Natural Hazards Observer
| September 2004 | Volume XXIX | Number 1 |
Below are descriptions of recently awarded contracts and grants related to hazards and disasters. An inventory of awards from 1995 to the present is available at http://www.colorado.edu/hazards/resources/grants/.
Global Warnings: The Effect of Scientific Elite Conflict on Public Opinion. Funding: National Science Foundation. One year. Principal Investigator: Nicholas Valentino, University of Michigan, 3003 South State Street, Room 1062, Ann Arbor, MI 48109; (734) 764-1817; e-mail: nvalenti@umich.edu. Public perception of issues with relatively large scientific components hinges on the way problems and solutions are presented by the media. Based on this reality, this doctoral research will use global climate change as the test issue to investigate the influence that scientists, via the media, may have in shaping public attitudes and how the framing of scientific consensus or disagreement in the news affects opinions.
Climate Change, Vicarious Experience, and the Social Amplification of Risk. Funding: National Science Foundation. One year. Principal Investigators: Anthony A. Leiserowitz and Paul Slovic, Decision Science Research Institute, 1201 Oak Street, Eugene, OR 97401; (541) 485-2400; e-mail: ecotone@uoregon.edu. To date, there has been no empirical investigation of the influence of motion pictures on public risk perceptions and behavior. This study will explore the impact of vicarious experience and the social amplification of risk as they relate to motion pictures. Results will contribute to emerging theory on the roles of experiential processing and the social amplification of risk in risk perception and decision making as well as to the understanding of the influence of mass media on society.
Storm Preparedness and Recovery for the Electric Power System. Funding: National Science Foundation. Three years. Principal Investigators: Rachel A. Davidson, David V. Rosowsky, and Arthur T. DeGaetano, Cornell University, Office of Sponsored Programs, Ithaca, NY 14853; (607) 255-5014. This project aims to improve ice storm and hurricane preparedness and recovery for electric power distribution systems by building interrelated mathematical models to better estimate future storm-related damages and to support decisions to reduce the frequency and duration of power outages, specifically tree trimming policies and poststorm restoration procedures. Investigators expect that lessons learned and methods developed will advance the study of natural hazard risk analysis for infrastructure systems and may extend to other lifelines in the future.
Disaster Preparedness and Response in Central Mexico: Towards an Adaptation Baseline. Funding: National Science Foundation. Two years. Principal Investigator: Hallie C. Eakin, 2404 Headley Road, Bloomington, IN 47408; (812) 339-8515; e-mail: eakin_h@yahoo.com. Adaptation is a relatively new topic in climate change research and few nations have taken concrete steps to mitigate future vulnerability through adaptive activities. This International Research Fellowship will allow the investigator to work with Victor Magana at Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Mexico in Mexico City, Mexico, and Diana Liverman at the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom to explore how citizens and public institutions currently perceive and plan for climate risks and to assess both private and public responses to the crisis. The project will be carried out within the framework of a United Nations initiative, using a case study of the impact of widespread flooding in west Central Mexico in September 2003.
Institutional Effects on Decision Making and Performance in Public Land Agencies: The Case of Wildfire in the Interior West of the U.S. Funding: National Science Foundation. One year. Principal Investigator: Elinor Ostrom, Indiana University, P.O. Box 1847, Bloomington, IN 47402; (812) 855-0516; e-mail: ostrom@indiana.edu. This research will examine the reasons for the recent increase in catastrophic wildfires on public lands in the American West and identify key factors disabling the nationwide effort to reduce the magnitude and cost of these fires. By doing archival research and interviewing stakeholders and public officials, this project will examine the methods of decision making used by the Forest Service, the National Park Service, and two state land agencies (Arizona and Colorado). The research will develop measures of the relative costs of wildfire management; the time and number of procedural steps required to treat high-risk areas; the impact of federal regulations, compliance requirements, lawsuits and legal complications; and the relationship of agencies with communities and interest groups.
Development of Historical and Future Land Cover and Land Use Change Datasets for the Community Climate System Model. Funding: National Science Foundation. Two years. Principal Investigator: Johannes J. Feddema, University of Kansas Center for Research, 2385 Irving Hill Drive, Lawrence, KS 66045; (785) 864-3441; e-mail: feddema@ku.edu. The desired result of this project is a comprehensive dataset representing multiple time series of specific human activities known to impact climate. These activities will be evaluated for the time period 1750-2100, both individually and in combination, to understand individual and integrated impacts. The dataset will allow for the creation of standardized climate model simulations and for intermodel comparison projects.
