and recover from crises. Noakes has also written a research paper for IHS on sup...