Featured
Cordially Invites You to Attend a Special Lunchtime Lecture:
Neuroscience Insights Applied to Morals, Values, and Political Ideologies
January 25, 2010
Noon – 1:30 pm
On January 25, the Potomac Institute for Policy Studies will present a guest lecture by Gregory S. Berns, MD/PhD, on how neuroscience can be used as a tool to enhance our understanding of political actions and public policy. Dr. Berns is the Distinguished Chair of Neuroeconomics and Director of the Center for Neuropolicy at Emory University, as well as a professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the Emory University School of Medicine. Dr. Berns will speak on "The Use and Application of Neuroimaging to Understand Biological Correlates of Ideological Decision Making." Lunch will be provided.
The presentation will explore the hypothesis that when ideological or "sacred" values are involved in motivating behavior, they cause individuals to behave differently than they would if operating in accordance with the values of the marketplace or normal social interactions. Given the importance of ideological decision making, and its potential for triggering violent conflict, it is important to understand how sacred values become intertwined in decision making. Recent advances in functional brain imaging make it possible to use this technology to uncover biological signatures in the brain for sacred values and the neural systems that come online when they are violated. These findings suggest an intriguing possibility: that moral outrage, especially in response to violation of sacred values, is fundamentally a physiological event.
The program is sponsored by the Center for Neurotechnology Studies of the Potomac Institute for Policy Studies, under the direction of James Giordano, PhD. More information about CNS and Dr. Giordano may be found at www.potomacinstitute.org and www.neurobioethics.org. The event will be held at the Potomac Institute for Policy Studies, 901 North Stuart Street, Suite 200, Arlington, VA, in the M level conference room.
January 14, 2010
Contact:
Prof. Yonah Alexander
703-525-0770
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Event: "Terrorism: Review of 2009 and Outlook for 2010"
Arlington, VA - The International Center for Terrorism Studies at the Potomac Institute for Policy Studies is pleased to announce its 11th annual terrorism review and outlook seminar. This event brings together the most prominent experts on security issues, including terrorism and the role of intelligence. Panelists will assess lessons learned in 2009 and review implications for 2010 and beyond.
In addition, a Special Report on "Maghreb and Sahel Terrorism: Addressing the Rising Al-Qaeda Threat in North and West/Central Africa" by Yonah Alexander and published by the International Center for Terrorism Studies at the Potomac Institute for Policy Studies (January 2010) will be released and available at the seminar.
Date: Friday, January 29, 2010
Time: 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 Noon
Place:
The Brookings Institution
1775 Massachusetts Avenue, N.W.
Saul/Zikha Room, First Floor
Washington, DC 20036
PROGRAM
Opening Remarks:
Michael Swetnam
CEO and Chairman, Potomac Institute for Policy Studies
Moderator:
Hon. Michelle van Cleave
Former Head of U.S. Counterintelligence
Panelists:
Hon. Charles Allen
Former Assistant Director of Central Intelligence (CIA),
and Undersecretary for Intelligence, U.S. Department of Homeland Security
Ambassador Bob Godec
Office of the Coordinator for Counterterrorism, U.S. Department of State
Gen. (Ret.) Alfred Gray
U.S. Marine Corps
Hon. Angelos Pangratis
Deputy Head, Delegation of the European Commission to the U.S.A.
Closing Remarks
Prof. Yonah Alexander
Director, International Center for Terrorism Studies
Cordially Invites You to Attend the First Newman Lecture for 2010
January 29, 2010
3pm
The Potomac Institute for Policy Studies is pleased to present the first event in the John Henry Cardinal Newman Lecture series for 2010, chaired by Dr. James Giordano, director of the Center for Neurotechnology Studies. The event is scheduled for Friday, January 29, and the speaker will be Prof. Kevin FitzGerald of Georgetown University Medical Center. Prof. FitzGerald’s topic will be “Neuroscience, Genetics and Anthropology – an Integrative Approach.”
In his lecture, Prof. FitzGerald will explore the premise that reducing the human to the merely biological prevents us from taking into account the rich tapestry of human experience. He argues that scientific information alone – while critical - cannot effectively apprehend or appreciate the extent of the human condition. As a result, he proposes an integrative approach to the examination of what it means to be human: one that integrates geno- and neuroscience with various philosophical, anthropological, sociological and theological perspectives. Such an approach would also be more inclusive of different cultures and beliefs as it seeks to illuminate the nature of being, consciousness, and self-awareness.
