Speaker Series and Security Measures

We kicked off our first Resiliency Speaker Series event on Monday.  We had a great turnout with over 60 attendees.  Susanne DesRoches (Assistant Chief, Resilience and Sustainability) came to speak from the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey along with John Boule (Vice President) from the engineering firm Parsons Brinckerhoff.

The speakers gave engaging presentations and answered dozens of questions from the audience.  The discussion ranged from the effects of Hurricane Sandy in New York and New Jersey to resilient strategies for Boston and Massport facilities.  We heard about Sandy’s disruptions to New York’s PATH Transportation System and ongoing complications that include salt’s pervasive and corrosive effects.  Over 30% of our audience completed Speaker Series Surveys, giving us some great feedback as well as an average success rating of 4.4 out of 5 for this first event.

Completed Speaker Series Surveys.

Questions filled out by the audience for our Q&A session.

The event was a success, but it wouldn’t be an internship experience if it went off without a few bumps.  The highlights included me barging into someone’s office while looking for a storage closet and accidentally leaving some of our guests languishing at the security desk before the event began.  This was a problem because the doors, stairwells, and elevators on the first floor are blocked by security checkpoints.  You need to scan your badge and your fingerprints to get through.  It’s like something out of the Bourne trilogy.  As a result, guests from outside of Massport have to be escorted through the building.

Unless, of course, you’re Jason Bourne…but I haven’t seen him in East Boston yet.

–Adria