Summary
Several CHEER members recently attended the Society for Risk Analysis Annual Meeting in Austin, Texas, where they led an afternoon symposium dedicated to the Hub’s research.
Every year, many await the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s release of its annual Atlantic Hurricane Season Outlook with great interest. One reason this report is so highly anticipated is that it allows coastal residents, emergency planners, and local governments time to understand their risks in the upcoming season.
While this year’s initial outlook turned out to be relatively accurate, there were still some surprising moments and record-breaking weather events. It’s unexpected scenarios like these that remind experts that unforeseen risks can foil even the most well-conceived plans.
This topic was the focal point of the 2024 Society for Risk Analysis (SRA) Annual Meeting. This year’s conference, which was held in Austin, Texas, with the theme Beyond the Horizon: Strategies for Managing Unseen Risks, brought together a vast cross-disciplinary community of scientists from academia, industry, and government.
Over the course of four days, participants had the opportunity to learn about risk assessment, management, communication, foundations, and law and policy by attending various presentations. One of those sessions was focused on CHEER and hosted by five Hub members during a 90-minute symposium.
“The SRA symposium was a great opportunity to share our work with and get input from an interdisciplinary community of risk experts,” said CHEER PI Rachel Davidson, who is a past president and 25-year member of the SRA.
Davidson and Hesam Soleimani, a UCLA postdoctoral researcher, chaired the event. Kendra Dresback, Junkan Li, and Maria Porada also participated in the symposium.
Davidson began by presenting the Hub’s overarching mission, introducing the STARR framework, and providing an overview of its components. This session was followed by five presentations from other Hub members who provided more detailed insights into the work of the hazards, buildings, economy, and households thrusts.
Symposium: Coastal Hazards, Equity, Economic prosperity, and Resilience (CHEER) Hub
- Session Chairs: Rachel Davidson, University of Delaware and Hesam Soleimani, UCLA
Presentation: A Stakeholder-based Decision Support Framework for Hurricane Disaster Risk Management
- Rachel Davidson, University of Delaware
- Kendra Dresback, University of Oklahoma
Presentation:Joint Structural-Household Inventory Generation for Large-Scale Hurricane Hazard Assessment
- Hesam Soleimani, UCLA
- Ertugrul Taciroglu, UCLA
- Askari Mohammad UCLA
- Rachel Davidson, University of Delaware
- Maria Porada, University of Delaware
Presentation: Hurricane Risks to the Coastal North Carolina Economy
- Junkan Li, Cornell University
While Hub researchers are no strangers to showcasing their work, it was several members’ first time presenting at the SRA’s annual meeting. According to Soleimani, a member of the buildings thrust and a first-time attendee, having feedback from such a niche group of experts was invaluable.
“Presenting my research was a thrilling experience because it allowed me to share my findings with a community specifically passionate about risk analysis,” said Soleimani, a member of the buildings thrust and a first-time attendee. “The feedback and questions I received reassured me that my efforts were successful and headed in the right direction.”
The SRA meeting also provided Hub members an opportunity to have face time with their fellow CHEER colleagues. For some, including Maria Porada, this event was the first time they presented CHEER research in person with other Hub members.
“After more than two years of primarily virtual meetings with occasional in-person gatherings—and having presented my work individually at other conferences—this was the first time I had the opportunity to present Hub research with my CHEER colleagues,” Porada said. “Attending conferences like this one reinforces the importance of communicating our work and building connections beyond our individual circles.”
