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Center for Studies in Demography and Ecology

UW Disasters, Demography, Data Science & Decisions (D4) Hack Week to Provide NOAA with Insights on Managing Weather Challenges

Fifty researchers from across the country will gather Sept. 9-13 at the University of Washington to tackle the challenge of providing timely, integrated information about community responses to severe climate-related events. The goal of the Disasters, Demography, Data Science & Decisions (D4) Hack Week, funded by NOAA and NIH support from a Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development research infrastructure grant (P2C HD042828), is to provide policymakers with better models and integrated data for anticipating communities’ needs before, during and after natural disasters.

Specifically, the effort seeks to understand the disparate impacts across populations, and the decisions that need to be made related to severe weather events like flooding, hurricanes and wildfire. Beside addressing data integration challenges, the teams will also develop AI tools for data integration and new approaches to managing uncertainties.

Researchers have formed seven teams tackling improvements in understanding the impacts of severe weather events including flooding from atmospheric rivers, wildfire, and tropical cyclones. Teams will present progress on their projects 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 12 and these can be viewed via livestream on the UW Center for Studies in Demography & Ecology (CSDE) YouTube channel.

 

The week-long hackathon — a type of hands-on, multi-day collaborative workshop bringing together a wide range of experts – is hosted by the NSF AI Institute for Research on Trustworthy AI in Weather, Climate, and Coastal Oceanography (AI2ES) (AI2ES), the UW Center for Studies in Demography & Ecology (CSDE), and the UW eScience Institute. The event will identify new types of data and ways for NOAA’s Societal Data Insights to integrate datasets, including advancements in AI and machine learning; and lessons learned to improve future weather communications tools.  During the hack-a-thon, researchers will showcase examples of how people and communities react before, during and after events.

The seven teams include projects such as:

  • A UW-led team exploring data on wildfires, household FEMA claims and demographics in California, to better understand federal disaster assistance after wildfires
  • A team from AI2ES and its partners (including members from NSF NCAR, Stanford, University of Oklahoma, and the UW), looking at surveys of individuals before, during and after a spring 2024 atmospheric river flooding event (an event with heavy rainfall over a sustained time) in Southern California to understand how people adapt their driving behavior to such extreme weather events
  • A multi-institutional team exploring how tropical cyclones affect human migration, focusing on locations and demographics, by combining county-level migration with data on tropical cyclones, wildfires, floods and other sources
  • A team exploring how current flood management tools might deal with future climate scenarios, using data from FEMA, the National Flood Insurance Program and other sources

The event is funded through a major NOAA initiative to improve risk communication during weather emergencies and by NIH support from a Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development research infrastructure grant (P2C HD042828). Participants are from Arizona State University, Brown University, Colorado State University, Columbia University, CUNY, Florida State University, MIT, the NSF National Center for Atmospheric Research, NOAA, Pennsylvania State University, the Population Council, Portland State University, Princeton University, The Weather Company, the University of Colorado, the University of Miami, the University of Oklahoma, the University of Wisconsin and the UW. Teams include experts in climate science, atmospheric sciences, weather data and models, demography, psychology, risk analysis and communication, geography, sociology, ecology, forest sciences, agriculture, and environmental policy.

 

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For more information about the event, contact: d4hackweek@uw.edu.

*New* Biomarker Working Group: DNA Methylation and Epigenetic Clocks (8/1/24)

Date: Thursday, August 1, 2024
Time: 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm
Location: Raitt 223 and https://washington.zoom.us/j/91571954774

Please join the CSDE Biomarker Working Group for an upcoming discussion on DNA methylation and epigenetic clocks as biomarkers of aging! Special guest, Dr. Calen Ryan (Associate Research Scientist and Senior Data Scientist, Butler Columbia Aging Center at Columbia University) will present an overview of how epigenetic clocks are used in research on biological aging. Following the presentation, there will be time for questions and discussions of how DNA methylation data and methods might be applied to your research interests. From some background reading, please check out this review paper by Dr. Ryan.

