Christopher Columbus Fellowship Foundation

Homeland Security Awards

In 2003 the Homeland Security Awards were added to the Work in Progress program. The United States and the world have moved into a new era which necessitates tighter and more vigilant security in all areas. The Foundation is doing its part by awarding four Homeland Security Awards to United States individual citizens or companies that are making a measurable and constructive contribution related to basic and/or advanced research in the area of homeland security which will result in a significant and positive benefit to society. The four fields are:

1) Biological, Radiological, Nuclear - Including utilities (air, water, telephone), aviation, business vulnerabilities, sensors, and lack of situational awareness;

2) Border/Transportation Security - Airport security, trucks, rail, and containers authorization, certification and tracking;

3) Emergency Response - Interoperability, emergency command centers, mobile devices (PDAs, cell phones, pagers, Internet);

4) Information Sharing - Cyber security, vertical and horizontal (Federal, State and private) communications, ways to encourage information sharing, privacy issues, and criminal and terrorist watch lists.

Nominations

The Christopher Columbus Fellowship Foundation invites nominations for the Homeland Security Awards from the general public. Nominees must be United States citizens or companies. Nomination materials must consist of an official Nomination form available only online. The Nomination Form describes the nominee and the innovative work. If a nominee is selected as a semifinalist, the nominator will be asked to submit three letters of endorsement of the nominee and his or her work. All materials must be complied in a single package sent to the Foundation. Nominations are available at www.ccolumbusfoundationawards.org. The deadline for 2004 Nominations is May 14, 2004.

Selection Process

The Foundation's Board of Trustees selects the semifinalists from among the Homeland Security Awards nominations received. The semifinalists are sent for ranking to a national Evaluation Committee composed of prominent individuals representing diverse fields of human endeavor. The Foundation's Board ultimately selects the four Homeland Security Awards Columbus Scholars.

Evaluation Committee

Each year the Christopher Columbus Fellowship Foundation is honored to have the assistance of distinguished individuals serving on the Homeland Security Awards Evaluation Committee. Each year's committee is listed on the page linked to that specific year.

Awards Ceremony

The Homeland Security Awards are presented at a luncheon in conjunction with the Frank Annunzio Awards in October on Columbus Day in Washington , D.C.