2007 — 2010 |
Ward, Beverly (co-PI) [⬀] Ersing, Robin Kusenbach, Margarethe Tobin, Graham (co-PI) [⬀] Yavneh, Naomi |
N/AActivity Code Description: No activity code was retrieved: click on the grant title for more information |
Reu Site: Socials Aspects of Hurricanes--Preparation, Response and Recovery With Vulnerable Populations @ University of South Florida
ABSTRACT Proposal # 0649060 Naomi Yavneh New Summer REU Site: Social Aspects of Hurricanes: Preparation, Response and Recovery with Vulnerable Populations Located in Tampa, on Florida's Gulf-coast, the University of South Florida is an ideal location for hurricane-related research. USF's nine-week summer Research Experience for Undergraduates Site will focus on the social aspects of hurricanes i.e., how individuals, communities and institutions prepare for, experience and recover from hurricanes. Eight students will be selected from geographic locations across the country threatened by hurricanes. The centerpiece of the program is an intensive, interdisciplinary research experience where each student will actively engage in a faculty-mentored research project focused on hurricane hazards and social vulnerabilities of individuals and communities. Students will learn to apply qualitative and quantitative research methods, including the use of GIS mapping technology, to examine the geo-social dynamics of hurricanes and their impact on communities; participate in on-site visits to the NOAA National Weather Service, MacDill Airforce Base (home of the P3 Hurricane Hunter airplane), and a county Emergency Operations Center; and interact personally with Police, Fire, and Rescue first responder experts. In addition, students will become certified by the American Red Cross in disaster response and management skills including mass care; attend seminar sessions on research ethics; and hear guest speakers from a variety of disciplines discuss research and applications pertaining to hurricane hazards, risk and social vulnerability. As a capstone experience, students will showcase their research projects at a university-community symposium held at the end of the nine-week session, and will be supported in submitting their work to a state, regional or national research conference. Participants will also engage in social activities, both as a group and in conjunction with other REUs on campus, and receive guidance on preparation for graduate and professional school. A central goal of the program is to stimulate interest in the scientific study of the social dynamics of hurricane vulnerability by integrating knowledge, skills, and humanitarian outreach. We aim to prepare a cohort of new researchers well-equipped to understand and confront these challenges. Accordingly, the program will enhance participants' prospects for pursuing graduate study and careers in science, particularly for those participants who do not have comparable opportunities at their home institutions.
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2010 — 2013 |
Ersing, Robin Yavneh, Naomi |
N/AActivity Code Description: No activity code was retrieved: click on the grant title for more information |
Reu Site: Socials Aspects of Hurricanes: Preparation, Response and Recovery With Vulnerable Populations @ University of South Florida
Project summary: With a recurring six-month hurricane season, projections of intense hurricane activity for the next two decades, and the experience of seven major hurricanes between 2004 and 2005, Florida is an ideal location for hurricane-related research. The University of South Florida will continue its summer REU to research the social aspects of hurricanes , i.e., how individuals, communities and institutions prepare for, experience and recover from hurricanes. Particular attention will be given to vulnerable populations including children, older adults, and those of lower socio-economic standing. Drawing faculty and mentors from anthropology, sociology, education, geography, psychology, public health and social work, the program is designed to achieve these objectives: 1) to provide an intensive, mentored interdisciplinary research experience for undergraduate students; 2) to train students in qualitative and quantitative methods appropriate to social science research; 3) to provide experiential learning opportunities to increase student knowledge of systems and networks integral to research within the context of disaster preparedness and response; 4) to increase student knowledge of ethical issues in research, including cultural competency and certification in IRB human subject protection. Each component of the REU is designed to enhance critical thinking skills of the student with regard to the social aspects of hurricanes and other disasters, with a focus on decreasing loss of life and building resilience in recovery. This foundation of knowledge and skills will prepare students for both basic and applied graduate research. The USF Office of Undergraduate Research and the Honors College have committed significant resources to ensure the success of this program.
Intellectual merit: The need for effective hurricane preparation, response and recovery has been recognized nationally; the USF REU's focus on researching this important societal need from an interdisciplinary perspective will advance knowledge and understanding, bringing students together with nationally-recognized hurricane researchers, as well as first-responders. Severe weather events such as hurricanes carve a path of death and destruction throughout vulnerable communities, requiring a broader knowledge base to successfully prevent or mitigate these costly outcomes. Recently, research aimed at understanding the social dimensions of hurricanes has taken on increased importance, particularly investigations of vulnerable populations (such as children, older adults and low income individuals or families), communities with limited resources, and institutions charged with providing necessary services for health and safety. Research stemming from the REU has and will result in culturally and socially responsive evidence-based approaches to build protective factors and enhance resiliency of individuals, communities and institutions.
Broader impacts: The program is designed to prepare the next generation of graduate students and researchers through a structured program including mentored group research projects, seminars, ethics training, disaster management and response training, on-site experiential trainings and directed readings. A long-term evaluation procedure will track participants' subsequent application to and participation in graduate programs in relevant disciplines and areas. The REU's innovative incorporation of training in social dynamics and populations at risk as a component of hurricane-related group's impact will also be assessed. The REU will broaden participation of under-represented groups by recruiting students from FAMU and Alcorn State, two Historically Black Institutions which have committed to working with the REU team, from McNair programs at other institutions and from geographic regions impacted by hurricanes and other disasters. Both the students and the faculty will contribute to the dissemination of knowledge and broader societal impact. Research projects will explore a range of issues, including but not limited to: evacuation and transportation concerns; impacts of hurricane-related displacement on children, the elderly and vulnerable populations; and mobilization and utilization of community assets, particularly within distressed or resource-poor neighborhoods. Each project will have the potential to directly benefit both USF's west central Florida community, other hurricane-affected areas, and any disaster-vulnerable community, through a better understanding of potential impacts and successful practices. Students will present their research locally within the greater Tampa Bay area and at their home institutions, at the Florida Governor's Hurricane conference or an equivalent state-level venue, and at relevant disciplinary professional conferences. USF's Hurricane REU Site will become a model for community-serving research by undergraduates both through dissemination of results and presentations by REU faculty at conferences such as AAC&U and the Gulf-Coast Summit.
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