6 February 2015 Higher Education Program News

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  Hi Ed Symposium:
  

Mark your calendars for the 17^th Annual Emergency Management Higher Education Symposium scheduled for June 1- 4, 2015 at the Emergency Management Institute, Emmitsburg, MD.

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  Student Volunteer Information
  

Students currently enrolled in a college/university emergency management program are needed as student volunteer interns for the 17^th Annual Emergency Management Higher Education (Hi Ed) Symposium.  Students will be assigned one or more breakout session for reporting assignments and will be expect to perform general conference duties. The reports will be incorporated into the post-symposium proceedings posted to the FEMA Emergency Management Higher Education Program website. 

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  TWO STEM and STEM Support Internship Opportunities at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL)
  

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  Undergraduates, Recent-AAS/BS, MS, and PhD  – Science, Engineering, Technology and Mathematics (STEM) majors or related disciplines for technical support opportunities
  
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  Stipend based on academic status
  
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  Travel/Housing assistance (if eligible)
  
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  Full-time and part-time appointments
  
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  Professional development activities
  
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  Minimum GPA  - 2.5/4.0
  
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  U.S. Citizen or Lawful Permanent Resident (LPR)
  

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  Current AAS, BS, MS, and PhD students – Majors related to Engineering, Earth and Geosciences, Environmental and Marine Sciences, Life Health and Medical Sciences, Mathematics and Statistics, Nanotechnology, Chemistry, Physics, International Relations, Political Science, Government, Policy, Risk Analysis, and Computer Science
  
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  Stipend based on academic status
  
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  Travel/Housing assistance (if eligible)
  
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  Full-time and part-time appointments
  
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  Professional development activities
  
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  Minimum GPA  - 3.0/4.0
  
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  Open to U.S. and Eligible International Citizenship
  

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  University of Washington Launches New Floodplain Management Master’s Program
  

The Master of Infrastructure Planning & Management now offers a degree option in Floodplain Management, allowing students to earn their master's with a focus on the study of coastal and riverine floodplain management. This 45-credit degree program lasts 18 months and launches with its first student cohort in summer 2015.

Topics unique to this degree option include:

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  Governmental role in floodplain management
  
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  Cities and floodplains
  
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  Hydrology, hydraulics and fluvial mechanics
  
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  Floodplain ecosystem services
  
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  Floodplain identification and mapping
  
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  Climate change adaptation
  
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  Resilient design for flood-prone communities
  
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  Coastal flood risk reduction and design measure
  

As with the main degree program, students are required to complete a capstone project to gain real-world experience. This project presents an opportunity to synthesize the knowledge learned throughout the program, to conduct research and to network in a particular area of the field.

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  Disaster Information Outreach by Librarians DISASTR-OUTREACH-LIB@LIST.NIH.GOV
  

 

WHEN:  Thursday, February 12, 2015 at 1:30 PM ET  

 

WHO CAN PARTICIPATE:  The Disaster Information Specialist monthly meeting is open to everyone – please spread the word and invite others in your organizations, send to your email lists, and post to your social media accounts.

 

TOPIC:  Interactive Approaches for Learning Information/Communication Tools and Emergency Management Procedures

Representatives of the Disaster Information Management Research Center of the National Library of Medicine will present about using tabletop exercises and virtual reality for training on emergency management procedures such as the Hospital Incident Command System, and for learning how to use information and communication tools that may be needed in an emergency or disaster.
PRESENTERS:  Jennifer Pakiam has an MS in Biohazardous Threat Agents & Emerging Infectious Diseases. She is a Technical Information Specialist in the Disaster Information Management Research Center (DIMRC). In this role she had led a number of tabletop exercises for health care professionals and information specialists. Victor Cid is a Senior Computer Scientist at DIMRC. While at DIMRC, he has developed training exercises using virtual reality software to teach health care professionals emergency management procedures. He has an MS in Telecommunications Management.
LOGIN:   To join the meeting at 1:30 pm ET, Thursday, February 12, click on https://webmeeting.nih.gov/disinfo  

Enter your name in the guest box and click "Enter Room".

A box should pop up asking for your phone number. 

Enter your phone number and the system will call you. 

For those who cannot use this call-back feature, the dial-in information is:

Dial-In:  1-888-757-2790

Pass-Code: 745907

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If you have never attended an Adobe Connect Pro meeting before:

Test your connection: https://webmeeting.nih.gov/common/help/en/support/meeting_test.htm   

Get a quick overview: http://www.adobe.com/go/connectpro_overview 
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*Selections from over 100 e-sources*

*Follow NLM_DIMRC on Twitter:  http://twitter.com/NLM_DIMRC *
***Ebola Outbreak 2014-2015: Information Resources***

We continue to update our health topic Web page on the current Ebola outbreak. The latest changes to the page include updating the “Ebola Treatment Drugs in Development & Trials” section. We also continue to add the latest Ebola health information documents to Disaster Lit: Resource Guide for Disaster Medicine and Public Health.

