As Co-Director of the Natural Hazards Center, Mary Fran Myers inspired and supported many researchers to do excellent work on gender issues and reducing disaster losses. Although Myers passed away in 2004, two prizes established in her name continue to support those who shared Myers vision: The Mary Fran Myers Scholarship and the Mary Fran Myers Award. This year, three winners have been named in honor of Myers.
The Mary Fran Myers Scholarship
The Mary Fran Myers Scholarship selection committee chose two recipients to receive the 2011 Scholarship, which recognizes outstanding individuals who share Myers passion for disaster loss reduction nationally and internationally. The Scholarship provides financial support to recipients who otherwise would be unable to attend and participate in the Annual Hazards Research and Applications Workshop to further their research or community work and careers.
Véronique Morin is a doctoral student in the Disaster Preparedness, Mitigation and Management program at the Asian Institute of Technology. She completed her undergraduate degree in Civil Engineering and has a Masters degree in Water Resources Engineering from the University of Alberta, Canada. Morin has more than eight years of experience in coastal engineering and integrated coastal zone management. She recently was chosen as a volunteer scientist with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change where she will support the lead author team as they prepare the Fifth Assessment Report. Her research interests are assessing climate change impacts on coastal hazards and developing adaptation strategies for coastal communities in Small Island Developing States.
Keya Mitra has been active in furthering the seismic safety agenda in India by targeting the architecture fraternity—both practicing professionals and students of architecture. She now serves on the National Advisory Committee of National Information Centre of Earthquake Engineering and has participated in continuing education programs on architecture faculty for training in earthquake resistant architecture. Mitra’s research focuses on how development regulations and building rules influence the earthquake safety and construction in urban areas. She developed a methodology for rapid visual assessment for seismic evaluation of reinforced concrete frame buildings in India—the first attempt in India to develop an indigenous methodology of this kind.
The Mary Fran Myers Award
The Mary Fran Myers Award was established in 2002 to recognize disaster professionals who continue Myers’ goal of promoting research on gender issues, disasters, emergency management, and higher education. The Gender and Disaster Network have named Mirta Rodríguez Calderón as the 2011 Mary Fran Myers Award winner.
Mirta Rodríguez Calderón is a journalist whose exceptional reporting illuminated the challenges women faced before and after the 2010 Haiti earthquake. A correspondent with the Dominican news agency SEMLAC, she is also a communication professor at the Pontificia Universidad Católica Madre y Maestra in Santo Domingo and chief editor for the Journal of Communication. Her ability to bring the experiences and activism of women to life for readers raised awareness of the critical need to promote social justice in disaster response and recovery.