Convergence Science in an Age of Environmental Extremes

One of the most enduring lessons of disasters is that they lead to a convergence of survivors, emergency responders, and supplies. Hazards and disaster researchers also regularly converge at the scene of extreme events in order to collect perishable data, characterize losses, and begin the process of tracing recovery trajectories over time. This research has led to fundamental advancements in knowledge regarding the human and health consequences of disasters while revealing how these events can often deepen already existing inequalities. As disasters become more frequent and intense, it is crucial that hazards and disaster researchers work together to set a scientific agenda that is rooted in a vision for ethical, rigorous, and holistic research aimed at responding to the rising social and environmental threats that confront vulnerable persons and communities globally.

This presentation will describe a new National Science Foundation-supported facility—CONVERGE—which is dedicated to advancing the ethical conduct and scientific rigor of hazards and disaster research while enhancing research coordination in extreme events. This presentation will describe the convergence science approach that informs the work of the facility, with a particular focus on grand environmental and social challenges and research responses to those challenges. It will also share information regarding new research coordination approaches—including the Social Science Extreme Events Research (SSEER) and Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering Extreme Events Research (ISEEER) networks.