
Project Name:
Support for SUMREX, Summer Research Teams for Coastal Resilience CenterOther Research Participants/Partners:
Joshua Behr, Michelle Covi (Old Dominion University)Project Description:
The ODU team will supervise two SUMREX interns over a six-week period from May–June 2019. The interns will participate in a joint ODU- Virginia Tech multi-disciplinary research project that examines and measures coping capacity to recurrent flooding in different urban neighborhoods.
The ODU team will also partner with the research project undertaken by Dr. Kulwinder Kaur and her undergraduate researchers from Elizabeth City State University (ECSU) studying mental health challenges in communities in coastal North Carolina that experience repeated hurricanes. They will form a multi-institutional, multi-disciplinary research team that brings together expertise in psychology, public policy, public health, communication, qualitative research and flooding/hazards.
The SUMREX and ECSU students will also participate in several research and professional activities provided/coordinated by the ODU team. The goal for the projects is also to encourage undergraduate students to consider graduate education opportunities. To this end, the ODU team will also include a graduate student who will participate in the research and serve as a mentor to the SUMREX and ECSU undergraduate students. They will also build in opportunities for undergraduate students to connect/network with other ODU graduate students, researchers and faculty to explore career and graduate school options.
Old Dominion University DHS Coastal Resilience Project website
Research Interests:
Transportation policy; transportation finance; economic development; entrepreneurship policy; public finance; public participation/civic engagement; impacts of sea level rise
Presentations and Reports:
2018 Annual Meeting Presentation
In past years, ODU has hosted SUMREX students from Tougaloo College in the summers of 2016-2018, and a Summer Research Team from Norfolk State University in 2018.


In the News:
CRC news:
Summer Research Teams receive follow-on funding for future work
Summer Research Teams work with Center partners to advance outreach
Summer center exchanges offer valuable experiences, produce event winners
CRC prepares for annual summer research exchanges
For third year, summer programs pair education projects with research
Summer Research Team to build on collaborative summer project work
Center credited in report from National Academies
Q&A: Dr. Camellia Okpodu, Norfolk State University
Summer research team focuses on disaster impacts on minority communities