New Social Science-Extreme Weather Research Alliance Being Formed, Input Sought
A new public-private research partnership is taking shape, looking specifically at the interdisciplinary and highly complex challenges associated with extreme weather events. The Alliance for Social-Behavioral Systems and Extreme Environmental Events (The Alliance) is the product of several years of community workshops, reports and other discussions on ways in which to bring the social, behavioral, and economic sciences to bear on helping society better “understand, prepare for, mitigate, and respond and adapt to extreme environmental events.” The most recent workshop, held in May 2015, served as an impetus for The Alliance as it is now conceptualized. It will be formally launched around November 1.
The Alliance will not become a new research center, nor is it intended to compete with existing research organizations for limited federal research funds. Instead, it will serve as a convener of diverse stakeholder communities (including researchers, emergency managers, Federal and state governments, private industry, and foundations) to tackle these issues using a holistic scientific approach (to include the social sciences, physical sciences, engineering, and technology). With this in mind, an Organization and Start-Up Plan for The Alliance has been released for public comment, which is due by October 1 (public comment can be submitted through email). In addition, two teleconferences have been scheduled to allow for additional public input and will occur on September 16 at 11:30-12:30 am and September 22 at 2:00-3:00 pm. The call-in details are posted on this website.