An Interview: CUAHSI Project Work on Community Resilience Planning
Posted Sep 11, 2024
CUAHSI’s Community Outreach Specialist, Lisa Mucciacito (she/her), recently interviewed coworkers Tony Castronova, Irene Garousi-Nejad, and former coworker Kristin Raub about their current work on, “An Analysis and Demonstration of the National Water Model’s Applicability to Community Resilience Planning”, a three phase project that began in August of 2022 and is funded by the Cooperative Institute for Research to Operations in Hydrology (CIROH).
Meet the Team
Kristin Raub is an interdisciplinary scientist who specializes in social science methods and is the PI for the CIROH project. Previously employed as a research scientist at CUAHSI, she now works with the Global Resilience Institute at Northeastern University. Over the past two years, she’s led this project and collaborated with Irene Garousi-Nejad and Tony Castronova. Her research often works to connect science with those who need it, such as in this project where she worked to connect NOAA’s National Water Model with stakeholders engaged in resilience-related planning through community engagement.
Tony Castronova is a research scientist at CUAHSI with expertise in hydroinformatics and surface water hydrology. His research features topics related to hydrologic modeling, scientific data analysis, data management, reproducible science, as well as developing educational content using modern software libraries and cloud computing tools.
Irene Garousi-Nejad is a research scientist at CUAHSI. Her role involves creating scientific use cases and assisting other research teams with questions related to cyber infrastructure, hydroinformatics, hydrologic and snow modeling. She also helps develop educational materials and supports programs like the HydroLearn and HydroShare modernization projects.
Project background
This project is a three Phase study that has broadly sought to investigate two questions:
How can NOAA’s National Water Model be used to support community resilience planning and,
How can NOAA and the National Water Center help facilitate this use?
This study began with exploratory interviews with community stakeholders across the U.S. to understand how resilience planning operates in practice, water information uses and needs, and how NOAA’s National Water Model (NWM), a tool for national-scale hydrological forecasting, could fit into this. Results found that 65% of respondents had never heard of the model, but were excited to learn about it and had many ideas for how it could be used in their work. Additionally, while all of the stakeholders regularly used water data, very few were trained hydrologists. This engagement led to a set of recommendations for how to make the NWM more accessible to this new group of end users. The second Phase of this study then worked to implement some of these recommendations, primarily through developing use cases of how the NWM has been used in practice. These use cases ranged from Vermont's use of the NWM to start conversations on flooding to combat flood amnesia to technical applications, including accessing and visualizing forecasted data and flood extents. The final Phase of the project has just begun and aims to investigate how the NWM can be used to increase the capacity for communities to engage in resilience-related planning and decision making. The focus will be on small communities in Vermont and Missouri and the local boundary organizations who support them. Additional interviews are planned for this fall to identify needs and desired resources, followed by a resource development process in the spring to enhance these communities' ability to use the NWM for decision-making.
How do you see this project aligning with CUAHSI's mission?
Tony: This project represents a unique alignment with CUAHSI's mission by expanding beyond our typical focus on academic communities to include broader engagement with federal institutions and practitioners. Historically, CUAHSI has primarily targeted academic audiences, as this aligns well with our existing work and expertise. While we value engaging with a broader community, we have lacked clear pathways for connecting with non-academic groups.
One significant outcome of this project is that it creates a more defined approach for involving federal agencies and practitioners in our research initiatives. Although we have engaged federal partners through initiatives like the Summer Institute, this project offers a chance to foster connections on a smaller, more personal scale. It opens opportunities for CUAHSI to strengthen relationships with a wider range of stakeholders, thereby expanding the scope of our mission and exploring new avenues for growth.
Irene: CUAHSI values the contributions of diverse community members and aims to respond to the needs of our broader community. This project addresses those goals by facilitating interactions with new collaborators and institutions, which enhances our ability to respect and meet community needs. This project expands our network by bridging connections between academic and federal entities. It represents a significant opportunity to strengthen relationships not just between universities, but also with state and federal agencies, thus growing our collaborative network and furthering the scope of our mission.
Kristin: This project represents a significant shift from CUAHSI’s typical focus, including our other CIROH projects, by expanding our mission to engage a broader range of collaborators beyond academia. Traditionally, CUAHSI’s work has centered on academic research, often geared towards theoretical contributions and base-level science. This project, however, aligns with CUAHSI’s mission by directly addressing real-world needs and fostering connections with federal agencies and practitioners. It exemplifies how we can bridge the gap between academic research and practical applications, enhancing decision-making processes and community engagement.
From a broader perspective, this project is an opportunity to connect theoretical research with practical outcomes, potentially inspiring future CUAHSI initiatives that integrate these elements more effectively. It also offers a platform to involve students in meaningful, real-world applications of water data and research, which can be invaluable for their professional growth. By expanding our scope and connecting with diverse stakeholders, we aim to enrich CUAHSI’s services and broaden the impact of our work, benefiting both current and future generations.
Have you ever worked with stakeholders in the capacity that you did in this project and what were the outcomes?
Irene: Working directly with stakeholders was a new and enlightening experience for me. Typically, my focus has been on addressing specific scientific research questions, often leading me to concentrate on technical details and lose sight of the broader context. This project, however, highlighted the importance of maintaining awareness of the big picture and directly engaging with stakeholders. I was struck by how frequently I was reminded of the fundamental questions and needs driving the research. For instance, stakeholders might be interested in a straightforward presentation of results rather than the intricate details of our methods. This experience underscored the value of involving stakeholders early and often in the project and simplifying communication to ensure that their needs and suggestions are integrated into our technical methods and solutions.
