October 2020
ALERT NEWSLETTER
ALERT SPARC Webinar Series
Now Available Online!
ALERT is proud to announce that the full series of eight SPARC (Seminars to Promote ALERT Research and Collaboration) webinars is now available to watch online. These webinars were designed to provide attendees with a view of the collaborative research that ALERT faculty, industry members, and government partners have engaged in during the final year of ALERT’s core funding period.
NEWS & EVENTS
ADSA22 Workshop Series Starts
November 17, 2020
ALERT will be hosting the twenty-second workshop for Advanced Development for Security Applications (ADSA22), which will focus on “Reducing the Cognitive Load of Operators of Aviation Security Equipment.” Due to COVID-19 restrictions, the workshop series will  be held virtually and will consist of four sessions occurring weekly on Tuesdays, from November 17 through December 8, 2020. Each session will run from 11 AM ET to 1 PM ET and will engage with attendees through real-time open discussion to maintain the key interactive component of the ADSA format.
ALERT Researchers Work with U.S. Army
on Energetic Materials
ALERT Research Thrust 2 lead, Professor Steve Beaudoin and Professor Jeffrey Rhoads, both of Purdue University, are engaged in a three-year collaboration with the U.S. Army to advance technology concerning explosives, propellants, and pyrotechnics.
ALERT 2020 Annual Report Now Available
In the Phase 2, Year 7 Annual Report, ALERT shares progress updates, milestone results, and final outcomes of the projects in its four homeland-security research thrusts, related to explosives characterization, trace and vapor sensing, sensor and sensor system development, video analytics, and more.
STUDENT & RESEARCHER OPPORTUNITIES
Threat Detection Technology Postdoctoral Research Scientist Opportunity
DHS is offering postdoctoral fellowships at the Transportation Security Laboratory in New Jersey, involving threat detection technology and applied research related to synthetic data generation, testing, and evaluation.

Their Visiting Scientist Program is seeking postdocs with experience in modeling and large data sets and with foundational knowledge of the physics or engineering applicable in learning to create high-fidelity synthetic data.
NRC Research Associateship Programs
Online Application Opens December 1, 2020
The National Academies offer graduate, postdoctoral, and senior research awards for 20 federal research agencies with locations throughout the U.S. and abroad.
 
Interested researchers can apply for opportunities at sponsoring federal labs and affiliated institutions with stipends ranging from $45,000–$83,000.
ALERT is supported by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate through the DHS Office of University Programs.