Understanding disaster response: NSF Career Award supports University of Oklahoma engineer’s research on information sharing
UNIVERSITY OF OKLAHOMA
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ARIF SADRI, PH.D., AN ASSISTANT ENGINEERING PROFESSOR AT THE UNIVERSITY OF OKLAHOMA, RECENTLY RECEIVED A FACULTY EARLY CAREER DEVELOPMENT AWARD, KNOWN AS A CAREER AWARD, FROM THE NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION TO BETTER UNDERSTAND HOW WE COMMUNICATE DURING THESE DISASTERS.
view moreCREDIT: UNIVERSITY OF OKLAHOMA
NORMAN, OKLA. – Understanding how communities share information during disasters is more crucial than ever because of the recurring and unpredictable nature of storms, floods, tornadoes and earthquakes. Arif Sadri, Ph.D., an assistant professor at the University of Oklahoma, recently received a Faculty Early Career Development Award, known as a CAREER award, from the National Science Foundation to better understand how we communicate during these disasters.
Sadri’s project, jointly funded by NSF’s Human-Environment and Geographical Sciences program, Human Networks and Data Science program, and the Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research, aims to enhance community disaster preparedness, response and recovery efforts.
“Communities share information about disaster risks differently, likely leading to uneven distributions of survival resources and communication that fails to foster trust. Understanding how people are connected in a community can reveal key insights into who lacks access to resources, who plays a key role, and how information about risks and resources can spread during disasters,” Sadri said.
The research project, titled “Risk-Sharing Communication Networks for Compound Disasters,” spans from April 1, 2024, to March 31, 2029, with an award amount of $506,797. Sadri hopes to introduce the concept of the risk-sharing commons primarily to the disaster research community and aims to address the risk-sharing communication challenges to foster resilience in at-risk communities.
With firsthand exposure to Oklahoma’s tornadoes and Florida’s hurricanes, Sadri recognizes the importance of his research.
“This research is from the core of my heart,” said Sadri, who is trained as a civil engineer with a background in transportation engineering and network science. “Understanding the dynamics of communal resource usage, or “commons,” is essential to my work, particularly in the context of disaster preparedness.”
Sadri highlights the importance of geographical sciences in determining community parameters, ranging from local to regional and rural to urban settings. “Social networks are not confined by physical proximity; trust can extend across distances, such as my mom’s influence from Bangladesh in South Asia,” he said.
His research draws on Elinor Ostrom’s Nobel Prize-winning work on the economic governance of the commons.
“We see the risks associated with the overuse of shared resources, such as a village pond overfished by some, impacting the livelihoods of others. This concept extends to modern-day risk-sharing commons, where communities depend on each other for information and resources during crises.
“Whether it is assessing the severity of a threat or coordinating protective actions like evacuation or resource sharing, this interconnectedness stresses the need for coordinated responses. With the increasing frequency and severity of disasters due to climate change, it is imperative to rely on credible and trustworthy information channels,” Sadri said.
The interdisciplinary approach combines qualitative and quantitative research methods to gain a fundamental understanding of risk communication dynamics in disaster scenarios. For the project, Sadri and his research team have started investigating how people and communities navigate complex communication networks before, during and after disasters. He says he will enhance the understanding of risk-sharing decisions and information cascades by analyzing these local social and social media networks, conducting observational research, and using advanced network science methods.
“I am excited about exploring how social media and face-to-face networks intersect in risk communication,” Sadri said. “In times of crisis, timely and accurate information can mean the difference between life and death. By studying how communities share risks and resources, we can develop more systematic approaches to disaster response.”
The interdisciplinary project integrates geographical sciences, social networks, and data science to address these complex problems. CAREER awards also require integrating research with education. Sadri says he plans to empower community volunteers and stakeholders in disaster response efforts.
The project includes a learning aspect for residents, community volunteers and organizations like the Red Cross. “I hope to translate my research in a way that the community volunteers can learn something out of it. I hope they will get to better know and build their networks based on this research,” Sadri said.
Learn more at Sadri’s research.
About the project:
The project, titled “Risk-Sharing Communication Networks for Compound Disasters,” spans from April 1, 2024, to March 31, 2029, with an award amount of $506,797. The project is jointly funded by the National Science Foundation’s Human-Environmental and Geographic Sciences Program, Human Networks and Data Science Program and Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research co-funding as part of award #2339100.
About the University of Oklahoma
Founded in 1890, the University of Oklahoma is a public research university in Norman, Oklahoma. As the state’s flagship university, OU serves the educational, cultural, economic and health care needs of the state, region and nation. OU was named the state’s highest-ranking university in U.S. News & World Report’s most recent Best Colleges list. For more information, visit ou.edu.
SwRI’s Herron named 2024 ASSP Safety Professional of the Year
Safety engineer recognized for achievement in occupational safety and health
SOUTHWEST RESEARCH INSTITUTE
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THE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF SAFETY PROFESSIONALS (ASSP) HAS NAMED SOUTHWEST RESEARCH INSTITUTE’S MATTHEW HERRON, M.S., P.E., CSP, CPE, ITS 2024 SAFETY PROFESSIONAL OF THE YEAR. THE AWARD IS PRESENTED ANNUALLY TO AN ASSP MEMBER WHO DEMONSTRATES OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN THE OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH (OSH) FIELD WHILE ALSO ADVANCING THE OSH PROFESSION OVERALL.
view moreCREDIT: SOUTHWEST RESEARCH INSTITUTE
SAN ANTONIO — May 6, 2024 —The American Society of Safety Professionals (ASSP) has named Southwest Research Institute’s Matthew Herron, M.S., P.E., CSP, CPE, its 2024 Safety Professional of the Year. The award is presented annually to an ASSP member who demonstrates outstanding achievement in the occupational safety and health (OSH) field while also advancing the OSH profession overall.
