George Mason Representation at Annual International Association of Emergency Managers (IAEM) Conference, Colorado Springs, CO, November 18-20, 2024
Mr. Paramjeet Sanghera (ES Labs), Dr. Shou Matsumoto (C5I), Mr. Takuma Kawasugi (ES Lab), Dr. Lin Wells II (C5I), Prof Yuki Karakawa (ES Lab)
Overview:
From November 18-20, 2024, representatives from the Center of Excellence in Command, Control, Communications, Computing, Cyber and Intelligence (C5I Center), the Center for Resilient and Sustainable Communities, and industry partners attended the International Association of Emergency Managers (IAEM) Annual Conference in Colorado Springs. This brought together emergency management professionals from around the world to discuss the latest trends, challenges, and innovations in the field. The conference featured a variety of sessions, workshops, and networking opportunities designed to enhance the knowledge and skills of attendees.
IAEM, with more than 6,000 members worldwide, is a non-profit educational organization dedicated to promoting the Principles of Emergency Management and representing those professionals whose goals are saving lives and protecting property and the environment during emergencies and disasters. IAEM was founded in 1952 as the U.S. Civil Defense Council, becoming the National Coordinating Council of Emergency Management (NCCEM) in 1985, and the International Association of Emergency Managers in 1997.
George Mason presented emergency management-related work from various research centers in a booth using posters and live presentations. The GMU team was represented by Dr. Linton Wells II from the Center for Resilient and Sustainable Communities (C-RASC) and the C5I Center, Dr. Shou Matsumoto, also of the C5I Center, and Industry partners from the Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP) Shield Tech Lab (ES Lab) in Tokyo, represented by Mr. Takuma Kawasugi and Prof. Yuki Karakawa, and Blue Horse Digital represented by Mr. Paramjeet Sanghera.
The conference included over 50 workshops and sessions covering topics such as disaster recovery, crisis communication, and climate change adaptation. Over 100 exhibitors showcased a wide range of products and services in emergency management. A recurring theme was the importance of community preparedness and the role of technology in enhancing emergency response. There were some 2,500 total attendees representing professional leadership from over 30+ countries, plus diverse representation from government agencies, non-profit organizations, private sector, and academia.
George Mason’s exhibit included emergency management and preparedness topics:
- Project work related to Congressionally directed funding through the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) – “Enhancing Emergency Communications Resiliency and Effectiveness Through Artificial Intelligence” This effort, focused on the Fairfax County Department of Public Safety Communications (DPSC), caught the attention of attendees including Deloitte, IBM, and the Virginia Department of Emergency Management. The use of AI in emergencies was a hot topic in the conference. Several universities and industry partners presented their work in this area.
- C5I Center partner ES Lab reflects the growing importance of EMP as highlighted in Executive Order (EO) 13685 . The Lab brought a computer equipment rack shielded against EMP called a GORGON Mini for display at the booth. The two ES Lab representatives flew in from Japan for the event. They are donating the Gorgon Mini to Mason through the Foundation to complement the three larger Gorgon2 racks they already have donated.
- In addition to the two projects, we had a chance to talk about C-RASC, the C5I Center, and the STAR-TIDES global knowledge-sharing network.
Following the conference, Lin Wells, along with ES Lab reps and Paramjeet Sanghera visited NIST’s Public Safety Immersive Test Center (PSITC) and tour the FirstNet Authority facility in Boulder. They also visited NOAAs Space Weather Prediction Center, which ties to EMP protection.
In sum the IAEM Annual Conference in Colorado Springs was a resounding success, offering valuable insights, practical knowledge, and ample networking opportunities for emergency management professionals. The event highlighted the importance of collaboration and innovation in addressing the complex challenges of emergency management. The ES Lab plans to collaborate on a significantly expanded presence at the 2025 IAEM conference in Louisville (Nov 17-19, 2025) which could provide opportunities for any Mason activities involved in Public Safety and Emergency Management to partner with emerging areas such as EMP, drones as first responders, and adaptive, compound threats (cyber attacks concurrent with natural or man-made disasters).
