January 29, 2020
On Tuesday, January 28th, the National Science Foundation held an interactive showcase in the Rayburn House Office Building with five speakers introducing their Natural Disaster Resiliency projects. Many of these grants were awarded in the wake of Hurricane Harvey.
Guest speakers included: Dr. Robin Murphy, Professor of Computer Science and Engineering at Texas A&M University; Dr. Rebecca Morss, National Center for Atmospheric Research; Dr. Ilkay Altintas, San Diego Supercomputer Center, UC San Diego; Dr. Paul Torrens, Professor of Computer Science and Engineering in the Tanden School of Engineering and the Center for Urban Science+ Progress at New York University; and Dr. Ingrid Padilla, a Program Director at NSF and Professor in Environmental and Water Resources Engineering at the University of Puerto Rico. Speakers presented their research to better understand, prepare and respond to natural disasters. Several of the projects contained components of behavioral science, such as how humans react to natural disasters and how those reactions affect their decision making or the environment around them during a catastrophic event. The panel was moderated by Arthur Lupia, Assistant Director of the Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences Directorate at NSF.
