Gemstone Team Research

Permanent URI for this collectionhttp://hdl.handle.net/1903/9070

The Gemstone Program at the University of Maryland is a unique multidisciplinary four-year research program for selected undergraduate honors students of all majors. Under guidance of faculty mentors and Gemstone staff, teams of students design, direct and conduct significant research, often but not exclusively exploring the interdependence of science and technology with society. Gemstone students are members of a living-learning community comprised of fellow students, faculty and staff who work together to enrich the undergraduate experience. This community challenges and supports the students in the development of their research, teamwork, communication and leadership skills. In the fourth year, each team of students presents its research in the form of a thesis to experts, and the students complete the program with a citation and a tangible sense of accomplishment.

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Author: search.filters.author.Acheampong, MaudStart date: 2020

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    Investigating the Intersection of Flood Risk and Environmental Justice in Maryland
    (2020) Acheampong, Maud; Cerpa, Candela; Cheng, Anna; Corrao, Nicolette; Krimm, Audrey; Mathews, Shifali; Mullen, Haley; Salami, Olasunbo; Zhang, Lynne; Zidar, Jaclyn; Goger, Joanna
    Considering the implications of environmental justice, we sought to identify areas of Maryland with high socio-economic vulnerability, flood risk, and environmental risk to assess whether emergency preparedness policies in these areas were effective. We characterized this disparity based on a review of hazard mitigation policies in areas of Maryland that were susceptible to flood risk and toxic release. Our first phase of research determined which counties met our criteria of containing low-income, minority populations and being subject to flood risk. With the use of GIS technology to visualize pollution risk factors, we chose various counties in Maryland to use as our focus of comparison. The second phase analyzed emergency management plans for flooding and hazard mitigation policies of the selected counties. In our third and final phase, we interviewed officials or related personnel in the emergency preparedness policies and practices to gain a better understanding of the reality of their implementation. We found that Baltimore City, Dorchester County, Anne Arundel County, and Prince George’s County had high-risk factors for flooding and socioeconomic vulnerability and had less comprehensive emergency plans. Additionally, we found that the explicit mention of environmental justice was not a priority of most plans, creating space for future improvements and research.