A workshop to be held in conjunction with the Society for Risk Analysis Annual Meeting

8am-5pm Sunday, 3 December 2006

Baltimore, MD

      This workshop will explore advanced, proven processes and methods for addressing risk and decision making challenges in military settings. It will present new, applied tools applicable to a wide range of situations and settings faced by risk assessors and decision makers in emergency situations.

Presenters

Venue

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This full-day workshop will explore decision analysis as an advanced approach to formulating and implementing effective risk management in military and homeland security settings. Proven processes, methods and new tools available to risk assessors, decision makers and communicators will be highlighted.

      Risk Analysis is a robust and reputable tool for the planning and execution of a broadening spectrum of government programs. In addition, the Government Accountability Office, the Office of Management and Budget, and The Department of Defense require risk-based management tools for and increasing number of government programs. Nevertheless, the mass of guidance documents drafted for such purposes have often further confused efforts to manage various kinds of risk. The development of risk management guidance for military and homeland security applications is particularly challenging due to the knowledge vacuum and constricted timeline in which decisions must be made. This is especially true in managing risks posed by chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear events.

     Environmental decisions are often made with an arbitrary process that may or may not be based on risk analysis and may not involved risk communication considerations. Multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) provides better-supported techniques for the comparison of project alternatives, and it also provides structured methods for the incorporation of project stakeholders' opinions in the ranking of environmental policy alternatives.

     

Ms. Ditmer has twelve years experience in national security, national defense and strategic analysis as both a scholar and a practitioner, and is a recognized subject matter expert in Counter Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (C-CBRN) policy, with particular expertise in counter-biological defense and C-CBRNE operational and readiness policy, planning and exercise. She currently serves at the US Defense Threat Reduction Agency in the Chemical and Biological Technology Area in the capacity of Science Policy Analyst and Program Manager where her key project is the development of risk management policy for operating in a CBRN environment for OSD/Policy. Before coming to DTRA, Ms. Ditmer served on the Air Staff at two headquarters Air Force offices: AF/IL (Installations and Logistics) and AF/XO (Space and Operations Command). From 2002-2004, she was principal analyst and task lead for the Air Force’s Counter-Biological Defense initiatives for AF/XONC (USAF Operations Command, Counterproliferation Division, now AF/A3SC). From 2004-2006 she was principal analyst and team lead for Counter-Biological Warfare policy, and Air Force co-program manager for the Joint Program Manager’s Installation Protection Program (Guardian) in the office of HQ Air Force Civil Engineering Emergency Services Branch (AF/ILEXR). She is co-author of much of the Air Force’s Counter-Biological Warfare policy, a key contributor to DOD operational CBRN policy, and a recognized subject matter expert in CBRN defense and operational policy. Ms. Ditmer was a State of Michigan Competitive Scholarship Winner, and graduated with distinction in Linguistics from the University of Michigan after completing her pre-med studies. She holds a master’s degree from Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) in International Relations and International Economics, and will complete her PhD in Government at Georgetown University in 2007 where she was the Bradley Fellow. Ms. Ditmer has been substantive and contributing editor on multiple publications in international economics, international trade, and world politics, and is also a recognized field expert in Turkish defense policy.

Dr. Ferguson is the associate technical director of military programs at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC), Environmental Laboratory in Vicksburg, Mississippi. She obtained her bachelor's degrees in chemistry and psychology, master's degree in radioanalytical chemistry, and Ph.D. in fish physiology and aquatic toxicology from the University of Kentucky. Dr. Ferguson joined the Corps of Engineers in 1999 as an ecological risk assessor for the Environmental Engineering Branch of the Louisville District. While working in Louisville, she led several large scale, field-based ecological risk assessments for CERCLA cleanup activities at BRAC, DERP, and IRP sites. In this role, Dr. Ferguson participated in many regulatory and stakeholder workgroups addressing ecological risk assessment methods and analysis. She has been a part of many risk management technical support teams. She joined the USACE ERDC, Environmental Laboratory in 2004, as the chief of the Environmental Processes Division, Risk Assessment Branch where she led laboratory-based research and development activities in risk assessment. Upon joining the Office of Technical Directors, she now works in the management, funding and technical direction of military relevant environmental research at ERDC.

Dr. Greg Kiker is an assistant professor in the Agricultural and Biological Engineering Department at the University of Florida (UF) specializing in ecological and hydrological modeling. From 2002 through 2005, Dr Kiker conducted environmental risk research at the Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC), US Army Corps of Engineers. While at ERDC, he was Team Leader of the Environmental Risk and Decision Analysis Team exploring multi-criteria decision analysis methods and ecological modeling for both civil and military applications. At UF, his current research projects include ecosystem and invasive species modeling, decision support systems and practical linkages of risk analysis, adaptive management and multi-criteria decision analysis. Dr Kiker was a Fulbright Scholar and received his PhD from Cornell University in Agricultural and Biological Engineering in 1998. From 1998 to 2002, Dr Kiker was a Senior Lecturer at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa where he conducted ecological/hydrological modeling and climate change research. He has consulted internationally in the use of ecological and environmental models for ecosystem management, crop yield prediction, nutrient-transport, and climate change.

