VIDEO: ODU Hosts Innovative Coastal Resilience Conference with Universities from Across the Nation
July 07, 2017
By Noell Saunders and Jon Cawley
Coastal resilience researchers from Old Dominion University were recently joined by experts from 14 other Universities around the country in a roundtable discussion to address a problem impacting communities globally: sea level rise.
The event, hosted at ODU's Innovation Research Park, highlighted topics such as leveraging institutional resources and partnerships to better serve communities; outreach strategies; economic development; and creating coastal resilience workforce opportunities for students.
During a brief introduction, Old Dominion President John R. Broderick described coastal resiliency as an "all-in effort" at ODU that spans academic fields across the University. He also touted an ongoing partnership the University has with the College of William & Mary and the Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) through the Commonwealth Center for Recurrent Flooding Resiliency that was launched last year by Gov. Terry McAuliffe.
"We are going to have much more success going forward as institutions if we collaborate and partner as opposed to trying to take individual paths," President Broderick said. "That's why I'm so impressed with the zip codes represented here today because if we can really build this into something where we're all playing a role in making this what we hope it can be, and this body of knowledge continues to move us all forward, then we've accomplished much more than what the individual issues are in our respective states."
Virginia Del. Chris Stolle was also in attendance at the resiliency strategy session. Stolle's district includes Virginia Beach and parts of Norfolk. He said the gathering of universities to discuss resiliency strategy is "extremely important" not just in terms of preparation but also in creating an economic engine for the region.
"I don't want to recover," Del. Stolle said. "I want the difficulties not to impact me. I want to be prepared ahead of time so I don't have to recover from a Sandy or Katrina. Or, if I do have to recover, then its minimal impact."
Larry Atkinson, a professor and Eminent Scholar at ODU's Department of Ocean, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, said increased flooding continues to be a major concern for Hampton Roads due to sea level rise and growth in storm intensity.
"For the last seven years, the University has been working very hard on how to deal with increased flooding. It's a challenge. We're dealing with it head on and so are communities all the way from Miami to Boston. We know its flooding more and we know why," he said. "I think the science and engineering is straight forward and it's now a matter of how we react and respond."
Emily Steinhilber, a research assistant professor who coordinates the Commonwealth Center for Recurrent Flooding Resiliency and worked to put together the event, said the hope is that ODU is able to learn from other universities similarly positioned in vulnerable areas, and the other Universities can learn from ODU's experience as well.
"We've had such a positive experience in our partnership with William and Mary and the Virginia Institute of Marine Science, and believe our communities have benefited as well. The attendees recognized the synergy of working together was greater than each university or research center's role individually," she said.
