Subject: [NEXTEL-1] UTD to Launch Emergency Readiness Conference and Exposition Series for Southwest Aug. 9-12

From: NEXTEL-1
Date: Wed, 23 Jun 2004 16:07:20 -0400

Press Release
Source: University of Texas at Dallas

UTD to Launch Emergency Readiness Conference and Exposition Series for
Southwest Aug. 9-12
Wednesday June 23, 3:46 pm ET

Scheduled to Become Annual Homeland Security Event; Former

FEMA Director Witt to Deliver Keynote Address

RICHARDSON, Texas, June 23 /PRNewswire/ -- The University of Texas at
Dallas (UTD) will host a major "all-hazards" emergency readiness
conference and exposition Aug. 9 to 12 to promote better coordination of
emergency preparedness and homeland security activities and to discuss a
wide variety of other critical security issues facing both Texas and the
nation.

The conference, which is being produced
by UTD's two largest schools, the School
of Management and the Erik Jonsson
School of Engineering and Computer
Science, is scheduled to become an
annual event and is believed to be the
first regional gathering of its kind or
scope held in the Southwest.

The first-year event, officially named
Emergency Readiness Conference 2004
(ERC 2004), will be held on the UTD
campus and will embrace an all-hazards
approach to emergency preparedness
and homeland security. While it will focus
on aviation security, hazardous materials,
weapons of mass destruction and
disaster medical management, a host of
other issues such as multi-sector coordination,
public/private partnering, the National Incident
Management System, management strategies
and the applications of communications and
information technologies also will be addressed
along with regional concepts of preparedness
and consequence management.

"The government and industry must work together to prioritize and
respond to dynamic security challenges and the pressures of maintaining
emergency readiness. Advancing the state of the art in areas of
information technology will play a key role in these efforts," said Dr.
Bob Helms, dean of the Jonsson School. "It is appropriate that UTD, as a
recently designated National Center of Academic Excellence and
Information Assurance Education by the National Security Agency and the
Department of Homeland Security, take a leadership role in coordinating
this effort to bring government and industry together."

Dr. Hasan Pirkul, dean of the School of Management, added that
"effective training programs in emergency preparedness and consequence
management are important keys to responding to, and recovering from,
tomorrow's disasters, small and large.
"In today's environment of public scrutiny, it is important to analyze
potential threats, develop a solid incident response plan and execute
within state and national legal frameworks. The Emergency Readiness
Conference will focus on management issues that face senior elected
officials and emergency managers in this era of heightened
preparedness," Pirkul said.

Nextel Communications (Nasdaq: NXTL - News) is serving as corporate
sponsor of ERC 2004. Other sponsors of the conference include the
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA), the North Central Texas Council of Governments, the
Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, the DFW Homeland Security
Alliance, the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas,
the Metroplex Technology Business Council, Collin County, the City of
Richardson, Medical College of Georgia and UTD's Digital Forensics and
Emergency Preparedness Institute.

"Nextel is pleased to partner with The University of Texas at Dallas as
the official corporate sponsor of the UTD Emergency Readiness
Conference," said Michael Orchard, Nextel area vice president. "Nextel
is committed to ensuring that emergency responders have the
interoperable communications tools they need to get their jobs done."

The keynote speaker for ERC 2004 will be former FEMA Director James Lee
Witt. Witt brings more than 25 years of experience in all aspects of
crisis and disaster management. As director of FEMA from 1993 to 2001,
Witt was responsible for the agency's overhaul and became the first FEMA
director to serve in a Cabinet-level position. During his tenure, Witt
managed 350 federally declared disasters in more than 6,500 counties in
all 50 states and territories.

Regional and national experts will address attendees at ERC 2004, who
are expected to include elected officials, first responders and public
and private sector preparedness and response program managers, including
some from city, county and state governments as well as from the federal
government. The event is not open to the public. On-site registration is
required, with pre- registration available at
http://som.utdallas.edu/erc/ .

The conference will be organized as a combination of plenary sessions
and program tracks (aviation security, hazardous materials and weapons
of mass destruction and disaster medical management). The expo will
feature a variety of products, services and technologies related to
counter-terrorism, homeland security and emergency response. The
four-day Conference Expo Pass is $295 per registrant. Registration will
allow entrance to all exhibits, keynotes, plenary panels and workshops.

WHAT:       The University of Texas at Dallas
Emergency Readiness Conference and Exposition 2004
WHEN:       August 9-12, 2004
WHERE:      The University of Texas at Dallas, W. Campbell Road and
University Parkway, Richardson, Texas
MORE INFO:  For vendor, attendee and sponsorship information, please
visit: http://som.utdallas.edu/erc

About UTD
The University of Texas at Dallas, located at the convergence of
Richardson, Plano and Dallas in the heart of the complex of major
multinational technology corporations known as the Telecom Corridor®,
enrolls more than 13,700 students. The school's freshman class
traditionally stands at the forefront of Texas state universities in
terms of average SAT scores. The university offers a broad assortment of
bachelor's, master's and doctoral degree programs. For additional
information about UTD, please visit the university's web site at
http://www.utdallas.edu .

http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/040623/daw019_1.html

------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> 
Make a clean sweep of pop-up ads. Yahoo! Companion Toolbar.
Now with Pop-Up Blocker. Get it for free!
http://us.click.yahoo.com/L5YrjA/eSIIAA/yQLSAA/61FxlB/TM
--------------------------------------------------------------------~-> 

-- 
    "NEXTEL-1 IT'S NOT JUST NEXTEL"
  Note The New address 
Subscribe to Nextel-1: http://www.groups.yahoo.com/subscribe/NEXTEL-1

  "NEXTEL2 FOR iDEN SOFTWARE DEVELOPERS"
Subscribe to Nextel2: http://www.groups.yahoo.com/subscribe/NEXTEL2

  "WIRELESS FORUM HOMELAND SECURITY GROUP"
     The Complete Resource for Wireless Homeland Security.
Subscribe to WFHSG:  http://www.groups.yahoo.com/subscribe/WFHSG

Yahoo! Groups Links

<*> To visit your group on the web, go to:
     http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NEXTEL-1/

<*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
     [email-masked]

<*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to:
     http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/