The Gulf Scholars Program: Designing for Coastal Resiliency Through a Transdisciplinary Lens

Presented by Jamie Dyer, interim dean, interdisciplinary studies, associate director, Northern Gulf Institute, professor, meteorology and climatology

Who should attend?  This session is appropriate for all faculty, staff and student audiences, as this program is intended to demonstrate implementation of new models and methods for inter- and transdisciplinary collaboration for “big ideas.”​​​​​​​

Description: The Gulf Coast region has experienced incredible environmental, economic and social hardships, leading to a culture of resilience, and understanding the ability of communities to remain resilient—and to identify exactly what resiliency looks like—requires a critical evaluation of multiple complex and interconnected systems. To this end, the Gulf Scholars Program at MSU aims to define and assess resiliency through a transdisciplinary lens to better understand the issues within and connections between challenges to Gulf Cost communities. The academic initiative will train students (and faculty) to assess the ability of a community to respond to the threat and impact of natural and human disasters, as well as how to communicate and work collaboratively in a constantly changing atmosphere of diverse thoughts, ideas, personalities and ambitions. It is these skills and perspectives that are necessary for the generation of true change agents, as positive change requires both an understanding of the issues as well as the skills necessary to strategize and implement viable solutions.