Team Leader
Haider Anwar
Texas A&M University
Landscape Architecture and Urban Planning
anwar_haider@tamu.edu
Project Type
Research
Who Can Join
Undergraduate Students
Project Description
Many Texas communities face multiple hazards that threaten both physical heritage and historical sites and intangible cultural values. The project will produce an interdisciplinary workshop uniting researchers and practitioners to develop integrated approaches for heritage protection and community disaster resilience. Building upon the 2022-2032 Texas Statewide Historic Preservation Plan, this project will explore how heritage considerations can be better incorporated into disaster planning and community resilience strategies.
Students supporting this project will be involved in research and preparation for a research-practitioner workshop to take place in Spring 2026. This workshop addresses critical research gaps in heritage preservation within natural hazard contexts, specifically focusing on small and rural Texas communities. Key workshop objectives include: fostering interdisciplinary collaboration between heritage specialists and hazard researchers; engaging local communities in protection efforts; leveraging cutting-edge technologies (remote sensing, GIS mapping, digital archiving) for disaster risk assessment and preservation; developing adaptive strategies for heritage protection under increasing hazard risks; and establishing sustainable funding and policy frameworks. The workshop will fill the current research void in combining hazard risk management with heritage preservation, particularly for overlooked inland rural communities. Expected outcomes include identifying new research priorities, building collaborative networks and teams, and actionable strategies for integrating heritage considerations into community resilience planning across Texas.
Team Needs
We’re looking for three motivated students to assist with literature reviews, annotated bibliography, event organization, and visual design presentations that support the workshop development. If you have an eye for detail, strong organizational skills, or a knack for creative visual design we’d love to have you on board. This is a unique chance to contribute to research that intersects heritage/historical preservation, disaster management, and community resilience. Help us explore how rural Texas communities can better integrate cultural heritage considerations into disaster preparedness and response strategies. Students will conduct systematic literature searches, organize research materials by themes, help create visual design posters and slides for the event, and help create strategies preparing for the workshop event in 2026. You’ll gain valuable experience in academic research methods, build professional networks, and improve project management, while contributing to meaningful work that brings together experts to develop actionable strategies for heritage preservation against disasters. We’ll provide comprehensive training and flexible scheduling to accommodate your academic commitments. (Please provide information to the Team Lead in the form of resume or Linkedin for the position).
Special Opportunities
Team members will be exposed to an array of literature in heritage studies, historic preservation, disaster management, and community resilience. Students will gain interdisciplinary research experience and project management and event marketing skills. Other research experiences, subject to the availability of external funding, may be available in the future. Exposure to the Hazard Reduction and Recovery Center, Department of Landscape Architecture and Urban Planning, Center for Heritage Conservation, Texas Target Communities, and Department of Architecture. Students will interact with scholars, practitioners, and community stakeholders to improve their professional network and real-world policy impact experience in the emerging field of heritage-based disaster resilience.