Plenary Sessions
Monday, July 15, 10:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. MDT
Rigorous social science research has long informed emergency management risk communication strategies. But we are in a new era—one marked by cascading and compounding disasters and public mistrust in officials. This changing atmosphere calls for a recommitment to time-proven risk communication principles as well as new and creative strategies for reaching a disaster-weary public.
We hope you will join this plenary session, which will open with remarks from the 12th Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Deanne Criswell. She will be joined on stage by a panel of experts who will speak about their novel communication efforts after recent disasters. They will also highlight new strategies designed to reach diverse populations and ensure that they have the information they need to prepare for, respond to, and recover from all hazards.
Tuesday, July 16, 8:30 to 10:00 a.m. MDT
When a COVID-19 vaccine first became available, it was clear that an effective vaccine communication and delivery strategy would need to be hyperlocal and aligned with the core values of communities, their material circumstances, and their unique cultures and histories. To address this challenge, a national rapid research-to-action coalition—CommuniVax—was launched. The effort brought social scientists, community advocates, and public health experts together into teams who worked to boost vaccine equity in Black and Hispanic/Latino communities in Alabama, California, Idaho, Maryland, and Virginia. This plenary will feature researcher-community partner pairs from three CommuniVax states. They will share stories of the bonds created through equitable partnership while also offering lessons regarding the ongoing impacts of their work. Ultimately, the panel will emphasize how—regardless of the disaster and the diversity of the community—we can work together to achieve authentic connection and respectful collaborations.
Tuesday, July 16, 10:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. MDT
Music makes our hearts beat together, synchronizes our brain waves, and deepens our emotional connection to stories. In this plenary session, physical scientists, social scientists, and musicians will share their stories—from preparing for hurricane season in the Caribbean, to searching for a climate anthem, to using music to connect cultures and build resilience—that exemplify how music and sound scientific principles can be combined to influence risk perception and drive climate action. The session will close with a short musical documentary, “Creating Change Through Music,” which showcases how music can be used to change the emotional climate about climate change, educate people about climate crisis solutions, and motivate effective action.
In addition to this session, participants who are registered for the Tuesday evening barbeque will be invited to join an interactive musical performance. Everyone will be able to listen and sing along to music created with Tempo principles, based in social science, that motivate action by invoking hope and pride in community.
Wednesday, July 17, 11:15 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. MDT
The 2018 Woolsey Fire in Southern California killed three people, destroyed more than 1,600 structures, and prompted the evacuation of nearly 300,000 people from Los Angeles and Ventura Counties. In the aftermath, researchers, community members, and firefighters came together to form the Community Brigade Pilot Program. The program identified seven high-risk communities to serve as proving grounds for the effort. This plenary session will detail what it took to establish this program, which was unanimously approved by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors and the Los Angeles County Fire Department, and examine the challenges and opportunities for building resilience that it has revealed. Join this plenary session to hear a story of the power of proactive mitigation efforts and integrated response capabilities that also showcases the potential for a resilience-embracing cultural shift across the wildland urban interface.
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