The Biomarker Working Group meets on the first Thursday of each month. Please contact Tiffany Pan (tpan@uw.edu) for more information.

Jones and Schleimer Co-Author Story in the Seattle Times on Violence Intervention Programs

CSDE Affiliate Kristian Jones recently co-authored an article with UW Department of Epidemiology Doctoral Candidate Julia Schleimer in the Seattle Times titled, “Violence Intervention Programs Need Time to Demonstrate Impact.” Dr. Jones and Schleimer are also a part of the UW Firearm Injury & Policy Research Program where they research recent investments in community violence intervention. The article contextualizes questions about whether rates of violence have changed as a result of investing in these interventions and whether it is reasonable to expect immediate changes. Following the many events that occurred during the pandemic, governments began to invest in a different kind of public safety strategy, called community violence intervention. This strategy, “supports individuals at highest risk for interpersonal violence.” Dr. Jones and Schleimer state that while all programs are working towards preventing violence, it is a longer-term goal that will likely take years to see because community violence intervention programs are working against deeply rooted systems. Read the rest of the article to learn more about these intervention programs and other important information. 

*New* CSDE Scholars Please Link your Publication to CSDE’s Center Grant

We need your help!  Please link your research publications via PubMed to CSDE’s center grant, if you have benefitted from CSDE’s infrastructure. CSDE’s center grant infrastructure (staff, computing, seminars, seed funding, matches, mock reviews, working groups, travel funds, e-news announcements, etc.) wouldn’t be possible without NIH support.  It’s easy to link your publications and it shows our sponsors what great work we are doing, which means we can better support you!

Acknowledgements in the acknowledgements section of your paper are also very much appreciated.  Here is a link to language for acknowledging CSDE’s support in your work (presentations and publications).

Hess and Ebi Quoted in The New York Times Article About Extreme Heat and Related Health Risks

Summer 2024 has seen high temperatures and heat waves across the country. Sunday to Tuesday of the week of July 21st were the three hottest days on record. According to the New York Times Article, Heat-Related Emergencies Are Soaring in the U.S. Can Hospitals Keep Up?, these high temperatures caused heat-related emergencies. Preliminary estimates indicate the deaths of more than 100 people in western U.S. states, a number that will increase as death certificates become available. In 2023, around 2,300 people died in the U.S. due to heat-related illnesses. One part of the problem, beside the extreme heat, is that many hospitals are not prepared or have the guidance to deal with these types of afflictions. CSDE Affiliate Jeremy Hess states that routine check-ups devoted to medication and weight management don’t take into account how someone may react to extreme heat and how it could impact their health. Dr. Hess says that this requires screening tools and more time, but the healthcare system is not there yet. Expert on the health risks of extreme heat and UW Professor Dr. Kristie Ebi states that about 50% of deaths caused by heat waves are due to cardiovascular causes. The article discusses the increase in temperature, cause and effect of related health risks, what the medical field is currently equipped with and what they need more of to target and treat these issues, and more. 

*New* DSHS Facilities, Finance, and Analytics (FFA) Data Visualization Research Associate (7/31/24)

Data Visualization Research Associate

Washington Department of Social and Health Services

Olympia, WA

Washington State Department of Social and Health Services, Research and Data Analysis Division is seeking someone highly skilled in designing and communicating policy briefs, program reports, and presentations, this Research Associate in Data Visualization is the career choice for those not only accomplished in policy communication and design but also those that are dedicated to using their expertise to support social service initiatives.

*New* ASA Population Section: July Mid-Month Updates for 2024

Dear Population Section Members,

Welcome to our mid-month updates. We have exciting news, including a call for articles from the Russell Sage Foundation Journal of the Social Sciences and an invitation from the ASA Section on Aging and the Life Course.

As a reminder, our pop section activities at ASA will all be held on Sunday, August 11. Those include three paper sessions (one of which is co-sponsored by the Family Section), one roundtable session, section business meeting, and the joint reception with Family section. We hope you can join us!

 

If you have information to share for future newsletters, please send it to Qianyi Lu at qianyil4@illinois.edu. For job postings, please include the reference number to the ASA job bank, with a description of the position.

