CGRS Director's Letter
November 2024
Resilience seems to be on many agendas, from the personal, community, institutional. Why? Perhaps because the cost of not being resilient is starting to become, or at least seem to be, too high of a cost to bear as we deal with everything from increasingly severe and unpredictable natural disasters, shifting geopolitics and dramatic demographic shifts. With this imperative in mind, I am pleased that we continue to grow our CGRS research and partnership network into new domains.
In September, I represented CGRS at the Partnership Seminar for US and German Reserve Officers in Wetzlar, Germany. The seminar title was “NATO at the Crossroads?
Political, Military and Societal Challenges and Opportunities.” I presented a talk on critical raw materials supply chains and how NATO and its member states can build resilience in the face of an increasingly complex, interdependent and adversarial supply chain environment. The audience was a diverse group of retired, active-duty and reserve officers, from both the US and Germany militaries. The seminar was engaging, interesting and focused on how NATO countries do and should work together in general and in particular, given the current situation in nearby Ukraine. The spirit of partnership, collaboration and learning from colleagues was strong throughout the weekend and brought to my mind two pillars of resilience—diversity and integration—where CGRS aims to thrive this year.
This year we have been both solidifying existing partnerships with new projects and initiatives and creating new connections to bring more opportunities for our students, faculty and community to contribute to CGRS’s resilience and security agenda.
With, University of Vermont, we are strengthening our collaboration through an NSF-funded climate-resilient water management project and rural data services initiative.
Our partner AEHS (Association for Environmental Health and Sciences) Foundation continues to support our student researchers and CGRS will again host a session at AEHS’ annual East Coast conference in October.
Our work with University of Massachusetts-Amherst and the New England University Transportation Center (NEUTC) continues for a second year.
We are fortunate to have such outstanding partners and are excited to see how the results of these collaborations lead to insights and outcomes that enhance the resilience of our greater Vermont community and the world.
This Fall, we are delighted to welcome The Design Collaborative as a new CGRS Initiative that will bring design, fabrication and building into CGRS’ portfolio of resilience-related initiatives.
“The Design Collaborative will advance the fields of architecture, engineering, design, and media studies through interdisciplinary collaboration, innovative research, and hands-on learning. By integrating sustainable practices, cutting-edge technology, and media studies, we aim to address contemporary challenges in the designed and built environments and prepare students to become professional leaders.” Assistant Professor of Architecture Zachary B. Seibold and Associate Professor of Architecture Cara Armstrong will be leading this initiative, and you will hear more as their plans develop.
We also have a new CGRS Faculty Fellow, Assistant Professor of Psychology Helene Sisti. As a Faculty Fellow, Dr. Sisti will work on concussion resilience research and establishing a standard for diagnosis and recovery across causes and demographic groups. We are excited to add her expertise to the Center’s growing contributions in the area of human resilience.
Congratulations to Assistant Professor of Economics and CGRS Faculty Fellow Jacki Strenio for delivering her Category I Dana Talk, “Capability Approach to Public-Space Sexual Harassment of Women in South Asia” on October 23rd. Dr. Strenio’s research shows how various forms of gender discrimination reduce women’s well-being and constrains them from fully participating in the economy through several identified mechanisms. This represents an important contribution as we consider how to support the diverse, integrated and adaptable systems that are required for resilience.
Assistant Professor and new CGRS Faculty Fellow, Helene Sisti will speak on "Learning and Neuroplasticity: A 360 Degree View of the Brain" in her Category I Dana Lecture Talk, March 12th, 2025.
Category I Dana Grants are awarded annually to tenure-track faculty at Norwich who demonstrate superior scholarship, teaching ability, and university service.
Upcoming Event
CGRS Speaker Series: Senior Fellow Michele Turner—How Business is Defining Resilience in a Changing World
Monday November 18, 2024
12:00-12:50 in the Todd Multipurpose Room, Kreitzberg Library
Michele L. Turner, MBCP, FBCI, CISA, CRISC, CCRP, CRMP is an Amazon #1- bestselling author and resiliency leader with over 30 years’ experience in the areas of Governance, Risk, and Compliance. She is the 2022 Disaster Recovery Institute (DRI) International Lifetime Achievement award winner, and Vice President- Business Resilience for Marriott International. This global role includes Corporate Business Continuity, Emergency Response for Marriot managed properties, and Risk Mitigation and Product Management representing Operational Resilience efforts. Prior roles include Head of Global Business Resiliency for Amazon Corporate, as well as Governance, Risk, Compliance and Business Continuity roles within Microsoft. Michele has a Master of Science degree in Business Continuity from Norwich University and is an international speaker on the topic of Business Continuity, Risk Management, Governance, and related areas. In addition, she is a course instructor and Chairperson of the Board, for Disaster Recovery Institute (DRI) International.