On March 29 to April 1, 2011, the Frontier program travelled to Washington, D.C. for a field trip/retreat held in conjunction with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) University Programs Summit.  Noteworthy events at the Summit included a keynote address by the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, Janet Napolitano. Frontier students attended a variety of  panel sessions addressing such topics as "The Role of Transportation in the Spread of Disease," and "Agricultural Supply Chain Vulnerabilities and Solutions." On the evening of March 30, the Frontier program sponsored a group dinner hosted in the vault banquet room at the District ChopHouse & Brewery. The turnout was fantastic, with over 35 in attendance--including students from multiple universities and several representatives from the National Center for Food Protection and Defense. During dinner, guest speaker Florence Rolle, Senior Liaison Officer for the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, delivered a presentation regarding the scope of her FAO duties, and the challenges involved in world trade and global food security.

On March 31, students in the Frontier program participated in a number of field trip events. The day began with a tour and presentation with staff from the Office of the United States Trade Representative. The presentation centered on trade regulations, enforcement of those regulations, and examples of trade violations. At mid-day, the Frontier student group enjoyed lunch at DHS Headquarters--in the Reagan building.  After lunch, Lynn Hollinger, representative from the Office of Public Affairs, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, facilitated a presentation from three branches of the Customs and Border Protection department: the Office of Field Operations, the Office of Border Patrol, and the Office of Air & Marine. These representatives covered many of the tasks and duties they and others in their offices are responsible for on a daily basis.

On April 1, the Frontier students engaged in self-guided tours of the National Mall area and other D.C. monuments and attractions, attended some of the ongoing University Programs Summit events, and/or toured the Smithsonian (thanks to a fantastic guide--one of Dr. Justin Kastner's family friends, Victoria Wilds, a student at Penn. State University currently serving an internship with National Geographic in Washington, D.C.).

As always, it was a fantastic Frontier field trip and retreat!