Professor Triscari '76 Awarded AAAS Homeland Security Fellowship

Thomas Triscari Jr. '76, clinical associate professor in Rensselaer's Lally School of Management and Technology, was recently awarded a Homeland Security Fellowship from the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and will spend a year in the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) working in the Directorate for Science and Technology.

"To make sound science and technology investments for homeland security, we must first understand the so-called 'critical infrastructures' such as energy, transportation, and information, as well as their interdependencies. My time will be spent examining the program development processes within the Science and Technology Directorate," said Triscari.

Triscari's principal research efforts have focused on improving information and decision processes in complex organizations. As a visiting scientist with the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory in 2002, he worked to establish a research/training center to facilitate partnerships between academia, government, and the private sector in the fields of information assurance and cyber-security.

According to AAAS, the fellowship program is designed to provide the opportunity to learn through participation how scientific and technological information is used in federal policy-making, to demonstrate the value of science-government interaction, and to bring technical backgrounds and external perspectives to DHS. It is anticipated that fellows will gain expertise in national strategy and federal response efforts, while guiding and contributing to homeland security research and development programs.

Approximately 120 fellowships were awarded this year, and the fellows could choose to work in any one of several offices within the Directorate. Triscari, specializing in the development and implementation of information technology systems, believed the Critical Infrastructure Portfolio within the Office of Research and Development was a natural fit.

Triscari started his fellowship in September, and it runs through Aug. 31, 2005.

AAAS sponsors 10 science and technology policy fellowship programs to provide the opportunity for scientists and engineers to participate in and contribute to the public policy making process of the federal government. According to AAAS, the fellowships are highly competitive and use a peer-review screening process. Screening is followed by individual interviews in Washington, D.C., conducted by ad hoc selection committees comprising professionals with expertise in the interface of science, technology and government.

Triscari earned his doctoral, master's, and bachelor's degrees in management engineering from Rensselaer.