Dr. Kim, an environmental decision analyst, is a contractor at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Engineering Research and Development Center (ERDC) in Vicksburg, Mississippi. He obtained his bachelor’s degree in environmental science from Yonsei University, S. Korea, master’s degree in environmental management from Carnegie Mello University, PA, and Ph.D. in systems analysis and economics for public decision making from the Johns Hopkins University. Dr. Kim joined the ERDC in 2005 after he worked at the National Marine Fisheries Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, in Santa Cruz, CA. for 2 years. His research interests and experiences include a multi criteria decision analysis, operational research, and Bayesian decision analysis, applied to water resource management, ecosystem management, and dredging operations.

Dr. Igor Linkov, a Senior Risk Assessor with Cambridge Environmental Inc. and Adjunct Professor in the Department of Engineering and Public Policy at Carnegie Mellon University. He received his PhD in environmental and occupational health from University of Pittsburgh. His educational experience also includes Post-Doctoral Fellowship at Harvard University. Dr. Linkov has managed ecological risk assessments and contributed to human health risk assessment at several Superfund sites. He has developed models and software to support ecological risk assessment and population modeling for contaminated sites. Dr. Linkov currently supports development of the Army Risk Assessment Modeling System (ARAMS). One of the focuses of his current research is integrating risk assessment and multi-criteria decision analysis tools in managing contaminated sites. He is currently developing the Questions and Decision (QnD) model for environmental management at contaminated and disturbed sites for the US Army Corps of Engineers. He has published widely on environmental policy, environmental modeling, and risk analysis, including six books and over 70 peer-reviewed papers and book chapters. Dr. Linkov has directed and chaired seven international conferences on risk assessment and modeling and participated in organizing many others. Dr. Linkov serves as a Scientific Advisor to the Toxic Use Reduction Institute, a position which requires nomination by the Governor of Massachusetts. Dr. Linkov is President for the Society for Risk Analysis-New England. He is Founding Chair of the SRA Decision Analysis and Risk Specialty Group. He also is the Past Chair of the SRA Ecological Risk Assessment Specialty Group and participates in several SRA and SETAC Committees. Dr. Linkov has served on many review and advisory panels for US and international agencies.

Dr. Suedel is a research biologist at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC), Environmental Laboratory in Vicksburg, Mississippi. He obtained his bachelor's degree in biology and master's degree in biology from the University of North Texas, and his Ph.D. in biological sciences from the University of Mississippi. Dr. Suedel joined the Corps of Engineers in 2005 as the Team Leader of the Risk Integration Team studying multi-criteria decision analysis methods. From 1993 to 2005, Dr. Suedel worked as a consultant in the ecological risk assessment, environmental toxicology and sediment hazard assessment fields. Dr. Suedel has considerable experience in aquatic and sediment toxicology and preparing ecological risk assessments at various CERCLA and RCRA sites. He has published over 20 peer-reviewed manuscripts on freshwater aquatic and sediment toxicology (i.e., PAHs, inorganics, PCBs); determining the fate and effects of contaminants in sediments; sediment characterization; and risk characterization of sediments. He has compiled an extensive toxicological database for terrestrial receptors that has been used in numerous investigations. Dr. Suedel was also involved in the development of the ASTM standard guide for Risk Based Corrective Action (RBCA) for chemical releases, and was chairman of the ASTM task group that developed the RBCA standard guide for the protection of ecological resources (ASTM designation E2205-02). At ERDC, his research has focused on a large scale risk assessment of dredged material, risk assessment of invasive species, multi-criteria decision analysis and beneficial uses of dredged material.

Mr. Jensen currently works for SAIC as the head of the Hazard Assessment Team. He directs and performs various analysis and modeling efforts in support of AF/A3SC (Headquarters Air Force Combating WMD Division). The group’s projects include studies involving chemical, biological, radiological, and toxic industrial material challenges to Air Force facilities and operations. These studies are aimed at determining optimal operational procedures and equipment (detection, protection, and decontamination) usage and specification for continuing war fighting operations in these hazardous environments. Prior to working at SAIC, Mr. Jensen performed similar work for Simulation Technologies Inc., JAYCOR, and the University of Dayton Research Institute. Mr. Jensen holds a BS degree in Mathematics/Computer Science from Wright State University in Dayton Ohio.