Pitt's Center for National Preparedness to Host Expert on Foreign Relations for Lecture on the Future of Homeland Security April 2

PITTSBURGH-How will America's homeland security policies evolve under the Obama Administration? And how will these changes affect the nation's energy trade relations? These questions will be the focus of conversation as the University of Pittsburgh's Center for National Preparedness (CNP) and the John P. Murtha Institute for Homeland Security host a lecture by Werner D. Lippert, a specialist in U.S. foreign relations at the Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP), at 3 p.m. April 2, 528 Alumni Hall, 4227 Fifth Ave., Oakland. The lecture, titled "International Energy Security: The Case for Increased Strategic Homeland Security Considerations," will be part of the CNP's 2008-09 Seminar Series.

Lippert will discuss the ongoing development of homeland security measures in the United States and beyond, arguing that modern defense policy should be viewed as a wide-ranging international concept and not merely domestic defense. This would constitute a shift from a warfare mentality towards one of international cooperation and diplomacy. He also will discuss the nation's security vulnerabilities that result from foreign energy dependence as well as anticipated changes in international security policies under the Obama Administration.

Lippert, a professor in IUP's College of Humanities and Social Sciences, has received numerous research grants related to his studies in foreign relations, including the Samuel Flagg Bemis Research Grant by the Society for Historians of American Foreign Relations and the Research Fellowship from the German Academic Exchange Program. He earned a BA degree in political science at Albert-Ludwigs University in Freiburg, Germany, an MA degree in European history at the University of North Carolina, and a PhD degree in International Relations and Alliance History at Vanderbilt University.

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.

The John P. Murtha Institute for Homeland Security is based on the campus of IUP. Its mission is to conduct research, develop technologies, train professionals, and educate students and the community on homeland defense matters.

A reception will follow the talk. The event is free and open to the public. For more information, call 412-624-8291 or visit www.cnp.pitt.edu.

###

4/1/09/amm