Seasonal and Geographical Impact of Land Use on Climate Change. Funding: National Science Foundation. One year. Principal Investigators: Ming Cai, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306; (850) 644-5260; e-mail: cai@met.fsu.edu; and Eugenia Kalnay, University of Maryland at College Park, 3112 Lee Building, College Park, MD 20742; (301) 405-6269; e-mail: ekalnay@atmos.umd.edu. The purpose of this project is to further investigate the impact of land use on climate change noting that changes in land use due to urbanization, industry, and agriculture constitute one of the primary ways in which society plays a role in climate change.
WTC Impact, Familial Transmission and Child PTSD. Funding: National Institute of Mental Health. $480,000, one year. Principal Investigator: Christina W. Hoven, New York State Psychiatric Institute, 1051 Riverside Drive, New York, NY 10032; e-mail: hoven@childpsych.columbia.edu. A large epidemiological study of New York City public school children six months after September 11 identified higher than expected rates of probable psychiatric disorders in children, most especially among children of World Trade Center (WTC) evacuees. As a result of these findings, the investigator recognized an opportunity to help resolve the issue of how the effects of parental trauma may be transmitted to children. This pilot study is designed to finalize instrument selection and identify the best field methodologies to sample, contact, recruit, and assess a representative sample of WTC evacuees and their children. A WTC evacuee population-based study is expected to follow.
Handheld Triage Assistant for Disaster Management. Funding: National Library of Medicine. $100,000, six months. Principal Investigator: Joy Bell, Medical Decisions Software, Inc., P.O. Box 518, Earleton, FL 32631. This project will study the feasibility of using real-time handheld software for triage in a simulated disaster environment. The investigator seeks to answer questions regarding whether or not documentation using a handheld triage assistant can save time, synthesize data for use on scene, and positively impact outcomes.
The Making of Terrorists and Their Networks. Funding: National Science Foundation and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Two years. Principal Investigators: Carol V. Petrie, Michael J. Feuer, and Faith Mitchell, National Academy of Sciences, 500 Fifth Street, NW, Washington, DC 20001; (202) 334-2254; e-mail: cpetrie@nas.edu. This project is a metaevaluation of the state of the knowledge about the making of terrorists. A series of workshops will bring experts together to discuss terrorism-related topics. An interdisciplinary panel will review and evaluate relevant data, distill essential findings, and make recommendations to policy makers, researchers, and other audiences. The goal is to determine what is known about terrorist groups generally, what is known about terrorist networks specifically, and how this information can be used to identify vulnerabilities.
NSF Update
The Division of Civil and Mechanical Systems (CMS) within the Engineering Directorate at the National Science Foundation (NSF) has reestablished the schedule of setting two deadlines per year for unsolicited proposals.
Upcoming deadlines are December 1, 2004; March 1, 2005; October 1, 2005; and March 1, 2006. Proposals may be submitted beginning 30 days prior to the deadline.
CMS encourages cross-disciplinary partnerships and funds research that contributes to the knowledge base and intellectual growth in a variety of areas including risk reduction, earthquakes, and natural and technological hazards. For more information, visit http://www.eng.nsf.gov/cms/.
Talking About Disaster
The National Disaster Education Coalition (NDEC) has released the second edition of Talking About Disaster: Guide for Standard Messages. Developed to help organizations and agencies provide the American public with accurate, consistent, and appropriate messages regarding disaster preparedness and safety, the guide is the result of an extensive collaborative effort by more than 450 professionals, scientists, and researchers. It features standardized safety messages for 20 natural, technological, and human-induced hazards; includes statistics and explanations reinforcing the credibility of each message; and distinguishes disaster facts from disaster fiction.
The guide is a valuable resource for anyone involved in disaster education and communication, including emergency managers, homeland security professionals, meteorologists, educators, and the media. The information in the guide is in the public domain and may be freely distributed and tailored to fit specific needs. Download the guide for free at http://www.disastereducation.org/guide.html.