Discussion: Reducing risks of natural hazards

LAWRENCE — The KU Public Safety Office Emergency Management Department is hosting the second event in a “lunch and learn” lecture series about interdisciplinary issues within disasters and emergencies. KU professors and scholars will share their fresh perspectives and pivotal research.

The upcoming session will feature Ward Lyles, assistant professor of urban planning, who will present “How Can We Create More Sustainable and Compassionate Communities? Exploring the Role of Reducing Risks from Natural Hazards.” The event will take place from 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. Thursday, March 29. 

“Across the country — and around the world — we too often lose sight of how local commitment to reducing the suffering of our neighbors and providing the opportunity for future generations to flourish requires building communities that are less vulnerable to natural hazards, especially for historically marginalized populations,” said Lyles, who will discuss strategies to prevent or lessen the effects of natural and manmade disasters.

In 2014, Lyles was selected as a National Science Foundation Fellow for the Enabling the Next Generation of Hazards and Disasters Researchers Program. Recently, he was awarded an NSF Faculty Early Career Development Program grant to advance natural hazard mitigation by examining decision-making of local networks of stakeholders who are involved in planning and risk reduction.

The final lecture in the series will take place at 12:30 p.m. April 27. All events will take place in the Crossroads Room, level four of the Kansas Union. Students, staff and faculty are welcome.