 

Here are our updates:

Announcement Summary

  • Call for papers: The Russell Sage Foundation Journal of the Social Sciences special issue, “Moving Beyond Deaths of Despair: Understanding Rising Mortality and Morbidity among Americans without College Degrees,” due by Sep 4.
  • Activity invitation: ASA Section on Aging and the Life Course sessions, roundtables, and research groups on Aug 10-11.

 

Announcement Details

  1. Call for papers: The Russell Sage Foundation Journal of the Social Sciences special issue, due by Sep 4.

RSF: The Russell Sage Foundation Journal of the Social Sciences invites submissions for an issue on “Moving Beyond Deaths of Despair: Understanding Rising Mortality and Morbidity among Americans without College Degrees.” Scholars are encouraged to submit proposals that address the questions of what explains the growing educational divide in physical and mental health and what this widening means for the lives of Americans without college degrees. The editors expect that many of the papers will directly address differences in mortality, including not only drug abuse, alcohol-related disease, and suicide but also major causes of death such as cardiovascular disease and cancer. They also encourage papers that will encompass topics as diverse as the changing labor market; social class; gender, racial, ethnic perspectives; studies of family and personal life; spatial variation; political processes; and social policy. The issue will be edited by Anne Case, Princeton University;  Andrew J. Cherlin, Johns Hopkins University; and Angus Deaton, Princeton University. More details are available athttps://www.russellsage.org/request-articles-moving-beyond-deaths-despair-understanding-rising-mortality-and-morbidity-among.

Prospective contributors should submit a CV and an abstract (up to two pages in length, single or double spaced) of their study along with up to two pages of supporting material (e.g., tables, figures, pictures, etc.) no later than 5 PM EST on September 4, 2024 to: https://rsf.fluxx.io. Questions about the issue should be addressed to Suzanne Nichols, Director of Publications, at journal@rsage.org; please do not contact the editors directly.

 

 

  1. Activity invitation: ASA Section on Aging and the Life Course (SALC) sessions, roundtables, and research groups.

The ASA Section on Aging and the Life Course (SALC) would like to invite those in complementary sections to our sessions and events this year!.

o          Open Session: LGBTQ+ Aging – Organized by Tara McKay, Vanderbilt University, Sat. August 10, Palais des Congrès, , Floor: Level 5, 511E

o          Open Session: Risk and Resilience Across the Life Course – Organized by Cleothia Frazier, Pennsylvania State University,  Sun, August 11, 8:00 to 9:30am, Palais des Congrès, Floor: Level 5, 511B

o          SALC Roundtables and Research Working Groups – Organized by Catherine Garcia, Syracuse University & Christine A. Mair, University of Maryland-Baltimore County, Sat, August 10, 4:00 to 5:30pm, Palais des Congrès, Floor: Level 5, 517B

 

Participate in the Mentoring Dessert Reception at this year’s ASA annual meeting! Topics include work/life integration, turning your dissertation into a book, publishing in journals, being successful on the job market, applying for grants and fellowships, and doing public sociology. You do not need to be a current SALC member to attend! The Mentoring Reception will be held on Sat, August 10, 7:30 to 9:00pm, Palais des Congrès, Floor: Level 5, 517B.

Rokem Receives Award from the Organization for Human Brain Mapping

CSDE Affiliate Ariel Rokem was recently awarded the Education in Neuroimaging Award from the Organization for Human Brain Mapping. The Education in Neuroimaging Award is given to an OHBM member who has made significant contributions to education and training in the field of neuroimaging. Dr. Rokem is a Research Associate Professor with the Department of Psychology and is a Data Science Fellow at the eScience Institute. He has made many contributions to education in neuroimaging including creating a summer school called Neurohackademy, which he co-directs with eScience Senior Data Scientist Noah Benson. At Neurohackademy, participants learn about technologies used to analyze human neuroscience data and how to make analysis and results shareable and reproducible. Applications for Summer 2024 have closed but the next round of applications will open in early 2025.