Natural Hazards Observer
| September 2004 | Volume XXIX | Number 1 |
Becky Ault Receives
Mary Fran Myers Scholarship
Becky Ault, emergency manager/9-1-1 coordinator for Pembina County, North Dakota, has won the first Mary Fran Myers (MFM) Scholarship. Through ten years and ten presidential disaster declarations, Ault has been very active with geographic information systems (GIS) and computer mapping, mitigation activities, and countywide implementation of the 9-1-1 system. During her tenure, Ault has created a multifunctional digitized mapping system, participated in a number of mitigation projects along the Red River, updated the countywide warning system, and played a role in Pembina County's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration StormReady designation.
Ault was nominated for the 2004 MFM Scholarship by colleagues from the Association of State Floodplain Managers in recognition of her ability, enthusiasm, and creativity. The Hazards Center is proud to inaugurate the MFM Scholarship by awarding the first scholarship to someone who so closely embodies the spirit of Mary Fran Myers' work. More information about the MFM Scholarship will be posted on the Center's Web site at http://www.colorado.edu/hazards/scholarship/ as it becomes available.
Quick Response Grants Available Now
Each September, the Hazards Center solicits proposals for the next round of Quick Response (QR) Grants. These small grants are intended to enable social and behavioral science researchers from the U.S. to conduct short-term studies immediately following a disaster. Grants average between $1,000 and $3,500 and are intended to cover food, travel, and lodging expenses.
If, during the course of the next year, a disaster matching an applicant's preapproved proposal occurs, the grant is activated and the researcher is able to immediately travel to the site. Grantees are required to submit a report of their findings to be shared with the hazards community. Reports are published by the Hazards Center and are available in print and online.
In recent years, the Center has activated grants studying adaptation to flood impacts in Louisiana, wildfire evacuations in Colorado, and tornado sheltering in Oklahoma. Proposals for natural, technological, and human-induced events are considered for funding. Physical science- and engineering-based proposals are not eligible. For more information about this program, and to find out how to apply, visit http://www.colorado.edu/hazards/qr/, or request a "2005 QR Program Announcement" from Greg Guibert, Natural Hazards Center, University of Colorado, 482 UCB, Boulder, CO 80309-0482; (303) 492-2149; fax: (303) 492-2151; e-mail: greg.guibert@colorado.edu. The deadline for proposal submission is October 15, 2004.
Madhavi Malalgoda Ariyabandu Wins
Mary Fran Myers Award
The Mary Fran Myers Award was established in 2002 by the Gender and Disaster Network (GDN). The award recognizes that vulnerability to disasters and mass emergencies is influenced by social, cultural, and economic structures that marginalize women and girls. The award was so named to recognize Myers' sustained efforts to launch a worldwide network among disaster professionals for advancing women's careers and for promoting research on gender issues, disasters, emergency management, and higher education.
Madhavi Malalgoda Ariyabandu, the 2004 winner of the Mary Fran Myers Award, is a disaster mitigation program manager and author at the Intermediate Technology Development Group (ITDG) in Sri Lanka. Ariyabandu's accomplishments include addressing gender in disasters throughout ITDG's Asia region with a focus on linking gender issues to sustainable development and taking a progressive, gender-sensitive approach to risk reduction, and acting as a role model for women in the disaster field through actions, publications, and a personal commitment.
For more information about the Mary Fran Myers Award and profiles of past winners, visit http://www.colorado.edu/hazards/mfmaward/.