COMM doctoral candidate presents at Governor’s Hurricane Conference

Posted by Amy Farnum Patronis on
Mariam Shaikh (left) receives scholarship to present at Governor's Hurricane Conference in May.
Mariam Shaikh (left) receives scholarship to present at Governor’s Hurricane Conference in May.

In anticipation of hurricane season, the state of Florida hosted the annual Governor’s Hurricane Conference (GHC) on May 11-16 in Orlando and Florida State University School of Communication doctoral candidate Mariam Shaikh attended as a scholarship recipient, student volunteer and presenter.

The annual hurricane season in the Atlantic begins June 1 and ends November 30.   In preparation, the Governor’s office coordinates a gathering of emergency managers and agencies to integrate their efforts of communicating better before, during, and after emergencies in Florida especially the hurricane season.

As a part of 2014 conference program, the GHC hosted a workshop for students to present their original academic research.  Presenting at the conference gives students a unique opportunity to share their emergency management knowledge and expertise with their student peers, conference participants and emergency management professionals.

Shaikh’s topic for the workshop was “Visiting Florida! Has the Hurricane Risk been communicated on the Internet?” She was one of only three students selected to present at the session.  Shaikh’s working dissertation is on use of media innovations for disaster preparedness in low-income nations.

“I am fortunate to have been able to attend, volunteer and present at the GHC2014 annual convention and represent the College of Communication & Information,” Shaikh said. “To have your ideas exchanged among the large audience of professionals and academics standing to make the world a safer place was an awesome experience. I happened to touch the diverse boundaries of communication that happen in emergency and disaster management that serve as a vital force to save lives and losses.”

During the six-day program, hurricane specialists from the National Hurricane Center, part of the National Weather Service, joined experts from other federal, state and local agencies, emergency managers, first responders and others for training courses, workshops and panel discussions on tropical cyclones and storm mitigation.

Interested in the School of Communication’s Ph.D. program? Click here to learn more.