The University of Central Florida and its partners, including the City of Orlando and community organizations, will use a community-engaged approach to co-design an equity-centered, portable resilience hub and education center for underserved communities in Central Florida. Our Resilience, Education, and Advocacy Center for Hazard preparedness, or REACH hub will provide pre- and post-disaster necessities and connectivity and serve as hands-on STEM education centers during non-emergency times. We will put vulnerable communities in front of what we do by listening and incorporating community feedback to develop the technical specifications for the solar-powered, modular hub that can be scaled for other hurricane-prone communities.
Team Members:
- Dr. Kelly Stevens, PI, UCF School of Public Administration
- Dr. Zhihua Qu, Co-PI, UCF Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
- Dr. Yue "Gurt" Ge, Co-PI, UCF School of Public Administration
- Dr. L. Trenton Marsh, Co-PI, UCF Department of Learning Sciences and Educational Research
- Dr. Liqiang Wang, Co-PI, UCF Department of Computer Science
- Michael Hess, Senior Personnel, PE, Director of Future Ready at the City of Orlando
- Ian Lahiff, Senior Personnel, PE, Director of Energy and Carbon, U.S. Green Building Council
- Dr. Kristopher Davis, Senior Personnel, UCF Department of Materials Science and Engineering
- Dr. Christopher Emrich, Senior Personnel, UCF School of Public Administration
- Dr. Maritza Concha, Senior Personnel, UCF School of Public Administration
- Postdoctoral Scholars:
- Herbert Longenecker, School of Public Administration
- Students:
- Philip Cruz, Graduate Research Assistant, Electrical Engineering
- Yang Gao, Graduate Research Assistant, Computer Science
- Chelcee Pangerl, Graduate Research Assistant, Public Affairs
- Mohammad Newaz Sharif, Graduate Research Assistant, Public Administration
- Alexandra Silio, Undergraduate Student Research Assistant, Environmental Studies
- Sallyrose Savage, UCF Undergraduate Student in Public Administration - Graduated
Project Links:
- NSF Award Abstract Stage 1 and Stage 2
- NSF Civic Innovation Challenge Solicitation
- NSF & MetroLab Civic Website
- ThingLink REACH Hub Design
News:
- UCF, Orlando launch ‘resilience hub’ for underserved communities, WFTV. March 4, 2024.
- 'It Takes a Toll:' US low income and communities of color endure longer power outages, The Guardian, February 8, 2024
- UCF, city of Orlando to partner to launch resilience hubs, WESH, January 19, 2024
- UCF Research Team Moves to Build Mobile Resilience Hubs for Local Neighborhoods, UCF Today, January 11, 2024
- UCF wins Stage 2 NSF CIVIC Award to build pilot resilience hub with funding from NSF and the US Department of Energy, MetroLab, September 21, 2023
- CIVIC Innovation Challenge awards $19 million for climate change resilience and community-driven innovation, NSF, September 2023
- UCF Researchers Awarded NSF Grant to Establish Local Resiliency Labs, UCF TODAY, November 14, 2022.
5 Minute Informational Video (March 2023)
UCF HUB Project Video.mp4 from Reality Marketing Group on Vimeo.