[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 115 (Friday, June 13, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 33830-33832]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-13276]


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DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY

Office of the Secretary


Notice Designating the University of North Carolina at Chapel 
Hill as a DHS Center of Excellence for Natural Disasters, Coastal 
Infrastructure and Emergency Management as Research Lead Institution

AGENCY: Office of the Secretary, Department of Homeland Security.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Department of Homeland Security has designated the 
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill as a DHS Center of 
Excellence for Natural Disasters, Coastal Infrastructure and Emergency 
Management, Research Lead Institution.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Bryan Roberts, Program Manager, 
University Programs, Science and Technology Directorate, Department of 
Homeland Security, Washington, DC 20528; telephone 202-254-5738, 
facsimile 202-254-6179; e-mail [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background

    Section 308 of the Homeland Security Act of 2002, Public Law 107-
296 (the ``Homeland Security Act''), as amended by the Consolidated 
Appropriations

[[Page 33831]]

Resolution of 2003, Public Law 108-7, and as codified in Title 6 of the 
United States Code, Chapter I, Subchapter III, Section 188(b)(2) [6 
U.S.C. 188(b)(2)], directs the Department of Homeland Security 
(``Department'') to sponsor extramural research, development, 
demonstration, testing and evaluation programs relating to homeland 
security. As part of this program, the Department has established a 
coordinated system of university-based centers for homeland security 
(the ``Centers'').
    The Centers are envisioned to be an integral component of the 
Department's capability to anticipate, prevent, respond to, and recover 
from terrorist attacks. The Centers will leverage multidisciplinary 
capabilities and fill gaps in current knowledge.
    Title 6 U.S.C. 188(b)(2)(B) lists fourteen areas of substantive 
expertise that, if demonstrated, might qualify universities for 
designation as university-based centers. The listed areas of expertise 
include: (1) The training of first responders; (2) responding to 
incidents involving weapons of mass destruction and biological warfare; 
(3) emergency and diagnostic medical services; (4) chemical, 
biological, radiological and nuclear countermeasures or detection; (5) 
animal and plant health and diagnostics; (6) food safety; (7) water and 
wastewater operations; (8) port and waterway security; (9) multi-modal 
transportation; (10) information security and information engineering; 
(11) engineering; (12) educational outreach and technical assistance; 
(13) border and transportation security; and (14) the public policy 
implications and public dissemination of homeland security relevant 
research and development. However, the list is not exclusive. 6 U.S.C. 
188(b)(2)(C) gives the Secretary discretion to except certain criteria 
specified in 6 U.S.C. 188(b)(2)(B) and consider additional criteria 
beyond those specified in 6 U.S.C. 188(b)(2)(B) in selecting 
universities for this program, as long as the Department issues a 
Federal Register notice explaining the criteria used for the 
designation.

Criteria

    In response to Congressional direction contained in the Conference 
Report for the Fiscal Year 2007 Department of Homeland Security 
Appropriations Act, the DHS Under Secretary for Science and Technology 
developed a plan in November 2006 to establish new DHS Centers of 
Excellence in high priority science and technology areas which aligned 
to the DHS Science and Technology Directorate's research portfolios and 
for which DHS determined there were significant gaps in scientific 
understanding and technological development. These areas included: 1. 
Natural Disasters, Coastal Infrastructure and Emergency Management, 2. 
Explosives Detection, Mitigation and Response, 3. Maritime, Island and 
Remote Environment Security, and 4. Border Security and Immigration. 
Research in these areas will contribute significantly to the 
Department's ability to enhance homeland security and the safety of our 
citizens from both natural and man-made threats.
    The criteria for designation for this new Center of Excellence 
(COE) for Natural Disasters, Coastal Infrastructure and Emergency 
Management is demonstrated expertise in conducting fundamental research 
into the issues and challenges in predicting, preparing for, preventing 
damages from, responding to, and recovering from natural disasters in 
coastal areas. The Center will develop research and education programs 
to improve understanding of, preparation for, and responses to natural 
disasters, with a particular emphasis on flooding and hurricanes. The 
Center will align with DHS S&T's Infrastructure and Geophysical 
Division and will develop approaches and train future professionals to 
reduce serious threats to of American life and property for many years. 
Specifically, the Center will conduct basic and transformational 
research on coastal issues in the following areas: (1) Natural hazards 
of the coastal region (e.g., flooding from hurricanes or storm surges); 
(2) Innovative and comprehensive regional flood water management, 
including technical approaches and options to prevent damages from, 
mitigate, and recover from flooding incidents, and development of 
better understanding of land-water interactions; (3) Approaches to 
safeguarding public-sector coastal infrastructure and meeting other 
public-sector needs in crises; and (4) Coastal regional planning, 
governance, resilience, and unified comprehensive risk-based decision 
support tools, particularly for natural disasters warranting emergency 
measures. These tools include social, political, and economic studies 
on the public sector workforce and on new networks, institutions, or 
associations that might be devised as test beds to be effective in the 
coastal region, tailored to the region's socio-economic, governance, 
and geographic features.

Announcement of Funding Opportunities and Competition

    In February 2007, the Department established a competitive process 
and requested white papers and proposals from universities that wished 
to be designated as DHS Centers of Excellence in: 1. Natural Disasters, 
Coastal Infrastructure and Emergency Management, 2. Explosives 
Detection, Mitigation and Response, 3. Maritime, Island and Remote 
Environment Security, or 4. Border Security and Immigration. The 
funding opportunity announcements for these four Centers of Excellence 
were published at www.grants.gov on February 4, 2007, as required by 
the Office of Management and Budget. In the area of Natural Disasters, 
Coastal Infrastructure and Emergency Management, DHS received 31 
Natural Disasters white papers proposals and evaluated them through a 
peer-review panel process that included scientific expertise from the 
federal government, peer-institutional faculty, and the private sector. 
Following the white paper review, DHS received 13 full proposals by the 
closing date of July 30, 2007. The 13 full proposals were reviewed by 
subject matter experts external to DHS S&T. Eight full proposals were 
referred to an internal review panel of S&T subject matter experts for 
evaluation, who recommended site visits at four sites. Based on 
information collected on these site visits, DHS selected the University 
of North Carolina at Chapel Hill to be the Research Lead Institution 
for the Natural Disasters, Coastal Infrastructure and Emergency 
Management Center of Excellence, in partnership with Jackson State 
University (the Education Lead), Louisiana State University and other 
affiliates.
    The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and its partners 
will conduct research and education on natural hazards--particularly 
flood and hurricane modeling, natural and infrastructure resilience, 
physical testing to extend new theoretical and modeling developments, 
community preparedness and regional governance and natural disaster-
related education, including the development and use of capabilities at 
minority-serving institutions.
    This team of institutions is uniquely well equipped and located to 
address issues of hurricane and flood prediction, preparedness, 
response and recovery. They will become an intrinsic part of the DHS 
science and technology portfolio, working closely with DHS and other 
federal, state and local governments to reduce potential

[[Page 33832]]

damages from floods, hurricanes, and other natural disasters.

Jay M. Cohen,
Under Secretary for Science and Technology, Department of Homeland 
Security.
[FR Doc. E8-13276 Filed 6-12-08; 8:45 am]
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