Ebola Outbreak 2014-15 Information Resources: http://disasterinfo.nlm.nih.gov/dimrc/ebola_2014.html

Disaster Lit: Resource Guide for Disaster Medicine and Public Health: Ebola http://disasterlit.nlm.nih.gov/search/?searchTerms=ebola+OR+hemorrhagic&search.x=22&search.y=18&search=Search    

The recording and slides from the January 2015 Disaster Information Specialist webinar are now available online. During this webinar, Dan Wilson, Coordinator, National Network of Libraries of Medicine Emergency Preparedness & Response Initiative, spoke about his experiences advocating for greater disaster readiness in libraries.  He based this on his experiences creating a disaster readiness culture at his library (University of Virginia Health Sciences Library) and his role in establishing a Virtual Operations Support Team (VOST) at the Charlottesville/Albemarle County Community Emergency Response Team (CERT).

http://disasterinfo.nlm.nih.gov/dimrc/dismeetings.html#previous15
***Disaster Information Roles in Humanitarian Response***

Recently two blog posts were published on the various roles humanitarians play during disasters. Both of these posts provide details of work done by humanitarians that make use of disaster information management skills. One post includes an infographic that details the types of skills a humanitarian data scientist needs, such as data management, humanitarian business, information management and more. This post ends with a link to free Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) that corresponded to the skills listed in the infographic. The second posts focused on the work digital humanitarians are doing in the response to the Ebola outbreak including verifying, updating and geo-tagging mapping data. Take a few moments to read these blog posts, and consider how your skills fit with this work.

*Humanitarian Data Scientist: Who and How?http://blog.veritythink.com/post/105715607274/humanitarian-data-scientist-who-and-how

*How Digital Humanitarians are improving the Ebola Response http://www.alnap.org/node/19425.aspx

The goal of the guide is to enable and streamline the development, discovery and distribution of mobile applications for first responders.  This guide provides background information on first responders and the public safety environment along with recommendations on app function, security, and performance within this realm.  

http://www.dhs.gov/sites/default/files/publications/12-08-2014%20First%20Responder%20Mobile%20Application%20Development%20Best%20Practices%20%20%20FINAL%20508%20compliant_0.pdf
***Online Course: Effective Use of New Media in Global Health*** 

INIS Institute

The INIS Institute is a non-profit e-learning initiative that supports improved public health responses in low- and middle-income countries through the optimal use of new media tools. They have developed a free 3-month step-by-step course that will help students to become familiar with the most popular social media tools and to be able to use them to achieve individual/organizational goals more effectively. Students will gain more confidence in using social media strategically to increase the visibility of specific health issues among other organizations and decision-makers.

http://elearning.iniscommunication.com/index.php

Register: http://elearning.iniscommunication.com/register.php
***Webinar: Adapting Incident Command Systems to Humanitarian Response***

Active Learning Network for Accountability and Performance in Humanitarian Action (ALNAP)

February 12th, 5:00 AM - 6:30 AM ET

This webinar considers the possibilities of applying elements of the Incident Command System (ICS) in humanitarian response, including questions such as: How can ICS be adapted by humanitarians? Has anyone tried? What challenges/solutions did they come across? What would they do differently? Are there signs this has improved the response? The webinar explores the experiences of World Vision and MSF (Doctors without Borders), who have both considered the use of ICS within their own humanitarian responses.

Register:  https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/1730044526902108930

More information:  http://www.alnap.org/event/764.aspx

http://disasterlit.nlm.nih.gov/latest/?pg=&pgSize=100&PubYear=&PubTypeID=&AuID=&SourceID=&ResearchDocument=&period=14 

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), January 2015

This 192-page document is the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)'s seventh preparedness report, demonstrating how federal investments enhance the nation's ability to respond to public health threats and emergencies. It presents activities that occurred during 2013 and 2014 in the framework of CDC's three priorities: improving health security at home and around the world; better preventing the leading causes of illness, injury, disability, and death; and strengthening public health through collaboration with healthcare.

http://disasterlit.nlm.nih.gov/search/?searchTerms=ID%3A9994&search.x=0&search.y=0&search=Search

Medical Needs Sheltering

This self-guided online course introduces specific topics and outlines criteria related to the establishment of a medical needs shelter (MNS). It provides an overview of policies and procedures related to how an MNS operates, discusses shelter staff roles and responsibilities, and identifies the types of residents admitted to the shelter. The course curriculum also addresses staff preparation, activation, deployment, demobilization, and other logistical considerations during an event.

http://disasterlit.nlm.nih.gov/search/?searchTerms=ID%3A9951&search.x=0&search.y=0&search=Search

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  FACT SHEET: Taking Action to Protect Communities and Reduce the Cost of Future Flood Disasters
  

Fact Sheet: http://www.whitehouse.gov/administration/eop/ceq/Press_Releases/January_30_2015

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  IAEM Dispatch, February 5, 2015