{"id":16907,"date":"2024-08-02T12:39:41","date_gmt":"2024-08-02T17:39:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.arch.tamu.edu\/?p=16907"},"modified":"2024-08-08T11:30:56","modified_gmt":"2024-08-08T16:30:56","slug":"texas-high-schoolers-explore-climate-disaster-response-careers-at-camp-dash","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.arch.tamu.edu\/news\/2024\/08\/02\/texas-high-schoolers-explore-climate-disaster-response-careers-at-camp-dash\/","title":{"rendered":"Texas high schoolers explore climate & disaster response careers at Camp DASH\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Most people who end up in public service careers like emergency management, public health and urban planning, land there completely by accident, according to Michelle Meyer, director of the Hazard Reduction and Recovery Center at the Texas A&M School of Architecture.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAs climate change increases, disasters happen more and vulnerable populations face the worst impacts,\u201d she said. \u201cThe workforce needs to be larger and with people from a variety of backgrounds, but most young people don\u2019t know about these career opportunities.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unlike professions in medicine, engineering, technology or rock stardom, most youth don\u2019t realize they can go into fields in hazards and disasters where they make a positive impact. These potential leaders and world-changers end up pursuing careers in other fields and then finding their way to the work after becoming established, which could undercut their potential long-term impact on the field and in their careers.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

“We need to introduce students to these professions before college so they can make educational choices that will lead them to become future leaders in hazards and disaster management,\u201d said Meyer. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

To help inspire and educate this next generation of public servants Meyer and team created Camp DASH (Disaster, Advocacy, Sustainability and Health), a new week-long camp for students to learn about health, engineering, research, disaster and climate management, and urban planning. Using a youth summer camp to vitalize the disaster workforce drew together the Camp\u2019s leadership team that included Benika Dixon in Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Jaimie Masterson from Texas Target Communities, and Michelle Meyer and Seth Jordan in the Hazard Reduction & Recovery Center.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Camping for climate careers<\/strong> <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"A
A group of campers participating in a group project.
(Photo\/Sarah Buschlen)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

A group of 24 incoming 10th<\/sup>, 11th<\/sup>, and 12th<\/sup>-grade high schoolers, chosen from a particularly disaster-prone area in coastal East Texas near the Louisiana border, were the first cohort of campers to arrive on campus on July 8, 2024. They lived in student housing while participating in disaster simulations, public health workshops, urban planning exercises and classes that balanced theoretical learning and practical applications throughout the week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition to tours of places like Kyle Field, where campers learned about emergency management on a large scale, they attended a Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service firefighting demonstration to learn about firefighter training and met with emergency managers from local cities, A&M and the county to learn about how local emergency operations function. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

 \u201cAt first, I wasn’t really considering science as a major, but after the camp, I realized that climate change is a big issue and maybe I should help address it during college,\u201d said Aaron Miller, 16, from West Orange,Texas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Building connections<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"A
A group of campers during the TEEX Public Firefighting Demonstration Night.
(Photo\/Sarah Buschlen)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Meyer said she was thrilled to see the students’ reactions to the firefighter demonstration, noting that they naturally started talking about living near industrial plants. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey immediately knew how these demonstrations related to the safety of their community at home,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Learning about the training emergency workers go through was illuminating to at least one camper, who said she had been considering a career in firefighting. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

“It was personally my favorite highlight of the whole week,” said Megan Lee, 15. “I learned there are a lot of different ways fires can start, and you have to really be prepared for anything \u2013 it’s a really scary job.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Throughout the week, students began asking professionals specific questions about what training they would need to do for these types of careers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n


\u201cI could tell they were beginning to see themselves in these positions,\u201d said Meyer. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The campers also attended a research showcase by urban and regional sciences doctoral student Zhenhang Cai, which showcased virtual reality simulations of air pollution and flooding in Beaumont, Texas. During the session, high school students at the camp explored six virtual reality scenarios using Oculus 2 virtual reality goggles and via a large projector.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cai said this is the first time she has shared her Beaumont VR project with high school students. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

