The program includes hands-on research training to enhance the students' understanding of the social science aspects of disasters and provide students with the necessary academic background, training and relevant research experiences to prepare them under the guidance of faculty mentors to function as relatively independent research scholars.
The students--from UD, Tulane University, Kenyon College, Ohio University, Millersville University, Western Washington University, University of Vermont, University of Florida, University of North Texas and Tata Institute of Social Sciences in Mumbai, India--were exposed to several courses, including research methods most frequently used in the study of hazards and disasters; theoretical social science approaches to understanding the causes and consequences of disasters; and the ethical implications of disaster research.
Havidán Rodríguez, vice provost for academic affairs and international programs and former DRC director, said the intensive, highly competitive REU program teaches students about disaster research within a social science context and gives them an opportunity to carry out individual projects that focus on issues such as disaster mitigation, search and rescue, preparedness, response and recovery, warnings and technology, and disaster vulnerability and resilience.
Emmanuel Raju, a graduate student in disaster management at the Tata Institute of Social Sciences who was working on “Social Interfaces in Tsunami Recovery: Rebuilding Livelihoods and Relocation,” said the program helped open his eyes to many realities outside his country.
“The REU has truly been an amazing experience. It has helped me understand issues and challenges facing disaster management across the globe. It has certainly added international insights to my research and experience,” said Raju. “REU interested me because of the DRC tradition and experience in disaster research.”
Christopher Colindres, a senior sociology major at UD from Perth Amboy, N.J., joined the program to enrich his concentration in emergency management within his major. His project was an investigation of how the implementation of new technologies deepen preexisting inequalities and, therefore, increase community vulnerability, and how that is related to the sociodemographics of the respective communities.
Sarah Dalton, a junior civil engineering major at UD from Newark, Del., one of two civil engineering majors in this year's program, said one of her goals is to merge the social science aspects of disasters, on which the DRC was founded, with the planning, building and engineering side of disasters.
“I was working on a project dealing with the hurricane evacuation routes in Delaware,” Dalton said. “I looked at the plans that Delaware has in place, researched the sociological side to evacuation, such as how the public would behave, and looked at how other states have prepared and planned for hurricanes in order to see the strengths and weaknesses of Delaware's plans.
“It has been a very good learning experience. It is an environment not many engineers have experienced or ever will experience,” Dalton said.
Collin Moseley, a senior business administration major at Millersville University, in Millersville, Pa., said he highly recommends the excellent program to anyone interested in disaster research, emergency management or sociology.
“The opportunity to meet different faculty and staff from multiple areas and disciplines has been worth the time and effort,” said Moseley, who studied how populations with different past hazard experience react to tornado warnings. “The program has been tough ... but has shown great rewards in terms of experience and gained knowledge.”
Article by Martin Mbugua
Photo by Kathy F. Atkinson