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FIU-University Park is home to the National Hurricane Center, as well as to our own International Hurricane Research Center. As a hub hurricane research, many FIU professors and researchers are available to members of the media as experts on different aspects of hurricanes, their effects and the recovery efforts associated with such weather events.
The FIU Office of Media Relations staff is available to assist journalists:
Maydel Santana-Bravo: 305-348-1555, 305-972-8276, santanam@fiu.edu
Jose Dante Parra: 305-348-2716, 305-297-8180, parraj@fiu.edu
Meteorology and Storm Effects
Hugh E. Willoughby
Research Professor, Department of Earth Science
305-348-0243
hugh.willoughby@fiu.edu
Hugh Willoughby researches tropical cyclone formation and intensification. He has flown more than 400 missions into the eye of storms as a meteorologist for the federal government. In the past year, Willoughby lead the effort to create a meteorology degree program at FIU. Willoughby was a Research Meteorologist at the Hurricane Research Division of NOAA's Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory, where he worked since 1975 and served as director from 1995 until 2002.
Stephen P. Leatherman
Professor and Director of FIU’s International Hurricane Research Center (IHRC)
305-348-8364
Leatherm@fiu.edu
Stephen Leatherman's research focuses on storm impact on coastal areas, such as the behavior of storm surges and the long-term effect of erosion On several occasions Leatherman has provided expert testimony to U.S. Congressional committees on issues such as coastal storm impacts and federal disaster response. Also, as the IHRCs director, Leatherman oversees a broad field of research into areas such as construction, insurance and the social impact of hurricanes.
Keqi Zhang
Co-director at the IHRC’s Laboratory for Coastal Research
305-348-1607
Keqi.Zhang@fiu.edu
Keqi Zhang uses laser mapping technology to develop better flood and evacuation zone maps. Current maps have a margin of error of at least three feet, which makes the designation of flood zones extremely inaccurate. Using a technology called Laser Image Detection Ranging (LIDAR), Zhang is working on more accurate simulations of storm surges along the coast, which takes into account different storm intensities and tides.
Ping Zhu
Assistant Professor, Department of Earth Sciences
305-348-7096
zhup@fiu.edu
Ping Zhu's researches processes responsible for the formation, development, and dissipation of clouds. His research involves the use of mathematical models that help scientists understand how clouds develop and sustain themselves. He has participated in many research projects funded by agencies such as the U.S. Department of Energy, National Science Foundation, NOAA and NASA.
Shu-Ching Chen
Professor, School of Computing and Information Sciences
305-348-3480
Shu.Chen@fiu.edu
Shu-Ching Chen’s team is developing simulations of storm-surge flooding along key south Florida coastal areas. As the head of FIU’s Distributed Media Information System Laboratory, Chen uses topographical data from LIDAR, wind speed and direction, tides and other factors to create 3D visualizations of a surge. The goal is for these visualizations to assist the general public and emergency management officials in hurricane preparation and recovery efforts.
Storm Damage Mitigation
Arindam Gan Chowdhury
Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
305-348-0518
Arindam.Chowdhury@fiu.edu
Arindam Chowdhury, a wind engineer, is working on technology to test the effect of hurricane-force winds and rain on buildings and construction materials. The project, dubbed the “Wall of Wind” is being developed at the IHRC’s Laboratory for Wind Engineering Research, of which Chowdhury is the director. The project’s goal is to create a facility where full-scale houses can be tested in conditions that most closely resemble those of a hurricane.
Emil Simiu
Distinguished Professor, IHRC
305-348-1607
Emil.Simiu@fiu.edu
Emil Simiu, one of the foremost scholars in wind engineering, is the author of several influential books and research papers on the subject. Simiu is one of the leading researchers on the “Wall of Wind” project and on a public model for hurricane damage simulation. He is the recipient of the Federal Engineer of the Year Award from the National Society of Professional Engineers and a recipient of the Gold Medal, U.S. Department of Commerce, among others.
Ricardo Alvarez
Adjunct, Department of Construction Management
305-348-3172
Ricardo.Alvarez@fiu.edu
Ricardo Alvarez teaches hurricane mitigation at FIU's College of Engineering and Computer Science. His research has focused on finding cost-effective ways to improve construction in hurricane prone areas. Alvarez led a team that identified a nail that strengthens roofs to withstand up to a category four hurricane. This discovery led to a change in the South Florida Building Code, which now requires this nail on residential roofing.
