Northeastern-Seattle’s College of Social Sciences and Humanities is launching a virtual faculty speaker series. Dr. Daniel P. Alrdich is hosting the opening event: Why Social Infrastructure Matters in Crisis: COVID-19 and Beyond.
Most approaches to handling disasters and shocks revolve around physical infrastructure, whether it’s sea walls for tsunamis, personal protective equipment and hand sanitizer for COVID-19, or hardened bunkers for missile attacks. But a growing body of evidence shows that social infrastructure—the ties that we have to each other through civic engagement, trust, and participation—have a larger impact on disaster and crisis outcomes than we recognize. Aldrich will use data from a variety of events, including Japan's 3/11 disasters, evacuations from North American hurricanes, and COVID-19 outcomes around the world—to show how social capital and trust matter and help us survive and thrive during shocks.
Dr. Daniel P. Aldrich is director of the Security and Resilience Studies program and professor of political science and public policy at Northeastern University in Boston. Aldrich has published five books and written more than 50 peer-reviewed articles and op-eds for the New York Times, CNN, and many other media outlets. He has spent more than five years in India, Japan, and Africa carrying out fieldwork. His work has been funded by the Fulbright Foundation, the Abe Foundation, and the Japan Foundation, among other institutions.
Our virtual session will be divided into three parts:
The Master of Science in Security and Resilience Studies at Northeastern University is the first multidisciplinary security studies graduate program to focus on maximizing system and societal resilience. Because you’ll learn from both engineering and policy experts, you’ll gain a new perspective on security challenges, as well as the cutting-edge skills needed to prepare for, withstand, and recover rapidly in the face of man-made and natural disasters.
Founded in 1898, Northeastern is a global research university and the recognized leader in experience-driven lifelong learning. Our world-renowned experiential approach empowers our students, faculty, alumni, and partners to create impact far beyond the confines of discipline, degree, and campus.
Our locations—in Boston; Charlotte, North Carolina; London; Portland, Maine; San Francisco; Seattle; Silicon Valley; Toronto; Vancouver; and the Massachusetts communities of Burlington and Nahant—are nodes in our growing global university system. Through this network, we expand opportunities for flexible, student-centered learning and collaborative, solutions-focused research.
Northeastern’s comprehensive array of undergraduate and graduate programs— in a variety of on-campus and online formats—lead to degrees through the doctorate in nine colleges and schools. Among these, we offer more than 195 multi-discipline majors and degrees designed to prepare students for purposeful lives and careers.
Founded in 1898, Northeastern is a global research university and the recognized leader in experience-driven lifelong learning. Our world-renowned experiential approach empowers our students, faculty, alumni, and partners to create impact far beyond the confines of discipline, degree, and campus.
Our locations—in Boston; Charlotte, North Carolina; London; Portland, Maine; San Francisco; Seattle; Silicon Valley; Toronto; Vancouver; and the Massachusetts communities of Burlington and Nahant—are nodes in our growing global university system. Through this network, we expand opportunities for flexible, student-centered learning and collaborative, solutions-focused research.
Northeastern’s comprehensive array of undergraduate and graduate programs— in a variety of on-campus and online formats—lead to degrees through the doctorate in nine colleges and schools. Among these, we offer more than 195 multi-discipline majors and degrees designed to prepare students for purposeful lives and careers.