Grants

Active Grants

1. "Agents of Change: Improvisation in Emergency Response: Linking Cognition, Behavior and Social Interaction", NSF Grant CMS-0624257, PI: D. Mendonça, Co-PIs: C. Butts (UCI) and G. Webb (OSU). Duration: October 2006-September 2009.
This project constitutes the first large-scale study to investigate improvisation at the nexus of cognitive, behavioral, and social phenomena in emergency response. The case studies for this project are the 1995 bombing of the Murrah Building in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and the 2001 attack on the World Trade Center in New York City, New York.

Large-scale disasters require society to plan for and respond to substantial disruption. As agents of sometimes profound change, disasters require integrated planning and response at multiple levels: at the social level, their complexity requires coordination through communication; at the behavioral level, time pressure creates the need for rapid decision making about response activities; at the cognitive level, uncertainty and rarity require creative thinking. Historical experience has demonstrated the importance of improvisationÑ-serial creativity executed under time constraint-Ñin responding to disasters, and how skill in improvising may complement skill in plan following. Improvisation is often conceptualized as the joint product of cognition, behavior, and social interaction.

This work is expected to lead to improved scientific understanding of improvisation in emergency response, thereby informing educational and policy initiatives to improve how society plans for, responds to, and learns from disasters. The first goal is to explain the cognitive, behavioral and social dynamics of improvisation in emergency response. The second goal is to present and make publicly available the machine-readable data and tools produced by the research project. The third goal is to develop and evaluate tools, techniques, and other materials to support training and policy making regarding improvised response to disaster.

2. CAREER: Improvisation in Response to Extreme Events, NSF Grant CMS-0449582, PI: D. Mendonça. Duration 15 January 2005-14 January 2010.
Extreme events such as natural or technological disasters challenge society's capabilities both for planning and response. As indicated by the long history of extreme event decision making, a key to successful planning and effective response is flexibility. One approach to achieving flexibility is improvisation: a combined behavioral and cognitive activity that requires creativity under tight time constraint in order to meet performance objectives. Work under this CAREER grant consists of integrated research and education programs designed to improve how society understands, plans for and supports improvisation in response to extreme events.

This project has included two supplemental research projects: 2.1International Research and Education in Engineering (IREE): CAREER: Improvisation in Response to Extreme Events", NSF Grant CMS-0449582 (supplemental), PI: D. Mendonça. Duration: summer 2007.
Work under this grant involved replication and extension of the activities being conducted under the above NSF CAREER grant (NSF CMS-0449582). All activities took place in The Netherlands, with base at the Policy Analysis Section of the Department of Multi-Actor Systems within the Faculty of Technology, Policy and Management at the Delft University of Technology.

2.2 A workshop on defining an agenda for research in the area of information and communication technology for crisis management (workshop web site). This workshop was supported by the National Science Foundation and Delft University of Technology.

Prior Grants

1. SGER: Hurricane Katrina Debris Removal Operations: The Role of Communication and Computing Technologies, NSF Grant CMS-0553080, PI: D. Mendonça. Duration 1 October 2005-30 September 2006.
Background: The nature and quantity of debris following a large-scale disaster can create considerable challenges to cleanup efforts and thus to societal recovery. To enable effective use of communications and computing technologies in such circumstances, it is advisable to have heuristics that can support response personnel in deciding which technologies are most appropriate for supporting various response activities. To this end, this study will observe and develop recommendations on the use of communications and computing technologies in support of debris removal operations following Hurricane Katrina. This work should lead to theoretically-grounded recommendations on how these technologies might better support debris removal operations following large-scale disasters.

2. Decision Technologies for Managing Critical Infrastructure Interdependencies, NSF Grant CMS-0301661, PI: W.A. Wallace, CP: J.E. Mitchell, D. Mendonça of RPI. Duration 15 August 2003-30 May 2006
The objective of the research is to improve understanding of and support for the management of interdependent critical infrastructure systems. Infrastructure interdependence occurs when an impact on one infrastructure system results in an impact on one or more other infrastructure systems. The particular focus of the research is on developing techniques that can be used to mitigate against or respond to events that can adversely impact interdependent infrastructure systems.

3. Small Grant for Exploratory Research: Impact of the World Trade Center Disaster on Critical Infrastructure Interdependence. National Science Foundation Grant CMS-0139306, PI: W. A. Wallace, CPs: J. Chow, D. Mendonça. Duration: 1 October 2001-30 September 2003.


