PROFESSOR GAUDION PARTICIPATES IN PSU OPIOID RESPONSE TABLE-TOP EXERCISE
September 2019 — Professor Amy C. Gaudion recently participated in a tabletop exercise examining the contours of the opioid crisis and its impact on homeland security. This exercise was held in collaboration with multiple Penn State University partners and was held at PEMA headquarters.
In September 2019, Professor Gaudion participated in a tabletop simulation examining the contours of the opioid crisis and its impact on homeland security. In an effort to provide a “whole-community” response, the exercise brought together government agencies officials at the local, state and federal levels, law enforcement, 911 dispatchers, and Penn State faculty and students. The exercise was hosted by the Penn State Center for Security Research and Education (CSRE), in partnership with Penn State’s Homeland Security (HLS) Program, the Governor’s Office of Homeland Security, and the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency (PEMA). It was held at PEMA headquarters in Harrisburg, and was facilitated by The Pennsylvania Department of Health.
Following the exercise, Professor Gaudion shared her views on the value of simulation experiences noting that they “important and often crucial training and preparation for real-world catastrophes in a safe setting.”
She elaborated that “When I am asked to participate in these exercises and simulations, I never hesitate. In many ways, these programs pull me away from my scholarship and teaching, and they require a significant commitment of time, energy and preparation. Yet, I say yes. I say yes because these simulation experiences are essential to legal education and to my teaching and scholarly objectives for four specific reasons. First, they are the proving ground for the merger of doctrine and practice. We teach doctrinal authorities and we discuss legal theories, and we reference their practical application. Indeed, many of us build in-class and other exercises to help students see that connection. However, by immersing students in a full-day, intense, time-packed scenario with practitioners, faculty and students outside their discipline, our law students come away with skills and brain muscle memory that will positively inform their studies and their future professional experiences. Second, and specific to the legal education environment, such events provide one of the best opportunities for students to engage in issue spotting and synthesis and communication. An effective lawyer must be able to accurately frame the legal question, explain it to others, and guide others through the relevant legal authorities. Third, the opportunity for cross- and inter-disciplinary exchange is a powerful learning tool, and crucial to addressing the larger policy problems we face, particularly in the fields of national security and cyber law. Fourth and finally, simulations that pair students, government employees, and industry actors provide important and often crucial training and preparation for real world catastrophes in a safe setting. It gives the participants the space to make mistakes, to flag challenges, to build relationships, and to reflect and identify areas in need of improvement.”
Professor Amy C. Gaudion is the associate dean for academic affairs and professor of lawyering skills at Penn State Dickinson Law. Her research and teaching interests focus on cybersecurity, national security law, and civilian-military relations. Her recent scholarship includes The Role of Satellites and Smart Devices: Data Surprises and Security, Privacy, and Regulatory Challenges, 123 Penn St. L. Rev. 591 (2019) (co-authored with Anne Toomey McKenna and Jenni L. Evans), as well as Defending Your Country . . . and Gender – Legal Challenges and Opportunities Confronting Women in the Military, a chapter in Women, Law and Culture: Conformity, Contradiction and Conflict (Jocelynne A. Scutt ed., 2016) (Palgrave Macmillan). Professor Gaudion leads the Law School’s national security and cybersecurity programs, and she established an annual cyberspace exercise in collaboration with the U.S. Army War College.