Insurance
Shahid Hamdi
Associate Professor, College of Business Administration
305-348-2727
Shahid.Hamid@fiu.edu
Shahid Hamid heads the development of a public computer model that forecasts the insurance losses caused by hurricanes. As the director of the IHRC’s Laboratory for Insurance, Financial and Economic Research, Hamid leads a multi-disciplinary team of over 15 professors and experts, and a dozen graduate students, who work on the model. Hamid is also the director of the Masters in Science of Finance Program at FIU’s College of Business Administration.
Social and Political Impact
Hugh Gladwin
Director, FIU’s Institute for Public Opinion Research
305-919-4718
gladwin@fiu.edu
Hugh Gladwin is the director of FIU's Institute for Public Opinion and Research. Since Hurricane Andrew made landfall in South Florida in 1992, Gladwin has closely followed how people prepare for and are affected by hurricanes. Gladwin has a number of publications on Hurricane Andrew and its effects.
Richard Olson
Professor and Chair of the Political Science Department
305-348-6398
Richard.Olson@fiu.edu
Richard Olson teaches about the political fallout from natural disasters such as the separation of Bangladesh from Pakistan in 1971, which was precipitated when a massive cyclone hit the Southeast Asian county. Olson, a former contractor for the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) has done work in the aftermath of disasters such as Hurricame Mitch in Central America.
Maria Ilcheva
Researcher, FIU’s Metropolitan Center
305-349-1251
Maria.Ilcheva@fiu.edu
Maria Ilcheva is investigating how prepared Floridians are to face hurricanes and how they use information toward their preparations. Ilcheva is looking at what measures residents, businesses and public officials are taking to mitigate the effect of hurricanes and what barriers exist to implement optimal preparedness. Ilcheva specializes in administration of surveys, polls and interviews, data analysis and analysis reporting.
Max Rothman
Executive Director, FIU’s Center on Aging
305-919-5550
Max.Rothman@fiu.edu
Max Rothman has studied the effects of hurricanes on the elderly population and related issues such as healthcare and social effects in the aftermath of a storm. The Center on Aging is part of FIU’s Robert Stempel School of Public Health.
Betty Morrow
305-385-5953
Betty Morrow is a professor emeritus at Florida International University. As a sociologist, Morrow has done extensive research on the impact of hurricanes to a community. Most of her research looks at how men, women and children respond after a hurricane.
Environmental and Ecological Storm Impact
James Fourqurean
Professor, Dept. of Biological Sciences
305-348-4084
Jim.Fourqurean@fiu.edu
James Fourqurean studies the impacts of hurricanes on the shallow water marine ecosystems of South Florida and the Caribbean. He is a member of FIU’s Southeast Environmental Research Center and directs the Seagrass Ecosystem Research Laboratory at FIU.
Suzanne Koptur
Professor of Biological Sciences
305-348-3103
kopturs@fiu.edu
Suzanne Koptur studies damage and recovery from hurricanes in different kinds of upland forests; with special attention to plant community structure, and the effects on the insects associated with plants. Koptur teaches courses in Ecology and does research in South Florida and the Caribbean in the areas of plant/animal interactions.
Steve Oberbauer
Professor, Dept. of Biological Sciences
305-348-2580
oberbaue@fiu.edu
Steve Oberbauer has researched how Everglade forest ecosystems respond to hurricane damage.
Michael Ross
Researcher, FIU Southeast Environmental Research Center
305-348-1420
Michael.Ross@fiu.edu
Michael Ross has worked extensively on the ecological effects of Hurricane Andrew in mangrove forests and coastal hammocks. He is working with IHRC to explore the use of LIDAR in gaining a larger-scale perspective of hurricane effects on the natural environment.
Joel Trexler
Professor, Biological Sciences
305-348-1966
Joel.Trexler@fiu.edu
Joel Trexler has researched the impact of hurricanes on the wetland ecosystems of South Florida and the effects of storms on populations of aquatic animals in the Everglades.
Florida International University was founded in 1972 and is Miami’s only public research university. With a student body of more than 38,000, FIU graduates more Hispanics than any other university in the country. Its 21 colleges and schools offer more than 200 bachelors, masters and doctoral programs in fields such as engineering, international relations and law. FIU has been classified by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching as a “High Research Activity University.” In 2006 FIU was authorized to establish a medical school, which will open in 2009. FIU’s College of Law recently received accreditation in the fastest time allowed by the American Bar Association and ranked first in the state in the latest administration of the Bar exam.
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