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DRC hosts 2nd year of undergrad research
3:18 p.m., June 15, 2006--Eight sophomores and three juniors from universities across the country arrived on campus Sunday, June 4, to take part in the nine-week Research Experience for Undergraduates program at UD's Disaster Research Center (DRC), now in its second year. Funded by a $216,000 grant from the National Science Foundation and the United States Department of Defense, as well as by $90,000 in funds from UD's Office of the Provost, the College of Arts and Sciences and the Department of Sociology and Criminal Justice, the program draws selected students to UD's DRC for hands-on research training in handling the social science aspects of disasters. The program, which will be funded through the summer of 2007, will expose students to several research options during their stay, including research methodology used most frequently in the study of hazards and disasters, theoretical social science approaches to understanding the causes and consequences of disasters, and ethical implications of the research process. The 11 students attending this summer will work under the guidance of Havidán Rodríguez, vice provost for academic affairs and DRC director; Joanne Nigg, professor of sociology; Tricia Wachtendorf, assistant professor of sociology; Benigno Aguirre, professor of sociology; and Henry Fisher, a doctoral graduate of UD and a professor at Millersville (Pa.) University. After a week of orientation, in which they will choose the focus of their research project and paper, students will work with leading scholars and researchers on projects that explore issues such as disaster mitigation, warnings and technology, disaster vulnerability and preparedness, response and recovery. A national and multidisciplinary group of leading disaster researchers and practitioners will further enrich the program by visiting and lecturing on their areas of expertise, and a series of professional development and social-cultural activities will complement the trainees' overall education and training at UD.
“A range of activities, including a training session on ethical standards in conducting research with human subjects, will give the visiting students a broad perspective on the social science aspects of disaster research, and Mary Martin [assistant provost of graduate studies] will talk to students about conducting graduate research at UD,” he said. Because UD's Disaster Research Center has done ground-breaking work on the societal and organizational aspects of disasters and has had a strong impact on the growth and development of the field of disaster research for the past 43 years, Rodriguez said, students enrolled in the program will have a unique opportunity to work in a challenging, dynamic and intellectually stimulating environment with key disaster researchers. “This is a very select group of undergraduate students, so we are very pleased with their level of scholarship and academic commitment,” Rodriguez said. “Additionally, the Research Experience for Undergraduates program at the DRC is the only program of its kind in the country focusing on disaster research in the social sciences, so we are very fortunate to have this program here at UD, and we think it's because of the knowledge that people have about the DRC and the caliber of research we do.” As part of their experience, students will develop a research proposal and engage in independent research projects under the guidance of faculty mentors. They also will develop research papers based on their selected projects, which they then will have the opportunity to present at regional and/or national scientific conferences. The papers also will be made available to researchers and the public at-large through the DRC web site and resource collection, as of May 2007. Furthermore, students will leave UD for four days to participate in the Natural Hazards Center's 31st annual Hazards Research and Applications Workshop in Boulder, Colo. The 2006 cohort of trainees includes the following students: Jessica A. Long, a California University of Pennsylvania junior majoring in emergency management; Rebekah A. Kaplan, a UD sophomore majoring in sociology; Lauren M. Ross, a UD junior majoring in political science; Nnenia M. Campbell, a University of Central Florida junior double-majoring in psychology and sociology; Kathryn E. Fox, a Dickinson College junior double-majoring in sociology and environmental studies; Casey A. Farmer, a University of San Francisco junior majoring in sociology; Caitlin M. Shenk, a Lehigh University sophomore double-majoring in journalism and science, with a concentration in environmental writing; Eugene T. O'Neal, a St. John's University junior majoring in sociology; Jonathan M. Connors, an Ithaca College sophomore double-majoring in sociology and politics; Natalie C. Bruce, a Biola University junior majoring in psychology; and Paula Perry, a North Carolina Agricultural and Technological State University junior majoring in social work. Article by Becca Hutchinson
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