HDIAC Director’s Update – August 2020

Good afternoon to our Homeland Defense and Security Information Analysis Center Community of Practice!

Steve Redifer here, Director of the HDIAC with another quick update for you all.

First, allow me to thank you for your continued support to our HDIAC community – we could not do this without your effort.

Second, some notes to catch you up on what we have been doing:

1. I wanted to let everyone know that we have named a new featured subject matter expert as we work to highlight the research of these critical contributors – Lt Col Aaron Celaya, USAF, is the Artificial Intelligence Liaison and Deputy Branch Chief for Doctrine and Concepts at Headquarters, U.S. Space Force. He is concurrently an Air Force Institute of Technology Doctoral Student, New College, Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, United Kingdom. His research includes metacognition, trust, and decision confidence in human-machine teams with an emphasis on algorithmic advisement sources. You can view a sample of his work on our Featured SME page here: https://www.hdiac.org/sme-corner/ltcol-aaron-celaya/
2. We continue to produce two HDIAC webinars and two podcasts each month – a couple of our recent webinars have approached 300 live views, with many more downloads after presentation. Also:
   • On the 24th of August, we released our latest State of the Art Report: “Alternative Energy: An Enabler of Military Capability.” You can find it at: https://www.hdiac.org/hdiac-report/alternative-energy-an-enabler-of-military-capability/
   • On the 25th of August, we hosted Dr. James Giordano of Georgetown University for a webinar titled “Big Data and Big Implications for Bio-cybersecurity” – in case you missed it, you can find it here: https://www.hdiac.org/podcast/big-data-and-big-implications-for-bio-cybersecurity/
   • We also recently hosted Dr. Jeff Waksman from the Office of the Secretary of Defense’s Strategic Capabilities Office for a presentation on Project Pele (Small Nuclear Reactors) – you can watch the recording here: https://www.hdiac.org/podcast/small-nuclear-reactors/ It had over 230 live views and there have already had 218 views of the recording, so it is a popular topic.
   • Last week, we uploaded a 2-part podcast series on Super Recognizers – people with an uncanny ability to recognize other people; you can find part 1 here: https://www.hdiac.org/podcast/super-recognizers-part-1-of-2/ and part 2 at: https://www.hdiac.org/podcast/super-recognizers-part-2-of-2/ along with all of our previously produced podcasts. These two podcasts have had over 1200 views in the last week, so these are ones to watch.
3. We just passed 1500 members on our website as well – please continue to share our website URL (https://www.hdiac.org/) with your colleagues, and we are always looking to expand our SME community https://www.hdiac.org/services/subject-matter-expert-sme-network/
4. Finally, check us out, like us, and follow us on your favorite social media outlet:
   • Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DoDHDIAC/
   • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dod_hdiac/
   • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/dodhdiac
   • Twitter: https://twitter.com/DoD_HDIAC

All my best to you and your loved one – I wish you prosperity in the months to come.

Warm regards and Semper Fidelis,

Steve Redifer
Director, Homeland Defense and Security Information Analysis Center
901 North Stuart St, Suite 401
Arlington, VA 22203