91原创

If you follow the news, you鈥檝e probably read headlines over the last year about hot housing markets, where limited supply and rising demand results in higher prices. You may also be aware that overpaying for a house can leave your pockets feeling empty.

It鈥檚 less likely that you鈥檝e considered how hurricane and flooding risks affect the housing market, but that is just what Nyla Howell, a geography and environmental studies major at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, focused on this summer.

Howell was one of seven students from six universities working with the Disaster Research Center鈥檚 Coastal Hazards, Equity, Economic prosperity and Resilience (CHEER) hub, as part of its eight-week, residential summer scholars鈥� program. The CHEER Hub is a collaborative effort between the 91原创鈥檚 DRC and 10 partner universities aimed at making coastal communities more resilient in the face of growing threats from climate change. The program was funded as part of a $16.5 million National Science Foundation grant.

According to Rachel Davidson, a core DRC faculty member, professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, and the lead principal investigator of the project, this program is a cornerstone of the hub鈥檚 mission.

鈥淭he vision of this program is for students to learn about disaster science through hands-on activities, including site visits to community centers and emergency management agencies, and attending talks with experts,鈥� Davidson said. 鈥淲e know that they will also stimulate the rest of the CHEER team with their individual projects and insights.鈥�

The summer scholars worked alongside their fellow cohort members on interdisciplinary teams. Each student was assigned a research question to focus on different aspects of the problem, including how hurricane and flooding risks impact housing markets, community engagement, wealth disparities, and differences in abilities to cope and/or recover from disasters.

Sarah DeYoung, a core faculty member in the DRC and an associate professor of sociology and criminal justice, described the program as an opportunity for the scholars to connect with 91原创 faculty and graduate students working on research projects that focus on disaster vulnerability and resilience.

Students spent the first half of the program at 91原创, then moved to East Carolina University for the second half.

鈥淭he general goal of the program was for students to get an introduction to the theoretical aspects of disaster research while at 91原创, and then put some of those theories into application for data gathering during their time at ECU,鈥� DeYoung said.

While at the DRC, the students learned about the foundation of disaster science, participated in hurricane and natural hazards research, defined their research projects, and began to familiarize themselves with the mission and vision of the hub. They also learned about the ways current graduate students gather community-based disaster data.

Hearing first hand from local agencies allowed students to see how this knowledge applies in the real world. For example, students visited the emergency operations center at the Delaware Emergency Management Agency to learn about the phases of disaster recovery and what each phase entails.

During these visits, Guadalupe Guevara, a rising senior at 91原创 majoring in sociology and global studies, noticed that agencies tend to be directly involved in relief efforts immediately following a disaster but that this engagement seemed to peter off as communities recover.

鈥淲e鈥檝e learned that community engagement research means continued participation with the community,鈥� Guevara said. 鈥淎s researchers, we tend to go into the field, collect our data, and leave. This needs to change.鈥�

In the second half of the program, the students relocated to ECU, one of the hub鈥檚 three case study areas. Meghan Millea, a CHEER co-principal investigator and education director for the hub, said the cohort spent time connecting with communities that have experienced hurricanes and flooding.

鈥淲hile at East Carolina University, they built upon the groundwork they laid at 91原创,鈥� said Millea, a professor of economics at ECU. 鈥淭he on-site conversations helped the students understand how community input and engagement is key to effective research, resource allocation, and policies because each community is different.鈥�

This was a nod to one of the hub鈥檚 core principles: equity. The CHEER summer scholars program represents a significant effort toward developing and implementing a robust, research-based mentoring program that prepares a diverse cohort of new researchers for careers in convergent disaster science.

Diversity, equity and inclusion are a key part of the overall project. According to Davidson, partnerships with the and , two highly respected national organizations that prepare and support graduate students from underrepresented groups across all disciplines and in disaster studies, respectively, have helped make this effort possible.

The hub鈥檚 commitment to these values was reflected in the cohort鈥檚 final projects, in which students showcased their findings to members of the CHEER team and partner organizations. Presentation titles included 鈥淐losing the Gap: Examining Hurricane Recovery Through an Equity Lens鈥� and 鈥淕overnment and Disasters: The Roles and Responsibilities of Local, State, and Federal Government During Each Disaster Phase.鈥�

鈥淲hen the students presented their work from ECU via Zoom, we were all so impressed by what they were able to learn about these issues in such a short time frame,鈥� said Tricia Wachtendorf, DRC director. 鈥淚t really speaks to the students鈥� commitment to these critical issues.鈥�

Millea echoed this sentiment, adding that the students鈥� work is another catalyst for the hub鈥檚 research.

鈥淪tudents always help me see the work we do through fresh eyes,鈥� said Millea. 鈥淭heir perspectives, experiences and curiosities inform the important work we do.鈥