“It’s a great honor to be recognized by the ASSP as Safety Professional of the Year,” said Herron, a lead safety engineer in SwRI’s Mechanical Engineering Division. “I firmly believe it’s our duty as safety professionals to protect and empower those around us and continuously strive for excellence in fostering a culture of safety. It’s tremendously rewarding to be able to implement programs and practices that protect others.”
Herron has been an ASSP member since 2011 and is an advisory board member for the ASSP’s Engineering Practice Specialty and the Ergonomics Practice Specialty. He serves as the ASSP Regional Vice President for Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas. In this role, he oversees 13 ASSP chapters and 12 student sections. Herron is also involved in organizing the region’s annual Student Leadership Conference.
“I’m very proud to see Matt receive this well-deserved honor,” said Shane Siebenaler, director of SwRI’s Fluids Engineering Department and manager of the Mechanical Engineering Division’s Safety Team. “He has had a vital role in reinforcing and improving the safety culture of our division. Our work environment includes hazards that range from explosives to high-pressure hydrogen to radioactive sources, and Matt has developed many of our daily safety procedures. His dedication to safety has had a tremendous impact on all of us.”
Herron earned a bachelor’s degree in physics from the University of West Georgia in 2006. He was a product test and calibration technician before discovering his calling as a safety engineer. He earned a master’s degree in industrial and operations engineering, with a concentration in occupational safety engineering and ergonomics, from the University of Michigan in 2011. He joined SwRI in 2016.
At SwRI, Herron developed the Safety 360 Program, which empowers employees to proactively identify and report unsafe conditions and at-risk behaviors in the workplace and provides suggestions to correct these issues. He implemented the 6S Methodology, based on Toyota’s 5S program, emphasizing organization to maximize efficiency and minimize risk.
In 2023, Herron was named the ASSP Council on Practices and Standards’ 2023 Safety Professional of the Year in recognition of his outstanding achievements and contributions to ASSP’s practice specialty and common interest group communities. He received the ASSP Emerging Professional Award in 2020, recognizing his leadership, volunteerism and desire to impact workplace safety. In 2019, he received the National Safety Council Rising Stars of Safety award, which honors individuals under the age of 40 who play a significant role to positively influence and promote their company’s safety culture and leadership.
Herron will receive a commemorative engraved award and a $2,000 honorarium at the ASSP Safety 2024 Conference and Expo in August.
For more information, visit https://www.swri.org/technical-divisions/mechanical-engineering.
Assessing knowledge and first-aid practice scores of caregivers of epilepsy patients before and after an educational program in the kingdom of Saudi Arabia
This article by Dr. Mathumalar Loganathan and colleagues is published in the journal, The Open Public Health Journal
Epilepsy is a neurological condition characterized by recurrent seizures, which can lead to various psychological problems. While most cases are idiopathic, some may result from brain injury, stroke, or genetic mutations. In children, seizures can have different origins and sensitivity to drugs, requiring careful consideration by doctors. Symptoms range from mild to severe, including confusion, staring spells, uncontrollable movements, and loss of consciousness. The prevalence of epilepsy in Saudi Arabia is significant, with studies indicating insufficient knowledge among the public and schoolteachers.
A recent study conducted in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has assessed the effectiveness of an educational program aimed at improving the knowledge and first-aid skills of caregivers of epilepsy patients. The study, titled "Assessing Knowledge and First-aid Practice Scores of Caregivers of Epilepsy Patients Before and After an Educational Programme," provides valuable insights into the impact of education on epilepsy care in Saudi Arabia.
A multidisciplinary team of researcher’s form Malaysia, Saudi Arabia and The Netherlands conducted a survey before and after an intervention, in neurology clinics throughout Saudi Arabia, focusing on the local community. Information was gathered through a pretested, semi-structured questionnaire administered by interviewers.
Before the intervention, a survey involving 586 caregivers revealed that nearly 60% lacked sufficient knowledge about epilepsy. However, after the educational program, this percentage decreased significantly to 23.2%. Similarly, prior to the intervention, 84% of caregivers lacked adequate knowledge of first-aid practices, which decreased to 32.4% post-education. Residence in Western regions of Saudi Arabia was associated with lower scores in first-aid practice knowledge, both before and after the intervention. Conversely, having a university degree or higher education was positively correlated with higher knowledge scores, both pre-intervention (T=-4.564; p<0.001) and post-intervention (T=-2.775; p=0.025). Additionally, caregivers over 50 years old exhibited significantly lower mean first-aid practice knowledge scores (F=7.771; p=0.001).
Prior to educational interventions, caregivers demonstrated poor general and first-aid practice knowledge, which significantly improved following the interventions. Targeted educational health promotion initiatives could effectively raise awareness among individuals with lower education levels and older caregivers, especially those residing in the Western regions of Saudi Arabia.
Read the full text articles in The Open Pubic Health Journal here: http://bit.ly/3xT6iet
JOURNAL
The Open Public Health Journal
ARTICLE TITLE
Assessing Knowledge and First-aid Practice Scores of Caregivers of Epilepsy Patients Before and After an Educational Programme in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
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