New University of Washington research spotlights an often overlooked factor in earthquake fatality research: migration. The research team, led by Tzu-Hsin Karen Chen, an assistant professor in both the University of Washington’s Department of Urban Design and Planning and the Department of Environmental & Occupational Health Sciences, found that deaths in major earthquakes were often concentrated in suburban areas as opposed to city centers. The research team included many collaborators across Taiwan as well, using the country’s Chi-Chi Earthquake (1999)…
Tag: College of Built Environments
Optimizing communication and mobilization methods following disasters
A new interdisciplinary $2 million National Science Foundation effort at the University of Washington is examining networks and communication under emergencies. Professor Cynthia Chen, interim chair of the UW’s Industrial & Systems Engineering (ISE), is leading the research team that includes UW professors Dan Abramson (Urban Design & Planning), Kurtis Heimerl (Computer Science & Engineering), Tyler McCormick (Sociology and Statistics) and Shuai Huang (ISE). Chen and the team will first gather insights into current local sharing and social ties that…