Feature
Storm Chasers in Training
| USF News
For nine weeks, beginning in June, 12 students from regions at risk for severe weather events will take an up-close look at the social aspects of hurricanes and other natural disasters. With hurricane season officially under way, the group could have one added benefit: real-world experience.
The students are part of the 2011 USF Hurricane Research Experience for Undergraduates, a program funded by a grant from the National Science Foundation. Students in the program receive two weeks intensive training in research methods; they interact with USF faculty; they meet with scientists and weather experts from the National Weather Service; and they get certified in shelter operations by the American Red Cross. The program's culmination is a research project in which student teams are paired with USF faculty to delve into some of the social issues surrounding natural disasters.
"Our goal is for these students to walk away from USF with a quality research project they can present at conference, and whose findings will help our commmnity to prepare for, respond to and recover from disasters," says Naomi Yavneh, associate dean for Honors College and director of the Office of Undergraduate Research.
While the students in this year's pro gram come from different parts of the country, Yavneh says they all have one thing in common: "they really want to be involved in this area of research."