 Richard Luettich, D.Sc.
With the grant, UNC will partner with other universities,
government agencies and industry representatives to create and direct
research efforts for the Center of Excellence for the Study of Natural
Disasters, Coastal Infrastructure and Emergency Management. The
research consortium builds on UNC's strength in coastal hazard
modeling, coastal planning and information technology.
According
to DHS, the grant will provide UNC-led research at least $2.5 million a
year for six years, and possibly considerably more as the center
develops. UNC will team with Jackson State University in Mississippi to
carry out an education and outreach component to disseminate and
implement the research into practice. Other details, such as naming
partner institutions, are still being finalized.
"The
combination of UNC-Chapel Hill's distinguished record of excellence in
research and our state's ample experience in dealing with natural
disasters makes UNC the perfect candidate to host this Homeland
Security Center of Excellence," said Rep. David Price, who represents
Chapel Hill in the U.S. House of Representatives.
"As chairman
of the Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittee, I have been a
strong supporter of the department's Centers of Excellence, and I want
to congratulate UNC and its partner institutions on this stellar
achievement. I look forward to the benefits our whole country will
enjoy from the work of the new center," Price said.
"This
grant is an example of how the hard work by scientists at UNC and our
partner universities pays off in very tangible ways, for the people of
North Carolina and across the country," said UNC Chancellor James
Moeser. "It will help protect our homes, our businesses, our
environment and our livelihoods."
"This grant is a very exciting
success for our entire team and specifically for North Carolina where
much of the research will be focused," said Luettich, who is
also a professor of marine sciences in UNC's College of Arts and
Sciences. "Scientists have learned
a great deal from recent natural disasters, including hurricane
Katrina. While we've made a lot of progress modeling these extreme
events, this grant will allow our national team of experts to take our
work to a much higher level. This is very rewarding work for the
scientists, because we've all seen - most of us first-hand - how much
of an impact these events have on people's lives."
Luettich is internationally known for his work
in storm surge and other coastal modeling and is currently serving on
two National Research Council committees of the National Academy of
Engineering that are reviewing the hurricane vulnerability of the
greater New Orleans region.
The center's executive director will
be Gavin Smith, who will come to UNC from the consulting firm
PBS&J, where he was a principal. Smith formerly worked as the
director of the Office of Recovery and Renewal for the governor of
Mississippi and was instrumental in that state's Hurricane Katrina
recovery program.
"I look forward to working with government
officials - from the federal level to small coastal communities - to
share findings generated by center researchers. It will help them all
make more informed decisions," said Smith, a research professor in the
department of city and regional planning. Smith also worked in the
North Carolina Division of Emergency Management from 1996 to 2002.
UNC has used similar grants as a platform, enabling researchers to attract even more grant money and build other programs.
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School of Public Health contact: Ramona DuBose, director of communications, (919) 966-7467 or ramona_dubose@unc.edu.
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