Tony: I was pleasantly surprised by how enthusiastic stakeholders were about engaging with our research products. A key lesson I learned was that while we are focused on the detailed processes or algorithms, our stakeholders are primarily concerned with end results, such as predicting where flooding will occur. Their work starts where our research ends, so understanding this perspective is crucial. While we dive into complex details and methodologies, stakeholders must feel confident that the results are accurate and applicable to their requirements. They face their own challenges, such as using the information for infrastructure planning and addressing practical issues. Recognizing this helps us communicate more effectively and ensure that our work aligns with their needs and expectations.
If others in hydrology are interested in working on hydrology applications with stakeholders, what advice would you give to them?
Irene: An illustrative example of adapting our approach comes from our work with the Minnesota team, specifically the folks at U-Spatial. They were involved in local hazard mitigation planning and were interested in using the NWM to address data gaps in ungauged basins, particularly FEMA maps. Initially, we provided detailed technical workflows, which seemed overwhelming and unhelpful for their needs. Realizing this, we shifted to a more practical approach by minimizing their exposure to every line of code. Instead, we simplify processes, packaging most of the algorithms into Python modules. This allowed the computations to run in the background while keeping everything accessible for future improvements or deeper exploration.
Tony and I helped by accessing retrospective data from the NWM and applying methods suited to their needs. We learned to simplify our communication and focus on delivering clear, actionable insights rather than overwhelming details. This iterative process led to a final product that met their needs and was accessible through several Jupyter notebooks, which they found valuable and were excited to use. This experience highlighted the importance of understanding and aligning with stakeholders' needs, avoiding information overload, and delivering practical solutions.
Tony: To effectively engage stakeholders in research projects, start by deeply understanding their needs and objectives. Approach discussions with curiosity, asking detailed questions to grasp their goals. Initially, present your findings or solutions in a simplified manner, showing the end results first, and then delve into the specifics as needed. This method helps prevent overwhelming them with technical details upfront.
Additionally, use these interactions to refine and frame your research questions, ensuring that your work has tangible real-world impacts. Conversations with stakeholders are invaluable for making research relevant and impactful. Moving forward, leverage the connections and feedback from these engagements to shape future research projects. Consider involving stakeholders as collaborators or advisors to enhance the practical relevance and application of your work. This approach can significantly benefit future projects and strengthen the overall impact of your research.
Kristin, what value did you see from including Tony and Irene in this project?
Kristin: I deeply value the opportunity to work with CUAHSI as this project perfectly aligns with my passion for applied science. I often joke that I'm only interested in science if it serves a practical purpose, and this project is a prime example of that. The inclusion of Tony and Irene was crucial; their diverse perspectives were indispensable for the project's success. Without their expertise, this effort would not have been feasible.
Incorporating various levels of expertise allowed us to bridge gaps effectively and deliver a product that truly met stakeholders' needs. If we had worked in isolation, we might have misunderstood stakeholders' needs or misrepresented our model's capabilities. The interdisciplinary approach, blending academic research with practical application, ensured that our solutions were both technically sound and genuinely useful. This collaborative process not only enhanced the quality of the outcomes but also strengthened their real-world impact.
Moving forward into phase three, I am eager to continue this work, building on the successes of our current project. The blend of rigorous science with practical utility is what excites me most, and I look forward to expanding these efforts with CUAHSI, Tony, and Irene.
Does CUAHSI have any plans to engage in collaborative, interdisciplinary work in the future?
Tony: Our current project stands out because it engages stakeholders beyond the typical graduate students and academic contacts. This project represents a unique opportunity to explore broader impacts and refine our approach to stakeholder engagement. We are considering how to integrate the lessons learned from this project into future projects, focusing on specific groups and the real-world impact of our research. This approach aligns with best practices from other organizations, like CIROH, which effectively link research with practical applications and operational needs.
Moving forward, it's clear that effective stakeholder engagement is crucial and requires dedicated expertise. Collaborators with backgrounds in social sciences can greatly enhance our ability to conduct meaningful interviews and manage these interactions. Ensuring our team includes such expertise will help strengthen these connections and maximize the impact of our work. Thus, while we are eager to continue building on these insights, it's essential to expand our team to include specialists who can help us engage stakeholders more effectively and enhance the overall effectiveness of our research.
Kristin: In discussing stakeholder engagement, it's clear that building relationships is essential. Much like cultivating friendships or working with new colleagues, stakeholder engagement relies on transparency, honesty, and follow-through. This process requires time and deliberate effort—cold calls and brief interactions won't suffice. Instead, successful engagement involves meaningful, well-planned conversations that build trust and understanding.
One effective strategy is to initiate smaller, lower-stakes interactions to foster relationships. For instance, attending events like the University of Vermont CIROH all-hands meeting, where stakeholders from various sectors engaged with ongoing research, can provide valuable insights. Such exposure helps bridge the gap between academic perspectives and on-the-ground needs, and could be replicated through seminars or panel discussions to showcase real-world applications of science.
Looking ahead, incorporating stakeholders effectively means recognizing their varying capacities and needs. For example, in Vermont, we're exploring how to make the NWM more accessible to local communities through "boundary organizations," such as regional planning commissions. These organizations can act as intermediaries, helping to translate and apply scientific data in ways that are practical for communities with limited expertise.
What are the next steps for this project?
Kristin: Future phases of our project will focus on working with these boundary organizations to develop resources that meet community needs. This approach will involve ongoing dialogue to refine and create useful tools, with the goal of empowering local stakeholders to utilize scientific models, like the National Water Model, effectively. Overall, balancing theoretical science with practical applications through collaborative efforts is crucial for impactful research.