MAKING A DIFFERENCE IN YOUR COMMUNITY!
Description of Research: Connections between community members and city service providers play a crucial role in enabling communities to effectively respond to disruptions, which might be small (a road closure) or large (an earthquake). This undergraduate student research project will focus on the collection, processing, and analysis of community network and disaster preparedness data in GIS or
other formats, supervised by graduate students and a faculty member. Detailed tasks are:
Data collection and manipulation. This includes obtaining and cleaning GIS data sets from a varietyof sources, including potentially the translation of data from other sources into GIS layers. Basic data manipulation and analysis skills are required; some knowledge of coding for GIS applications is
desirable.
Database construction and management. The data collected will be synthesized to create a project
database and a series of base maps to be used in community disaster preparedness workshops and
other research activities.
Communications and support. Effective communication with agencies, community members, and
the graduate student/faculty member will critical for data gathering and the creation of the
database. Tasks may also include supporting GIS weTable activities at community meetings.
Duration of the research: Summer 2018
Pay: $15/hour.
Required: 10 hours/week. Desired skills include experience with GIS database management, data
analysis and manipulation, and the ability to learn and complete tasks effectively. Maturity and integrity required to work on research projects and data are also important applicant attributes, as are reliability and excellent communication skills for working effectively with graduate students and faculty.
Applicant must be a U.S. citizen, U.S. national, or permanent resident of the United States and must be enrolled (part-time or full-time) in an undergraduate degree program. Women, students of color and students with disabilities are strongly encouraged to apply. Please send a 1-2 page CV, unofficial
transcript and a 1-2 paragraph statement of interest to Professor Cynthia Chen of Civil and
Environmental Engineering (qzchen@uw.edu) by April 30 th 2018.
Underrepresented students are encouraged to apply.