CRC 2 nd Annual Meeting: February 1-3, 2017 Chapel Hill, NC - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

CRC 2nd Annual Meeting: February 1-3, 2017 Chapel Hill, NC

Institutionalization, Expansion, and Enhancement of Interdisciplinary Minor Disaster and Coastal Studies (DCS)

Principal Investigator: Meherun Laiju, Ph.D. Associate Professor & Chair Sociology Department Tougaloo College

CRC 2nd Annual Meeting

• Feb. 1-3, 2017

Project Overview – Focus on 2 areas:

• A. Expand and Institutionalize the existing Interdisciplinary minor: Disaster Coastal Studies (DCS)—

implemented during the Coastal Hazards Center of Excellence – Education (2008-15) by: ØCollaborate with Psychology and Physics department (student training & research) ØModify courses, add GIS component to a certain DCS course and try to make this course a required elective across the curriculum

• B. Create a non credit bearing Certificate Program for community at large:

Østrengthen community resilience in a time of disaster Project Goal(s) –

• Provide students with skills and knowledge that are marketable in the fields of disaster and emergency

planning, management, response, and recovery while, simultaneously, preparing students for graduate schools and creating a workforce for Homeland Security and Disaster Response and Management Agencies.

• Certificate program: facilitate the education of future community leaders , first responders, and citizens in

planning and implementing disaster strategies which help to build a more effective path to societal resilience and security.

End User Agency/Employer Project Role

• Dr. George Humphrey,

CFM Director (grants)MEMA DCS Instructor, Place Intern

• Mr. John Brown

Regional Manager; Red Cross Serve on panel, Place Intern

• Ms. Jana Henderson

Mitigation Office Director, MEMA Serve on panel, Place Intern

• Ms. Marsha Manuel

Grant Director, MS office of Homeland Security Serve on panel, Place Intern Loretta Thorpe Director, Training Bureau Office of Preparedness, MEMA Serve on Panel, Coordinator of Neighborhood Training Colonel Donnell Berry MS State Trooper Serve on panel

• Mr. Ricky Moore

Director, Hinds County Emergency Management Serve on Panel, Place Intern

• Mr. Terry Lightheart

Director, Emergency Disaster Services Salvation Army Serve on Panel, Place Intern, Waren D. Miller President, MS Voluntary Organization Active in Disaster (VOAD) Serve on Panel

• Mr. Anderson

Pastor, United Methodist Church Serve on Panel

End User Engagement

• Each semester 2 group meetings
• Most interactions via email or phone

Ø end-user job constraint: meeting after 5 or weekends

• Outcomes and Future Engagements

Ø ½ day training arranged by Tougaloo in May at Woodhaven neighborhood (Home Association) v MEMA Training Bureau personnel will conduct the training Ø Exploring possibility with MEMA v Tougaloo will offer courses which will satisfy some of the Continuing Education Unit (CEU) requirements

• Tougaloo College in process of changing General Education Curriculum

Ø Incorporating Professional Certificate Program (6-12 hour curriculum) v Goal- focus on developing professional skills- students not attending graduate school can join the workforce v Interdisciplinary Minor: Disaster Coastal Studies (DCS) selected as a model ü Working with end users to redesign the DCS minor so the students receive skills to work in those agencies.

End User Engagement

Activity Status Offer 6 courses (fall & spring) Complete Intern Placement to end user setting In progress Selection of students for research and training Complete; related work are on track Select existing courses to modify In progress (selected 2) Student/Faculty/Staff GIS certification February, 17-18 Select students for CRC “SUMREX” In progress Advisory committee in put- design Certificate Curriculum & Neighborhood Training In progress Guest Speaker (Research Partner) Complete DCS Research Symposium April 7; 9:00 -2:00; TC Students Graduating with Minor 4 -5, in May 2017

Education Work and Accomplishments

*10 students (different discipline) are working on the following research project (Majority Freshmen):

Ø

Identify risks and vulnerability within a community using Geographic Information Systems (GIS): (physics faculty)