Please join us for Prof. FitzGerald’s lecture at 3 pm on the 29th, to be followed by a wine and cheese reception at 4:30. The event will be held at the Potomac Institute for Policy Studies, 901 North Stuart Street , Suite 200, Arlington VA, 22203, in the M-level conference room. For more information or to RSVP for the event, please contact Nancy Flynn at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 703-416-1441 ext. 127.
For Immediate Release
January 13, 2010
Contact:
Laurie Kinney
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
703-525-0770
Executive Director of Potomac Institute for Policy Studies' Center for Health Policy and Preparedness Speaks at University of Pittsburgh
Arlington, VA - Donald A. Donahue, DHEd, MBA, FACHE, CHS-III, executive director of the Center for Health Policy and Preparedness at the Potomac Institute for Policy Studies in Arlington, VA, will lecture on American Disaster Management at the University of Pittsburgh on January 14. Dr. Donahue's lecture, “The Road Less Taken: Modularization and Waterways as a Domestic Disaster Response Mechanism,” will include analysis and critiques of America’s emergency management policies. The event will take place at 3 pm, 528 Alumni Hall, 4227 Fifth Ave., and is the fifth installment of the University of Pittsburgh Center for National Preparedness’ 2009-10 Seminar Series.
“Much of our medical emergency response planning has been based on a military approach, which is not always applicable in the domestic setting. A catastrophic event would overwhelm both our current and surge capacities,” according to Donahue. “Ironically, there are overlooked commercial modalities that offer significant, needs-based capabilities if properly employed.”
With more than 33 years' experience as a healthcare administrator in both the military and the private sector, Donahue is an expert in medical readiness and homeland security medical operations. He served as a Lieutenant Colonel in the U.S. Army, and as medical operations officer for the Army Reserve. He was a principal planner for the Department of Defense’s anthrax and smallpox immunization programs, authored the first Joint Forces Command Model for medical response to domestic weapons of mass destruction incidents and natural disasters, created the Joint/Interagency Civil Support Training Center in New Jersey, and established the Federal Strategic Health Alliance (FEDS_HEAL), a $170 million medical readiness support system composed of assets of the Departments of Defense, Veterans Affairs, and Health and Human Services.
Pitt’s CNP is a broad, multidisciplinary collaborative enterprise that engages the University’s scientists, engineers, policy experts, and clinical faculty. Members of the center possess expertise in biomedical research, public health, medicine, national security policy, engineering, and information technology. The center communicates the innovative research of the University’s faculty to the broader public through educational and training programs, including this seminar series.
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The Potomac Institute for Policy Studies is an independent, 501(c)(3), not-for-profit public policy research institute. The Institute identifies and aggressively shepherds discussion on key science, technology, and national security issues facing our society. From these discussions and forums, we develop meaningful policy options and ensure their implementation at the intersection of business and government.
Cordially Invites You to Attend the January CCNELSI Lecture
January 22, 2010
4:00-6:00pm
Arlington, VA— On January 22, the Potomac Institute for Policy Studies will present a guest lecture by Don DuRousseau, founder and CEO of Human Bionics LLC, a neurotechnology company specializing in brain-computer interface (BCI) systems. Mr. DuRousseau will explore the use of neurotechnology techniques, including the increasingly popular neurofeedback, as a treatment for ADD/ADHD. Many claims have been made about the efficacy of neurofeedback in treating these disorders. Mr. DuRousseau will address those claims and the risks that may be associated with misuse of the technology – including its application in new “mind-controlled” games and toys now on the market.
The program is sponsored by the Potomac Institute for Policy Studies in conjunction with the Capital Consortium for Neuroscience: Ethical, Legal and Social Issues (www.ccnelsi.com.) CCNELSI is under the direction of James Giordano, PhD, director of the Potomac Institute for Policy Studies’ Center for Neurotechnology Studies. More information about CNS and Dr. Giordano may be found at www.potomacinstitute.org and www.neurobioethics.org. The event will be held at the Potomac Institute for Policy Studies, 901 North Stuart Street, Suite 200, Arlington, VA, in the M level conference room.