NHERI Summer Institute

NHERI Summer Institute for Early-Career Faculty


2023 NHERI Summer Institute Cohort held at the University of Texas at San Antonio.

Updates

The 2024 NHERI Summer Institute NSF Travel Award application is now closed.  You may register to self-fund or attend online.


Program Information  

Hands-on natural hazards proposal writing experience. The NHERI Summer Institute is a free event for early-career faculty, NHERI Graduate Student Council, K-12 educators from the San Antonio area, engineers, social scientists, and researchers to learn more about the Natural Hazards Engineering Research Infrastructure (NHERI) community. During the three-day Institute —  click here for the 2024 NHERI Summer Institute Itinerary — participants will have opportunities to meet with NHERI site representatives, K-12 educators, NSF CAREER Awardees, and a program director from the National Science Foundation (NSF). This creates a platform to discuss research grant proposal ideas and potential partnerships.

The NHERI Summer Institute will be held in person at the University of Texas at San Antonio's (UTSA) Downtown Campus June 12-14, 2024. Participants will learn about:

  • The NHERI program mission
  • NHERI network site capabilities
  • NHERI network resource requests
  • The NHERI Science Plan
  • NSF Grant proposal writing
  • Broader educational impacts of research
  • Outreach focused on diversity, equity, and inclusion
  • Community networking and mentoring
  • Technology Transfer
  • K-12 Educator Training (for K-12 educators)

The Summer Institute will host representatives from the 11 universities and 12 NHERI sites. Selected in-person attendees will meet with representatives and learn about:

Representatives from the NHERI Network Communication Office, NHERI Science Plan, NHERI Technology Transfer Committee, User Forum, and the NHERI NSF Program Director will also be on hand to host workshops and guide your group's mock proposal development.


Eligibility  

Both virtual and in-person attendees must be early-career faculty, NHERI Graduate Student Council members, K-12 teachers in the San Antonio area, or industry researchers that are interested in natural hazards, the NHERI network and its resources, as well as proposal planning.

Applicants applying for the NSF travel award must be citizens, permanent residents, or visa holders who attend or work at institutions in the continental U.S.

We encourage participants interested in multi-disciplinary research and collaboration between experimental sites to apply as well as under-represented minorities, women, and veterans.


Application & Registration  

There are three ways to attend the NHERI Summer Institute:

  1. Apply to participate in person and receive NSF funding.  -CLOSED for 2024
  2. Register to participate in person without funding (the Institute is free).
  3. Register to watch online.

Apply — The application for the NSF Travel Award is now closed.  This year NHERI will accept 20 early-career faculty or natural hazard researchers and 5 graduate students selected from the NHERI Graduate Student Council to receive the NSF Travel Award from those who applied.

Early Career Faculty, Industry Professionals, and NHERI GSC Members
We encourage early-career professionals and faculty, industry professionals, and NHERI GSC members to apply to attend the event in person. Selected in-person attendees will receive an NSF travel award to cover travel, accommodations, food, parking, etc. More importantly, in-person attendees will work with other like-minded individuals, an NSF Program Director, a variety of NHERI representatives, and K-12 educators to develop a mock proposal.

K-12 Educators
Unlike other in-person attendees, ten K-12 educator applicants will be selected from the surrounding San Antonio area. Educators should apply to attend in person but will receive a stipend and not a travel award due to their proximity. Educators will attend the second day of the Institute, receive training, and mentor early-career faculty, graduate students, and researchers in developing age-appropriate science and engineering lesson plans. Additional funding is available for educators who implement a natural hazards lesson plan in their classrooms during Fall 2024 and provide data on the success of the lesson. More information about this opportunity is provided during the Summer Institute.

Register — You may also register for free to attend the NHERI Summer Institute in person until March 29, 2024. Those who register to attend in person but do not receive an NSF Travel Award or Stipend will be responsible for travel and accommodations. The Institute will provide breakfast, lunch, and snacks during the three-day workshop.

Watch — You may also register to watch select NHERI Summer Institute sessions online by completing the registration process by May 15, 2024. The free event will only be streamed online for registered participants.

NHERI Summer Institute Registration


Accommodations

NHERI has reserved a block of rooms for $143.00 a night with free parking at the DoubleTree by Hilton San Antonio Downtown Hotel. Please book your rooms for the NHERI Summer Institute before May 15, 2024, to receive the special rate with free parking (book here).  If you have questions or need assistance, please contact Robin Nelson (robin.nelson@utsa.edu).


Explore  

Click the boxes below to check out presentations from previous NHERI Summer Institutes.


Contact Us  

The Education and Community Outreach (ECO) and the ECO Committee develop and host the NHERI Summer Institute. If you have questions about the NHERI Summer Institute or the application/registration process, please email us at reu-request@designsafe-ci.org. We will be happy to help!