Ø

Role of Effective Communication in Disaster Preparedness: (Psychology faculty) Student training: Geographic Information System (GIS) concepts some emphasis in the STEM areas Familiarity with national preparedness and resilience literature, develop skills to critically review journal articles Design survey instrument, administer the survey, interview skills, skills related to statistical software program SPSS , Accomplishment 2015- 16 Projected 2015 -16 Actual 2016-2017 (Projected) 2016-2017 (Actual) Total Course Offers 6 7 6 6 Total Student Serve 60 62 60 60+ Declare Minor 7 12 9 9+ Internship (End – User) 6 7 6 7+ Graduate With Minor 1 2 2 4-5 Research Project/Training 6 8* 8 10

Education Work and Accomplishments

• Course Modification

ØIntroduction to Natural and Technological Disaster in the Coastal Zone, v Incorporated Geospatial Information Systems (GIS) training ØEmergency Preparedness Planning and Response v Incorporate online FEMA’s Independent Study (IS) Training as part of graded assignment

• Seven IS training (focus on disaster preparedness and

rescue) ØDCS graduating senior papers accepted to MAS conference v Irenia Ball-

• Sociodemographic Characteristics and Natural Disaster

Preparedness among Mississippi Residence v Aundra Moore -

• An Analysis of the Role Gender, Race, and Household

Income has on the Perceptions of the Government Providing Assistance Following a Natural Disaster v Keiara Young-

• Hurricanes, Mudslides, and Drought: Considering the

Publics Perceptions of the Role Governments Should Play in Providing Aid Using the NORC General Social Survey (GSS)

Education Work and Accomplishments

• Dr. Humphrey (MEMA)

teaching Emergency Preparedness class GIS Training

Ø Intern Placement (7): v MEMA, Homeland Security, Salvation Army, American Red Cross,

& Hinds County Emergency Management

Ø Meherun Laiju- receive grant from the Andrew Mellon Foundation

to conduct research, publication, and support students

v Title: “A Global Issue: Natural Disaster and Child Trafficking,”

• The goal of this project is to advance national and global

policy initiatives for child trafficking intervention in the context of contingency planning, which ideally should start in the emergency phase of disaster response.

Ø Meherun Laiju and Santanu Banerjee – Proposal accepted to

present at the 10th Anniversary Homeland Defense & Security Education Summit will be held on 23-24 March 2017

v

Title: Innovative Interdisciplinary Undergraduate Curriculum in Homeland Security at a HBCU

Education Work and Accomplishments

Interns

Education Work and Accomplishments

Ø

Sustain Initiative:

v Jackson Heart Study and Biology department’s environmental science program

to use some DCS courses and develop a curriculum in public health.

v Sociology, Physics, Political Science, and Psychology department faculty

members - exploring the possibility to integrate DCS courses as required electives for students in their respective degree programs.

v Develop Professional Certification within General Education Curriculum-

incorporating the DCS minor courses

Anticipated Project Impact

ØDiversify the future DHS S&T related workforce by training underrepresented minorities, mirroring some of the more vulnerable population impacted by Disaster scenarios Ø Local Emergency Management organizations get student interns and participate in Advisory committee and Annual Symposium. ØOpportunity for students to be trained in interdisciplinary fields across academic divisions (Natural Science & Social Science). Partner institutions may be able to recruit graduate students for their program with a background in disaster related curriculum. Ø Opportunity for students to be participate in natural disaster related research and present in conferences Ø Institutionalize DHS S&T into the curriculum and create collaborations with other institutions and DHS related public & private entities Ø Enhance Community Preparedness – Neighborhoods training Initiative

DCS Conference April 2016 DCS Conference April 2016 DCS Classroom Presentation Intro to National Disaster Class

Project Highlights

DCS research student with faculty DCS research student with faculty

2016 2017

SUMREX 2016- University of Delaware Disaster Research Center Students: Irenia Ball & Taralyn Rowell