“(I could) feel their great interest and curiosity in the high technology and immersive interactions,” said Cai, excitedly. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

She said the students were most interested in the high-flood and air pollution scenarios and commented that the simulation made them feel like they were in Beaumont. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cai said she hopes her project can influence students’ undergraduate path selection, especially those interested in urban planning, landscape architecture, architecture, or engineering.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Measuring success<\/strong> <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"Camp
Selected campers share their experiences during the closing ceremony of the camp.
(Photo\/John Peters)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

While the first camp cohort is done, Meyer will follow up with campers in the coming years to determine if they pursue college or careers related to disaster management.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The camp is funded for the next two summers, supported by a grant from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine\u2019s Gulf Research Program, Nonprofit partner Charity Productions<\/a>. Texas Sea Grant, Texas A&M Emergency Management, the Department of Landscape Architecture and Urban Planning, the School of Public Health, and the School of Architecture also sponsored this first year of the camp. The leadership team hopes the camp becomes a standard summer offering at Texas A&M. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Charity Productions collaborates on research projects with local governments in Texas and nationwide, as well as with non-profit organizations, NGOs, and public universities. These projects focus on public health, safety, housing, education, disaster preparedness, and civic engagement. CP addresses social issues, education, youth services, civic participation, job readiness, and law enforcement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Texas A&M University has a longstanding formal relationship with Charity Productions, working together on community-based initiatives to address unmet needs. They also collaborate on research involving Texas A&M faculty and students.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For more information on Camp DASH, Michelle Meyer can be contacted at mmeyer@arch.tamu.edu.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Camp DASH introduces high school students from disaster-prone areas to careers in climate and disaster management. Directed by Michelle Meyer at Texas A&M University, the camp aims to address a lack of awareness about these essential fields. Through disaster simulations, public health workshops, and urban planning exercises, students gain hands-on experience and insights into these professions. Funded through 2026 by the National Academies of Sciences and Charity Productions, the camp will track participants’ career paths to assess its long-term impact.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1086,"featured_media":16933,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":true,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[94,58,101],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-16907","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-hazard-reduction-recovery-center","category-news","category-outreach"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nTexas high schoolers explore climate & disaster response careers at Camp DASH\u00a0 - Texas A&M University College of Architecture<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Camp DASH introduces high school students from disaster-prone areas to careers in climate and disaster management. Directed by Michelle Meyer at Texas A&M University, the camp aims to address a lack of awareness about these essential fields. Through disaster simulations, public health workshops, and urban planning exercises, students gain hands-on experience and insights into these professions. Funded through 2026 by the National Academies of Sciences and Charity Productions, the camp will track participants' career paths to assess its long-term impact.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.arch.tamu.edu\/news\/2024\/08\/02\/texas-high-schoolers-explore-climate-disaster-response-careers-at-camp-dash\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Texas high schoolers explore climate & disaster response careers at Camp DASH\u00a0\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Camp DASH introduces high school students from disaster-prone areas to careers in climate and disaster management. Directed by Michelle Meyer at Texas A&M University, the camp aims to address a lack of awareness about these essential fields. Through disaster simulations, public health workshops, and urban planning exercises, students gain hands-on experience and insights into these professions. Funded through 2026 by the National Academies of Sciences and Charity Productions, the camp will track participants' career paths to assess its long-term impact.