Suchi Gopal and Magaly Koch receive NSF grant to study Indonesian coast

Professor Suchi Gopal and Research Associate Professor Magaly Koch of the Center for Remote Sensing will receive $200,000 over three years for 18 U.S. students to gain international research experience in earth, life and data sciences as applied to the coastal region of Northern Central Java. Assessing the impacts of present and future coastal hazards requires an understanding of the complex interactions between geological, hydrological, biophysical and socioeconomic systems.

This is a collaborative three year IRES project for 18 US students to gain international research experience in earth, life and data sciences as applied to the coastal region of Northern Central Java, Indonesia. The collaborative activities will be performed in partnership between Boston University (BU), Tufts University (TU) and the University of Diponegoro (UNDIP), Semarang, Indonesia. A cohort of six students per year will gain hands-on laboratory and field experience in coastal zone research during a six-week stay at the foreign institution. Coastal cities worldwide are facing the enormous task to become resilient against physical, social and economic challenges, in addition to challenges due to climate variations. Assessing the impacts of present and future coastal hazards requires an understanding of the complex interactions betweengeological, hydrological, biophysical and socioeconomic systems. This project seeks to undertake effective, innovative, and transformative research to understand how coastal environments respond to natural and anthropogenic factors. Students will learn data acquisition techniques and the ability to analyze and interpret scientific information.