PHILADELPHIA -- The University of Pennsylvania has been recognized, along with the City of Philadelphia, for national security leadership. The announcement was made by the National Nuclear Security Administration today during a forum on campus.

NNSA honored Penn for completing all of the voluntary radiological security upgrades offered by NNSA’s Global Threat Reduction Initiative. Under the GTRI, the NNSA, with its federal partners, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the Department of Homeland Security, installs voluntary security upgrades at civilian sites in the United States to reduce the potential for theft or misuse of radiological materials that could be used in a dirty bomb. These voluntary upgrades are in addition to security enhancements required by the NRC and state governments since 2006.

“Penn is proud to be a national leader in medical care and ground-breaking research," Craig Carnaroli, Penn executive vice president, said. "By partnering with the NNSA, we are securing our research labs in new ways while supporting our award-winning campus safety programs.”

“NNSA’s cooperation with the University and City of Philadelphia is an example for hundreds of other sites and communities across the U.S. and the world that users of radiological materials can successfully balance the need for security without adversely impacting the benefits of their use,” NNSA Administrator Thomas D’Agostino said.

Also honored were the University of Pennsylvania Health System, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, the Wistar Institute, Penn Police and the Philadelphia Police Department.

In addition to installation of upgraded security equipment, the project also enabled personnel from these organizations to complete radiological security alarm response training at the NNSA’s Y-12 National Security Complex at Oak Ridge, Tenn.

Speaking from Washington, U.S. Sen. Robert Casey said, “I am so proud that the University of Pennsylvania, in cooperation with the City of Philadelphia, is the first in our country to complete voluntary security upgrades to ensure that radiological material is safe and secure. The people of Philadelphia are safer today, thanks to their foresight and will to action.”

Yesterday NNSA and the Federal Bureau of Investigation hosted a table-top exercise at Penn with federal, state and local officials to test security alarm responses and crisis/consequence management skills.