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.arch.tamu.edu\/news\/2024\/08\/02\/texas-high-schoolers-explore-climate-disaster-response-careers-at-camp-dash\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Texas A&M University College of Architecture\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-08-02T17:39:41+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2024-08-08T16:30:56+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.arch.tamu.edu\/app\/uploads\/2024\/08\/header-e.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1920\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"640\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Sarah Buschlen\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Sarah Buschlen\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.arch.tamu.edu\/news\/2024\/08\/02\/texas-high-schoolers-explore-climate-disaster-response-careers-at-camp-dash\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.arch.tamu.edu\/news\/2024\/08\/02\/texas-high-schoolers-explore-climate-disaster-response-careers-at-camp-dash\/\",\"name\":\"Texas high schoolers explore climate & disaster response careers at Camp DASH\u00a0 - Texas A&M University College of Architecture\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.arch.tamu.edu\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.arch.tamu.edu\/news\/2024\/08\/02\/texas-high-schoolers-explore-climate-disaster-response-careers-at-camp-dash\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.arch.tamu.edu\/news\/2024\/08\/02\/texas-high-schoolers-explore-climate-disaster-response-careers-at-camp-dash\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.arch.tamu.edu\/app\/uploads\/2024\/08\/header-e.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-08-02T17:39:41+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-08-08T16:30:56+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.arch.tamu.edu\/#\/schema\/person\/f0154c0e97404f8366f2eb50a018f1b7\"},\"description\":\"Camp DASH introduces high school students from disaster-prone areas to careers in climate and disaster management. Directed by Michelle Meyer at Texas A&M University, the camp aims to address a lack of awareness about these essential fields. Through disaster simulations, public health workshops, and urban planning exercises, students gain hands-on experience and insights into these professions. Funded through 2026 by the National Academies of Sciences and Charity Productions, the camp will track participants' career paths to assess its long-term impact.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.arch.tamu.edu\/news\/2024\/08\/02\/texas-high-schoolers-explore-climate-disaster-response-careers-at-camp-dash\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.arch.tamu.edu\/news\/2024\/08\/02\/texas-high-schoolers-explore-climate-disaster-response-careers-at-camp-dash\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.arch.tamu.edu\/news\/2024\/08\/02\/texas-high-schoolers-explore-climate-disaster-response-careers-at-camp-dash\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.arch.tamu.edu\/app\/uploads\/2024\/08\/header-e.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.arch.tamu.edu\/app\/uploads\/2024\/08\/header-e.jpg\",\"width\":1920,\"height\":640,\"caption\":\"TEEX firefighter demonstration\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.arch.tamu.edu\/news\/2024\/08\/02\/texas-high-schoolers-explore-climate-disaster-response-careers-at-camp-dash\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.arch.tamu.edu\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Texas high schoolers explore climate & disaster response careers at Camp DASH\u00a0\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.arch.tamu.edu\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.arch.tamu.edu\/\",\"name\":\"Texas A&M University College of Architecture\",\"description\":\"\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.arch.tamu.edu\/#\/schema\/person\/f0154c0e97404f8366f2eb50a018f1b7\",\"name\":\"Sarah Buschlen\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.arch.tamu.edu\/news\/author\/sbuschlen\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Texas high schoolers explore climate & disaster response careers at Camp DASH\u00a0 - Texas A&M University College of Architecture","description":"Camp DASH introduces high school students from disaster-prone areas to careers in climate and disaster management. Directed by Michelle Meyer at Texas A&M University, the camp aims to address a lack of awareness about these essential fields. Through disaster simulations, public health workshops, and urban planning exercises, students gain hands-on experience and insights into these professions. Funded through 2026 by the National Academies of Sciences and Charity Productions, the camp will track participants' career paths to assess its long-term impact.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.arch.tamu.edu\/news\/2024\/08\/02\/texas-high-schoolers-explore-climate-disaster-response-careers-at-camp-dash\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Texas high schoolers explore climate & disaster response careers at Camp DASH\u00a0","og_description":"Camp DASH introduces high school students from disaster-prone areas to careers in climate and disaster management. Directed by Michelle Meyer at Texas A&M University, the camp aims to address a lack of awareness about these essential fields. Through disaster simulations, public health workshops, and urban planning exercises, students gain hands-on experience and insights into these professions. Funded through 2026 by the National Academies of Sciences and Charity Productions, the camp will track participants' career paths to assess its long-term impact.