BPE TRAVEL GRANT: Learn from Disasters Field Mission on Reconstruction of the Tohoku Region of Japan for Underrepresented Students in Engineering

根据理论和科学文献，工程专业的学生人数不足，特别是在灾害恢复和减轻自然灾害领域。这笔国际旅行补助金将用于支持8名美国学生前往日本实地考察2011年东日本大地震和海啸后东北地区的重建和再开发情况。这个为期两周的“从灾难中学习”暑期项目将培训和指导传统上代表性不足的少数民族和女性学生。学生们将亲身体验从自然灾害中恢复的过程。他们还将访问宫城县和岩手县，观察恢复工作，并参加由日本当地大学主办的研讨会。此外，讲习班和实地考察将提供对日本灾难恢复和社区复原力研究的广泛了解，同时也使美国学生参与者与日本工程专业学生和研究人员建立有意义的关系。LDFM项目的长期目标是培养一批训练有素的未来工程师，他们将在工程和灾难恢复方面打下坚实的基础，同时获得成功参与学术界或工业界国际研究的能力。此外，这笔旅行补助金将为代表性不足的工程专业学生提供一个独特的机会，让他们获得灾后恢复和减轻自然灾害领域的第一手经验。LDFM计划将进一步激发学生追求工程高级学位的兴趣，并大大提高他们未来在工程领域的职业生涯。此外，这笔旅行补助金将为首席研究员在减灾和灾后恢复方面创造新的国际合作机会，并将促进学生参与者之间的全球学习和文化交流。

According to the theoretical and scientific literature, there is a dearth of underrepresented students in engineering, particularly in the field of disaster recovery and natural hazard mitigation. This international travel grant will be used to support eight U.S. students on a field mission to Japan to observe the reconstruction and redevelopment of the Tohoku region, after the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami. This Learn from Disasters Field Mission (LDFM) two-week summer experience will train and mentor traditionally underrepresented minority and female students. Student participants will learn firsthand the process necessary to recover from a natural disaster. They will also visit sites within the Miyagi and Iwate Prefectures to observe the recovery efforts and attend workshops hosted by local Japanese universities. Further, the workshops and site visits will provide broad exposure to disaster recovery and community resilience research in Japan while also allowing the U.S. student participants to establish meaningful relationships with Japanese engineering students and researchers. The long-term goal of the LDFM program is to develop a cadre of well-trained future engineers who will develop a strong foundation in engineering and disaster recovery while also gaining the capacity to engage successfully in international research within academia or industry. Further, this travel grant will provide a unique opportunity for engineering underrepresented students to receive firsthand experience in the field of disaster recovery and natural hazard mitigation. The LDFM program will further stimulate students' interest in pursuing advanced degrees in engineering and greatly enhance their future careers in engineering. Moreover, this travel grant will foster new international collaborative opportunities in hazard mitigation and disaster recovery for the principal investigator and will promote global learning and cultural exchange among the student participants.