Last week GRI participated in Northeastern’s annual Preparedness Day Conference, a two day event hosted by the Northeastern University Police Department (NUPD). The conference, which featured keynote presentations, interactive exhibits, and lecture panels, was created with the goal of helping students and other community members build the skills necessary to effectively respond to emergencies and reduce the effect of a disaster. 

The event featured a keynote presentation given by Allison Ritter, the Creative Director of X-Force Command at IBM. The lecture addressed current cyber security threats and detailed stories of hacker cyber attacks. Effective measures to protect individuals and businesses from such attacks were discussed as a way to foster societal resilience. Other featured presentation include Basic Self-Defense Training and Security Awareness Training hosted by NUPD, Information Security Awareness hosted by the NU Office of Information Security, and Emergency Preparedness and Resilience for Climate Health hosted by the Boston Public Health Commission. The City of Boston Office of Emergency Management also hosted an interactive exhibit where participants could learn about AlertBoston, a system to keep city residents informed during emergencies. 

Professor Jennie Stephens during her Climate and Sustainability discussion (source GRI)
Professor Jennie Stephens during her Climate and Sustainability discussion (source GRI)

GRI participated through an interactive exhibit, where students could learn more about the institutes initiatives and what it means to be resilient. Professor Jennie Stephens, GRI’s Director for Strategic Research Collaboartions, also represented GRI during the Climate and Sustainability lecture and panel session. During this discussion, Professor Stephens explained the importance of reducing vulnerabilities and inequalities in society in order to become more resilient. She explained that energy systems and energy policy contribute directly to societal disparities, and can be improved to be more resilient during times of disruption. 

To learn more about Northeastern’s Preparedness Day, click here.