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.arch.tamu.edu\/news\/2024\/08\/02\/texas-high-schoolers-explore-climate-disaster-response-careers-at-camp-dash\/","og_site_name":"Texas A&M University College of Architecture","article_published_time":"2024-08-02T17:39:41+00:00","article_modified_time":"2024-08-08T16:30:56+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1920,"height":640,"url":"https:\/\/www.arch.tamu.edu\/app\/uploads\/2024\/08\/header-e.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Sarah Buschlen","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Sarah Buschlen","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.arch.tamu.edu\/news\/2024\/08\/02\/texas-high-schoolers-explore-climate-disaster-response-careers-at-camp-dash\/","url":"https:\/\/www.arch.tamu.edu\/news\/2024\/08\/02\/texas-high-schoolers-explore-climate-disaster-response-careers-at-camp-dash\/","name":"Texas high schoolers explore climate & disaster response careers at Camp DASH\u00a0 - Texas A&M University College of Architecture","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.arch.tamu.edu\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.arch.tamu.edu\/news\/2024\/08\/02\/texas-high-schoolers-explore-climate-disaster-response-careers-at-camp-dash\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.arch.tamu.edu\/news\/2024\/08\/02\/texas-high-schoolers-explore-climate-disaster-response-careers-at-camp-dash\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.arch.tamu.edu\/app\/uploads\/2024\/08\/header-e.jpg","datePublished":"2024-08-02T17:39:41+00:00","dateModified":"2024-08-08T16:30:56+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.arch.tamu.edu\/#\/schema\/person\/f0154c0e97404f8366f2eb50a018f1b7"},"description":"Camp DASH introduces high school students from disaster-prone areas to careers in climate and disaster management. Directed by Michelle Meyer at Texas A&M University, the camp aims to address a lack of awareness about these essential fields. Through disaster simulations, public health workshops, and urban planning exercises, students gain hands-on experience and insights into these professions. Funded through 2026 by the National Academies of Sciences and Charity Productions, the camp will track participants' career paths to assess its long-term impact.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.arch.tamu.edu\/news\/2024\/08\/02\/texas-high-schoolers-explore-climate-disaster-response-careers-at-camp-dash\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.arch.tamu.edu\/news\/2024\/08\/02\/texas-high-schoolers-explore-climate-disaster-response-careers-at-camp-dash\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.arch.tamu.edu\/news\/2024\/08\/02\/texas-high-schoolers-explore-climate-disaster-response-careers-at-camp-dash\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.arch.tamu.edu\/app\/uploads\/2024\/08\/header-e.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.arch.tamu.edu\/app\/uploads\/2024\/08\/header-e.jpg","width":1920,"height":640,"caption":"TEEX firefighter demonstration"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.arch.tamu.edu\/news\/2024\/08\/02\/texas-high-schoolers-explore-climate-disaster-response-careers-at-camp-dash\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.arch.tamu.edu\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Texas high schoolers explore climate & disaster response careers at Camp DASH\u00a0"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.arch.tamu.edu\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.arch.tamu.edu\/","name":"Texas A&M University College of Architecture","description":"","inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.arch.tamu.edu\/#\/schema\/person\/f0154c0e97404f8366f2eb50a018f1b7","name":"Sarah Buschlen","url":"https:\/\/www.arch.tamu.edu\/news\/author\/sbuschlen\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.arch.tamu.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16907","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.arch.tamu.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.arch.tamu.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.arch.tamu.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1086"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.arch.tamu.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16907"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/www.arch.tamu.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16907\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":16946,"href":"https:\/\/www.arch.tamu.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16907\/revisions\/16946"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.arch.tamu.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/16933"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.arch.tamu.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16907"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.arch.tamu.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16907"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.arch.tamu.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16907"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}