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Issue 1, April 2007 |
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Funding and Collaboration OpportunitiesRobert Wood Johnson (RWJ) FoundationA special solicitation from the RWJ's Vulnerable Populations Portfolio, “Fresh Ideas: Improving the Health of Immigrant and Refugee Communities,” aims to give immigrants and refugees the tools and support they need to improve and maintain their own health. The program offers grants of up to $300,000 each for up to three years. Eligible proposals must address ways to improve the health of immigrants and refugees by linking social factors—such as language skills, significant cultural differences, education, and poverty—with health outcomes. The foundation anticipates reviewing groups of proposals several times during the year. The next review deadline is April 13, 2007. Feature StoryLessons from Japan: Bringing Experience from Kobe and Tokyo to New Orleans
Tokyo and Kobe might sound worlds away from New Orleans, but the two Japanese metropolises have much in common with Louisiana's most populous city. Tokyo lies mostly below sea level in a region vulnerable to typhoons, and Kobe suffered a devastating 1995 earthquake that wrought destruction comparable to that of Hurricane Katrina. Both hold important lessons for New Orleans. In October 2006, Douglas Meffert, professor of river and coastal studies at Tulane and deputy director of the Center for Bioenvironmental Research at Tulane and Xavier Universities, visited Kobe and Tokyo as a member of a disaster study team funded by the Japan Foundation Center for Global Partnership. In Kobe, he saw clear parallels with New Orleans: Both experienced failures in their protective infrastructures, resulting in extensive damage. In Tokyo, he saw vast systems of levees and pumping stations to protect the city from flooding, just like in New Orleans. However, Tokyo differs from New Orleans in an important way. Says Meffert, “They have learned to live with their water and prepare for flooding. They don't rely solely on keeping it out at all costs.” 
Since last fall, Meffert has begun a three-year project to develop partnerships between teams from the United States and Japan to support long-term recovery through policy development, grassroots exchange, and innovative educational activities for youth. Funded by the Japan Foundation Center for Global Partnership and the Center for Bioenvironmental Research at Tulane and Xavier Universities, the project will form three multi-national teams to conduct interdisciplinary study of catastrophic urban disasters in Kobe, New Orleans, and other cities. The teams will focus on development in three key areas: preparedness policy and a roadmap for recovery; grassroots networks to support urban renewal; and innovative K-12 educational programs related to disaster recovery. Through this work, Meffert hopes he and his collaborators will advance our knowledge of urban recovery and foster professional development for university students and researchers studying disaster recovery. In that regard, he hopes to engage in RGSPI collaborations to examine international models of structural and non-structural measures that can be applied to sustainable recovery practices in the region. Says Meffert, “The best way to learn how to be a pioneer in recovery is to learn from other pioneers.” Douglas Meffert can be reached at dmeffert@tulane.edu. Center SpotlightJackson State University's Center for Business Development and Economic ResearchJackson State University, a historically black college in Jackson, Mississippi is home to the Center for Business Development and Economic Research, which houses the research and service functions of the university's College of Business. Directed by Lurlene Irvin, the center operates two units, the Small Business Development Center and the Bureau of Business and Economic Research. Both units are actively making a difference in the region's economic recovery. The Small Business Development Center is Mississippi's largest center supporting small business, and it boasts the highest success rate in the state. It serves more than 1,200 clients and provides more than $8 million in loans to small business owners each year. Since Hurricane Katrina, many of the clients' enterprises relate to disaster relief, such as temporary housing, trucking, debris removal, and construction. Dr. Irvin and her staff pride themselves on the fact that they “hold the hands of [their] clients a lot more than most consultants and assistance centers would.” As a result, clients develop long-term relationships and stay in contact even after they become successful. In the NewsCorps Caused Disaster, Report Says: State Inquiry Finds Decades of Blunders Report Proposes National Hurricane Research Initiative RAND Report Offers Ways to Help New Orleans Police Boost Recruitment, Retention of Officers Recovery Czar Wants to Spend $1.1 Billion on Recovery Building Better Schools, a Times-Picayune Editorial Governor Blanco Unveils Education Budget: Makes K-12 and Higher Ed a Priority |
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