Climate Change Interviews

Interview with Dr. David Alexander & Kathleen Kenyon, Science and Technology Directorate, U.S. Department of Homeland Security

January 24, 2022

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Today I am joined by Dr. David J. Alexander, Ph.D., Senior Science Advisor for Resilience, Office of Science & Engineering, Science and Technology Directorate, U.S. Department of Homeland Security and Kathleen Kenyon, Prize Competitions Program Manager, Science and Technology Directorate, U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

Dr. David J Alexander is the Senior Science Advisor for Resilience at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science & Technology Directorate (S&T). Dr. Alexander currently serves as the climate adaptation and resilience lead. He also co-chairs the National Science and Technology Council’s Subcommittee on Resilience Science and Technology and is a subject matter expert to the Resilient Investment Planning and Development Working Group of the Critical Infrastructure Partnership Advisory Council (CIPAC). He is also a member of the International Scientific Committee of the Eight International Conference on Floodplain Management. Dr. Alexander holds a PhD from George Mason University, Master’s degree in business management from Colorado Technical University, another Master’s in geography from the University of South Carolina, and a Bachelor’s in history from the University of South Carolina – Aiken.

Kathleen leads several innovative Department of Homeland Security programs that include managing prize competitions, launching the first technology accelerator EMERGE in 2014, and she also leads the portfolio with In-Q-Tel. Her professional background encompasses marketing, incident management, policy formulation, and public-private partnerships. She has developed new government institutions, worked with the US Presidential Transition Team, and negotiated on encryption policy. Kathleen is a Department plank holder who spent most of her career in finance. Kathleen holds a master’s degree in science, national resource strategy from the National Defense University, a second master’s in public administration and trade policy from George Washington University, and a bachelor’s in economics from Russell Sage College.

DHS announced a new prize competition on climate change. The challenge is designed to find groundbreaking cooling solutions to counter extreme heat facing communities across the country.

Extreme heat is a silent killer, and the leading cause of weather-related deaths. During and after a natural disaster, such as a hurricane, power outages resulting in a loss of air-conditioning can have serious consequences for those at risk of heat-related illness and vulnerable populations.

S&T teamed up with FEMA to use crowdsourcing to invite ideas and solutions directly from the public to address climate change challenges. Solutions are in four categories – help individuals, help households, help first responders, and help populations find innovative ways to cool themselves without negatively affecting the climate. The solutions can be life hacks or smart ideas that help people stay cool. Entries need to be received by February 24, 2022. 15 finalists will win $5,000 and automatically advance to the next round of judging with a chance of winning additional money. The grand prize is $50,000 and the runner-up will receive $20,000. We plan to announce the finalists in March 2022 and the prize winners in May 2022.