Natural Hazards Research Australia’s Associate Student program expands with the addition of two scholars, Ahmed Qasim and Jane Toner.
Ahmed Qasim’s PHD project through Griffith University, Using digital technology to share and trade local food and improve community food resilience is exploring the potential for the digital supply chain tools used by organisations to inform local food exchange platforms by developing a prototype and refining it through community feedback. Severe weather that occurred in Queensland in early 2011 showed compelling evidence that, supermarkets, dependent on supplies from long food supply chain models, faced significant challenges to distribute food during the disaster, while more localised (short) food supply chains remained substantially intact.
Jane Toner’s PhD project, Enhancing community eco literacy for regenerative design: Inspired by nature, at Griffith University, is develop a framework for reconnecting humans to the ecology of their place. This research project engages with communities and their appreciation of local ecology to explore the potential for systematically enabling place-based stewardship. It also engages with built environment design practitioners, to translate findings into a regenerative design tool.
Both Ahmed and Jane were a part of the runner-up team at the 2022 Disaster Challenge Final. Their concept ‘Beacons of hope’ was for a disaster-activated information hub that harnessed the value of creative place making and art to bring communities together and provide emergency information to tourists.
The Centre’s Associate Student program provides opportunities for post-graduate students researching in relevant fields by connecting them to the Australian natural hazards research community. This allows them to participate in professional development activities, apply for short-term placements in partner organisations, apply for funding support and more.