Restricted Research - Award List, Note/Discussion Page
Fiscal Year: 2023
348 The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (142236)
Principal Investigator: Benavides,Jude
Total Amount of Contract, Award, or Gift (Annual before 2011): $ 24,952
Exceeds $250,000 (Is it flagged?): No
Start and End Dates: 10/1/21 - 9/30/23
Restricted Research: YES
Academic Discipline: Sch of Earth Env & Marine Sci
Department, Center, School, or Institute: Sch of Earth Env & Marine Sci
Title of Contract, Award, or Gift: Development of Resilience Roadmap for Rio Grande Valley
Name of Granting or Contracting Agency/Entity:
Texas Tech University
CFDA Link: NSF
47.070
Program Title:
n/a
CFDA Linked: Computer and Information Science and Engineering
Note:
SAMs- 1.1.1 Perform sub-contract services with Texas Tech University in support of a one-year, NSF SCC-PG (Smart and Connected Communities – Planning Grant). Our primary goal will be to assist with data collection, community outreach, and data evaluation in development of the planning grant. In the light of recent disasters and inspired by the insights of our main community partner, Cameron County, the goal for this research is to bridge the current gap by developing a holistic resilience roadmap for the RGV through a convergence research approach, which has long been championed by the NSF. The goal behind establishing these innovative processes is to ensure practical and effective interventions to address challenges lying at the nexus of social, environmental, and technical issues. This is to be achieved through an inclusive problem-solving approach that centers on the formation of an integrated multi-stakeholder framework to develop adaptation strategies focused on the following goals: Offering housing alternatives for residents, exposed to flood risks, who are willing to relocate. Devising engineered adaptation strategies (i.e., stilt, amphibious housing) to residents who want to stay. Improving infiltration and off-channel storage opportunities within the catchment area of the Tio Cano lakebed to meet the dual goals of flood control and water supply augmentation. Creating outdoor recreational activities such as walk/bike trails, canoeing, and kayaking by transforming Tio Cano lakebed to a natural conservation site.To accomplish these goals, we propose to form a diverse science and practice team with the interdisciplinary and community expertise needed to tackle this multifaceted problem. Specifically, our core team on the research side includes two registered (State of Texas) professional engineers (Uddameri and Nejat) and one hydrologist from the RGV area with strong ties to the community (Benavides) who are hazard scholars with expertise in construction and flooding and one social scientist with expertise in hazard governance. The core team also includes two individuals from Cameron County responsible for community development, engagement, and economic growth. The research and community team members have worked together in the past and have continuing collaborations on synergistic activities related to vulnerability and resilience. In addition to our core team members, a partnership with DisSci:gn Lab is planned, and a letter of collaboration has been received to guide our convergence research approach. Specifically, I360A will help incentivize participation and engagement in a problem-solving team while avoiding fatigue and tokenization. In addition to the core team members and DisSci:gn Lab partnership, an advisory board including several potential collaborators with expertise critical to the project have been identified and contacted (see Table 1). These collaborators will not only provide input during the Planning Phase but are also expected to be involved in the Execution Phase as well. Due to the nature of the project, it is expected that additional collaborators will be recruited and added during the Planning Phase to incorporate a more diverse set of stakeholders.
Discussion: No discussion notes