New Study Offers Guidance for Expanding Broadband Access
The Internet is a tool that Americans use every day to work, to locate information, to communicate, to shop, and to play. More broadly, access to the Internet can help strengthen communities, improve schools, heighten public safety, and create a more responsive relationship between government and citizens. Perhaps most importantly, many believe that the availability of broadband Internet is a key enabler of economic growth. While many decisions about broadband … Read More
Gov. Raimondo Appoints Pell Center Senior Fellow to RI Cybersecurity Commission
NEWPORT, R.I.—Pell Center Senior Fellow for Cyber Leadership Francesca Spidalieri has been appointed by Governor Gina M. Raimondo to the newly established Rhode Island Cybersecurity Commission (RICC). The new commission is tasked with developing a clear strategy to make Rhode Island more secure and resilient to cyber threats while simultaneously fostering innovation and economic development opportunities in the state. The Executive Order establishing RICC was signed in May 2015, and … Read More
New Pell Center Adjunct Fellows Bring Additional Expertise
Newport, R.I.—Three accomplished professionals have joined the Pell Center as fellows. Brandon Catalan and Paul McGreevy will be contributing their expertise to the cyber leadership project and the Pell Center’s Rhode Island Corporate Cybersecurity Initiative (RICCI), whereas Brig. Gen. Peter Zwack, USA (Ret.) will provide insight on international affairs, especially the West’s relationship with Russia. “Over the past few years, the Pell Center has built a cohort of thought leaders … Read More
Charleston shooting creates an opportunity to discuss gun control
Lisa Genova: Neuroscientist, Best Selling Author, Advocate and 2015 Pell Center Prize Winner
NEWPORT, R.I.—Lisa Genova is on a mission. The Harvard-trained neuroscientist and author of four best-selling novels, including Still Alice and the recently published Inside the O’Briens, wants to use the books she writes to change lives, end stigma, and create a world where we can talk about survivors of Alzheimer’s and other neurological diseases and conditions. Genova was honored for her work with the 2015 Pell Center Prize for Story … Read More
The Will to Fight
U.S. Defense Secretary Ashton Carter stirred reaction in Baghdad and Washington this weekend when, in an appearance on CNN, he blamed the loss of Ramadi to an outnumbered force of ISIS militants on the Iraqi military’s apparent unwillingness to fight. It was a striking statement by a senior American official—and it was refreshing. Secretary Carter didn’t break news—even a casual observer of the Iraqi military’s previous fights with ISIS would … Read More
Rhode Island Students Awarded Pell Medal for U.S. History
Newport, R.I.—Sixty-six Rhode Island students earned the Herbert and Claiborne Pell Medal for U.S. History this year. The medal, administered now by the Pell Center at Salve Regina University, recognizes college and high school students in the state who have excelled in U.S. History. The Pell Medal was originally presented by Senator Claiborne Pell and his wife, Mrs. Nuala Pell, for more than 50 years. After Mrs. Pell’s passing in … Read More
We Remember | Memorial Day 2015
Gilgamesh, in the epic Mesopotamian poem, wanted to live forever, like the gods. But Gilgamesh was human. His mortality meant that he would know death. His name, however, could live forever. He would be remembered, he reasoned, because of the great things he did. He asked: “Who is the mortal able to enter heaven? Only the gods can live forever. The life of man is short. What he accomplishes … Read More
Pell Center Lecture Discusses U.S Government and Private Sector Cybersecurity Efforts, the Impacts of the NIST Framework
NEWPORT, R.I.—The Pell Center hosted a major cybersecurity lecture this month that featured Roger Cressey, an internationally known cybersecurity expert and counterterrorism analyst with NBC News, and Kiersten Todt, President and Managing Partner of Liberty Group Ventures, LLC. Over 50 senior leaders representing Rhode Island’s private and public sectors took part in the event to discuss cyber risk management and the impacts of the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s … Read More
Annual Conference
Story Day is the annual conference for Story in the Public Square, a partnership between the Pell Center and The Providence Journal that studies and celebrates public storytelling. Story Day 2014 examined moving images: animation, feature documentary and television, as well as short documentary and video. Through an engaging and interactive series of discussions with accomplished storytellers, the audience took part in a fun and informative day that also featured … Read More