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Two College of Engineering faculty members, Dr. Qin Qian, Professor of Civil & Environmental Engineering at Â鶹ÊÓƵ and Dr. Helen Lou, Professor of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, have been awarded the Texas Sea Grant in a total of $499,492 from the U.S. Coastal Research Program (USCRP). The two professors have been named Primary Investigators for this resilient operation.  

“The project aims at studying and enhancing the resilience of energy and water supply infrastructures along the Texas Coast against catastrophic coastal flooding through integration of climate-informed adaptation strategies,” Qian said. “The Â鶹ÊÓƵ research team is collaborating with University of Texas at Arlington, and Texas A& M to collect data related to the infrastructure undertaking planned by regional districts to evaluate the impacts of climate informed flood assessment and gather critical information concerning the local oil and gas industry and offer advocacy and support for these industries.” 

The project expands the previous NOAA funded effort to address spillover effects of flooding on energy infrastructure that supports the energy security of the nation. The team will make recommendations on infrastructure plans to state and regional governments that will improve the economic well-being of multiple communities. 

“This project aims at studying and enhancing the resilience of energy industry facing floods and hurricanes. Which is the key interest of the community in Southeast Texas, including myself,” said Lou. 

The goal of the USCRP is to build a community of practice to address societal needs along the coast.  USCRP is a collaboration of Federal agencies, academics, and stakeholders that aims to identify research priorities, enhance funding for academic programs, foster collaboration, and promote science translation. The research conducted will generate guidance to the community to promote the resilience of the energy infrastructure and be disseminated through community workshops in the region.