REU Site: Interdisciplinary Studies in Tsunami Impacts & Mitigation

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Abstract for Kijewski-Correa, EEC-0552432:This REU award for a Site the Interdisciplinary Studies in Tsunami Impacts on Mitigation (ISTIM) supports 10 undergraduates each year for three years in a 10-week summer program at the University of Notre-Dame. During the first 8 weeks of the program, students will be engaged in research projects as well as enrichment activities at Notre Dame. At the conclusion, of the 8 weeks, the students will get the opportunity to present their findings in symposium through posters and oral presentations. The last two weeks of the program will involve travel to the NEES tsunami-simulation site (Corvallis, OR), followed by an investigational trip to tsunami- affected areas in Thailand. The students will have the opportunity to interact with those involved in humanitarian recovery efforts and issues of social concern. Through such interactions the students will be exposed to the ethical/humanitarian/social context of their research as it relates to disaster recovery. Intellectual Merit: The Interdisciplinary Studies in Tsunami Impacts and Mitigation (ISTIM) program will encompass geotechnical, and environmental engineering as well as geophysical, which will emphasize the need for multidisciplinary collaboration to improve natural hazards and risk assessment and mitigation. Successful completion of the proposed projects has the potential to improve predictions of areas that could be affected by tsunamis, improve our understanding of triggering mechanisms for tsunamis, result in recommendations for improved housing in tsunami-prone areas, provide methods to quickly repair damage resulting from such events, and improve existing methods of remediating the environmental hazards following such events. Broader Impacts: The ISTIM REU site program will give undergraduates the opportunity to integrate research into their education as well as increase the participation of underrepresented groups in science and engineering. Also, the REU site has the potential to benefit society by reducing the damage that could result from natural hazards, such as tsunamis, in the US as well as internationally.This REU site is supported by the Department of Defense (DoD) in partnership with the NSF REU program.