Environmental Studies students,

There’s a special seminar associated with an Autumn Speaker Series on Natural Hazards and Resilient Communities. This series will explore the latest developments in social and natural science helping us prepare for, respond to and survive environmental disasters, wherever they strike. If you register for the course you are guaranteed a spot in the public lectures. All majors welcome to enroll. Details below!

Students will attend class sessions with the speakers as well as the public lectures (they do not need to register for the public lectures if they register for the class because they’ll be guaranteed registration). Students from all disciplines (undergrad and grad) are welcome!

Surviving Disaster: Natural Hazards and Resilient Communities

Autumn 2015 Course Announcement

C ENV 490 / PBAF 595A, 1 Credit (CR/NC)

SLN: 22522

Seminar coordinators:  David Schmidt (Earth & Space Sciences) & Ann Bostrom (Evans School)

Add codes required: Contact David Schmidt, dasc@uw.edu for C ENV 490 codes; contact Ann Bostrom, abostrom@uw.edu, for PBAF 595 codes

Surviving Disaster: Natural Hazards and Resilient Communities

The Oso landslide in 2014 and the recent Nepal earthquake reveal the threats posed by natural hazards in the Pacific Northwest and globally.  Natural hazards can cost lives and destroy infrastructure on a monumental scale.  The resulting disasters put entire communities at risk, imposing their most severe costs on the most vulnerable. There is a growing realization that society must anticipate and plan for hazardous events to reduce disaster risk and to enable resilient communities.  This seminar series engages five national leaders who bring deep expertise and diverse perspectives to that task.  Our guest speakers will share their knowledge and experiences, providing insights on the hazard sciences and practices of disaster risk reduction.  The course format includes an afternoon discussion period where students interact directly with guest speakers, followed by public lectures later that evening.

Course Schedule:  Tuesdays, 2:30-3:50 – The seminar will meet for 6 consecutive Tuesdays, with an afternoon Q&A session and an evening (7pm) public lecture each meeting day except the first.  Students are expected to attend both the afternoon and evening sessions.

October 6: Introductions and orientation, 2:30-3:50pm.

October 13: “Disasters Fast and Slow; From Catastrophic Landslides to How We Treat our Soil”

Dr. Dave Montgomery, MacArthur Fellow, University of Washington Professor of geomorphology, and three-time winner of the Washington State Book Award, for The Rocks Don’t Lie, Dirt, and King of Fish.

October 20: “Ten Years after Katrina- Lessons Learned and Unlearned”

Jed Horne, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and author of Breach of Faith (Random House, 2006, 2008), declared “the best of the Katrina books” on National Public Radio’s “All Things Considered.”

October 27: “Social Media Use During Disaster Events: The Evolving Role of the Connected Crowd in Response and Resilience”

Dr. Kate Starbird, University of Washington Assistant Professor in Human-Centered Design and Engineering, expert in computer supported cooperative work and the emerging research areas of crowdsourcing and crisis informatics.

November 3: “How to Lead and Succeed When It Matters Most”

Jake Wood, author of Take Command (Crown 2014), and Cofounder and CEO of Team Rubicon, a nationwide nonprofit providing military veterans with the opportunity to continue their service by responding to natural disasters and global crises. 

November 10: “A Tale of Three Seattle Temblors- One Big, One Deep, and One Direct Hit”

Dr. John Vidale, Professor at the University of Washington, Director of the Pacific Northwest Seismic Network, Washington State Seismologist, Fellow of the American Geophysical Union and recipient of its Macelwane Medal.