July 27-29, 2012 • Sheraton Centre Toronto Hotel

Preconference Courses: July 26-27, 2012 • Professional Members’ Forum: July 30, 2012

Futurist Media for Improved Crisis Scenario Education

Sheila Ronis is director of the MBA and Master of Science in Strategic Leadership programs at Walsh College. She is chair of the Vision Working Group and leader of the Project on National Security Reform, Troy, Michigan, USA

John Meagher is past president of the Washington Chapter of the World Future Society, Manassas, Virginia, USA

Scenario techniques used for training first responders and policy analysts are being transformed by the Web and media, thus influencing global politics and national security readiness. The panelists will present one example, the Project on National Security Reform (PNSR) scenario “Red Death” of a biological attack on the U.S. that was transformed into a 15-minute video by Argonne National Laboratory, available free on the Web. The panel will then engage audience discussion about the value of scenario development transformed into media and the real and potential impact it can have on training first responders and policy analysts at all levels of government, including the president of the United States. How will this new media trend impact futurists and their audiences now and in the future? The panel’s multimedia approach will explore this issue with discussion, a real-world example, and audience engagement.