Infrastructure Security for the Built Environment (ISBE)

"After the tragic events of 9/11, America's infrastructure design, construction, and owner community united to do its part to respond to this new national threat. From its early formation on September 21, 2001, The Infrastructure Security Partnership (TISP) has collaborated on a full range of infrastructure security matters and made some first steps in applying lessons learned to the ‘tools of the trade' that guide the development of the built environment."

Dwight A. Beranek, P.E., USACE; TISP Chair

On September 11, 2001, among those watching the unfolding events with great horror were the engineers and allied professionals whose life's work is to design, build, and preserve our nation's critical infrastructure. Like so many others that day, America's engineering professionals looked for a way to give back to America, to help make sure that the impact of any future man-made or natural disaster – particularly loss of life – is minimized, and that our nation can bounce back from such an event as quickly as possible.

As never before, engineers understand that the protection of America's infrastructure – the built environment on which our country runs and that we all take such pride in creating – is in our hands. And, America's engineers are rising to the challenge.

About TISP:
The Infrastructure Security Partnership (TISP) was formed in September 2001 in direct response to the 9/11 terrorist attacks on New York City and Washington DC. The partnership brings together key public-and private-sector professionals whose expertise and experience have a direct impact on the future security of America's built environment.

TISP's purpose is to facilitate national dialogue and cooperation on domestic infra-structure security among the agencies, organizations, and professionals who design, build, and protect the nation's critical infrastructure. By bringing together the leaders in the field, TISP aims to bring the vast collective expertise of professionals in the design and construction industry and government to bear on one of the most important challenges facing America today.

The Partnership plays a leading role in addressing infrastructure vulnerability and in developing nationally-coordinated and integrated strategies for mitigating the effects of natural and man-made disasters on critical elements of the nation's infrastructure. TISP also works to advise and support the Office of Homeland Security on these vital issues. To date, more than 90 national and state public- and private-sector organizations have joined the 11 founding members in this critical partnership to safeguard America's infrastructure.

About The Congress:
One of the chief goals of TISP is to bring together experts from all industry sectors that can help map out a comprehensive, multi-hazard force protection approach for the built environment. To accomplish this, TISP has committed to organizing an annual congress to facilitate the sharing of threat intelligence, information, and best practices among infrastructure professionals. The 1st Annual TISP Congress on Infrastructure Security for the Built Environment (ISBE) will be held on November 5-7, 2002, at the Washington Convention Center, Washington, DC.

As one of the founding members of TISP, ASCE has agreed to host the 1st Annual ISBE Congress as part of ASCE's own historic 150th Anniversary Civil Engineering Conference & Exposition. The ISBE Congress and the ASCE Conference will take place in the same facilities, with a shared exhibit hall and some shared program events.

ISBE Congress participants will be able to take advantage of unique and powerful programming, including 10 plenary sessions and 16 technical sessions organized in eight tracks, by threat and specific sector. All sessions are being sponsored by leading Federal government agencies and private-sector organizations. Invited ISBE Congress speakers include Office of Homeland Security Director Tom Ridge, FBI Director Robert S. Mueller, III, Secretary of Transportation Norman Y. Mineta, and a variety of Federal, state, and local government and industry leaders and experts.

Special networking opportunities will also give professionals concerned with infrastructure security unmatched opportunities to meet and establish relationships with their counterparts in government and industry.