Home Curriculum Vitae Research Selected Publications Grants Research Team Teaching Activities Current Opportunities Links	Grants Active Grants 1. "Agents of Change: Improvisation in Emergency Response: Linking Cognition, Behavior and Social Interaction", NSF Grant CMS-0624257, PI: D. Mendonça, Co-PIs: C. Butts (UCI) and G. Webb (OSU). Duration: October 2006-September 2009. This project constitutes the first large-scale study to investigate improvisation at the nexus of cognitive, behavioral, and social phenomena in emergency response. The case studies for this project are the 1995 bombing of the Murrah Building in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and the 2001 attack on the World Trade Center in New York City, New York. Large-scale disasters require society to plan for and respond to substantial disruption. As agents of sometimes profound change, disasters require integrated planning and response at multiple levels: at the social level, their complexity requires coordination through communication; at the behavioral level, time pressure creates the need for rapid decision making about response activities; at the cognitive level, uncertainty and rarity require creative thinking. Historical experience has demonstrated the importance of improvisationÑ-serial creativity executed under time constraint-Ñin responding to disasters, and how skill in improvising may complement skill in plan following. Improvisation is often conceptualized as the joint product of cognition, behavior, and social interaction. This work is expected to lead to improved scientific understanding of improvisation in emergency response, thereby informing educational and policy initiatives to improve how society plans for, responds to, and learns from disasters. The first goal is to explain the cognitive, behavioral and social dynamics of improvisation in emergency response. The second goal is to present and make publicly available the machine-readable data and tools produced by the research project. The third goal is to develop and evaluate tools, techniques, and other materials to support training and policy making regarding improvised response to disaster. 2. CAREER: Improvisation in Response to Extreme Events, NSF Grant CMS-0449582, PI: D. Mendonça. Duration 15 January 2005-14 January 2010. Extreme events such as natural or technological disasters challenge society's capabilities both for planning and response. As indicated by the long history of extreme event decision making, a key to successful planning and effective response is flexibility. One approach to achieving flexibility is improvisation: a combined behavioral and cognitive activity that requires creativity under tight time constraint in order to meet performance objectives. Work under this CAREER grant consists of integrated research and education programs designed to improve how society understands, plans for and supports improvisation in response to extreme events. This project has included two supplemental research projects: 2.1International Research and Education in Engineering (IREE): CAREER: Improvisation in Response to Extreme Events", NSF Grant CMS-0449582 (supplemental), PI: D. Mendonça. Duration: summer 2007. Work under this grant involved replication and extension of the activities being conducted under the above NSF CAREER grant (NSF CMS-0449582). All activities took place in The Netherlands, with base at the Policy Analysis Section of the Department of Multi-Actor Systems within the Faculty of Technology, Policy and Management at the Delft University of Technology. 2.2 A workshop on defining an agenda for research in the area of information and communication technology for crisis management (workshop web site). This workshop was supported by the National Science Foundation and Delft University of Technology. Prior Grants 1. SGER: Hurricane Katrina Debris Removal Operations: The Role of Communication and Computing Technologies, NSF Grant CMS-0553080, PI: D. Mendonça. Duration 1 October 2005-30 September 2006. Background: The nature and quantity of debris following a large-scale disaster can create considerable challenges to cleanup efforts and thus to societal recovery. To enable effective use of communications and computing technologies in such circumstances, it is advisable to have heuristics that can support response personnel in deciding which technologies are most appropriate for supporting various response activities. To this end, this study will observe and develop recommendations on the use of communications and computing technologies in support of debris removal operations following Hurricane Katrina. This work should lead to theoretically-grounded recommendations on how these technologies might better support debris removal operations following large-scale disasters. 2. Decision Technologies for Managing Critical Infrastructure Interdependencies, NSF Grant CMS-0301661, PI: W.A. Wallace, CP: J.E. Mitchell, D. Mendonça of RPI. Duration 15 August 2003-30 May 2006 The objective of the research is to improve understanding of and support for the management of interdependent critical infrastructure systems. Infrastructure interdependence occurs when an impact on one infrastructure system results in an impact on one or more other infrastructure systems. The particular focus of the research is on developing techniques that can be used to mitigate against or respond to events that can adversely impact interdependent infrastructure systems. 3. Small Grant for Exploratory Research: Impact of the World Trade Center Disaster on Critical Infrastructure Interdependence. National Science Foundation Grant CMS-0139306, PI: W. A. Wallace, CPs: J. Chow, D. Mendonça. Duration: 1 October 2001-30 September 2003.