Summary
The Hub’s annual summer scholars program came to a close earlier this month, as CHEER graduated its third cohort of students. These seven scholars–four undergraduates and three graduate students–join a network of more than 20 alumni from the summer scholar program. Like their predecessors, their contributions to the Hub’s research will last long after their time in the program.
Like previous years, this cohort was an industrious one. During their six-week tenure under the guidance of Education Director Meghan Millea, these eight students participated in various research and community engagement activities across eastern North Carolina.
These are just a few of the highlights.
Thursday, June 5, 2025: Meeting with Craven County, N.C.
On June 5th, the CHEER summer scholars visited the Craven County Planning and Inspections Department. Chad Strawn, the Craven County Planning Director, along with his colleagues Jason Frederick (Assistant Planning Director) and Joe Dunnehoo (Stormwater Administrator), met with the scholars to discuss their community, infrastructure development, grant funding, and mental health. As long-term members and employees within their county, Chad, Jason, and Joe have built strong connections with their community. They aim for long-term, sustainable, cost-effective strategies to combat hurricanes (and beyond) that improve the housing stock and community functionality while prioritizing the individual home. Some of these include the implementation of living shorelines, stream debris removals, housing elevations, and planting vegetation. They focus on planning for the future, keeping the people they serve in mind, and that “every storm is like a thumbprint, it is very unique,” and rarely like the last (stated by Jason Frederick).
Friday, June 6, 2025: Visit to New Bern, NC
On June 6th, the summer Scholars traveled to New Bern, North Carolina, to meet with Kristy Kulberg, executive director of the Coastal Carolina Disaster Resiliency Agency (CCDRA). Kristy led the scholars through a tour of CCDRA’s office and storage facilities, where she and her volunteers are actively preparing for this year’s hurricane season. One volunteer was putting together information packets for residents, while her husband was helping to stage pre-stocked trailers to be deployed for rapid response and recovery. After a thorough tour, Kristy and the scholars concluded in the dining hall of the CCDRA’s volunteer housing, where they had an engaging conversation about resilience, both within the organization and in Kristy’s own life.
Monday, June 9, 2025: CHEER Team in Greenville, NC
In addition to focusing on their individual research projects, the summer scholars collaborated with Rachel Davidson, Christopher Alegbeleye, Daniel Porotov, and Hesam Soleimani to enhance the classification of building types in the CHEER dataset, to support hazard modeling and resilience planning. The scholars were primarily responsible for the Labeling Task, which involves identifying residential buildings in selected North Carolina counties using Google Maps. They recorded each building’s coordinates and type (e.g., site-built, mobile/manufactured, or multifamily) in a spreadsheet. They provide approximately 3,000 entries and images for the CHEER research team.
Wednesday, June 11, 2025: Visit to National Weather Service Regional Office
On June 11, the summer scholars met with Erik Heden and Ryan Ellis from the National Weather Service (NWS) Newport/Morehead office. Erik travels throughout eastern North Carolina, sharing hurricane readiness resources and building trust with local communities. They spoke with the scholars about how their office supports residents during hurricane season. One of the highlights of the visit was seeing the marked, color-coded pole Erik uses to demonstrate different storm surge heights. Erik simplifies complex scientific concepts, such as storm surge, to make them more understandable to a general audience. The scholars left with a renewed sense of the importance of hurricane risk communication.
Monday, June 9, 2025: Visit to Coastal Community Action (CCA)
On June 9, the summer scholars met with Catissa Head, the executive director of Coastal Community Action, in Newport, NC. When hurricanes hit North Carolina’s coast, families need more than emergency shelter—they need advocates who understand their struggles. Coastal Community Action has been that lifeline for over 60 years, serving nine counties with a range of services, from Head Start programs to housing vouchers. Ms. Head described how she leads a team that doesn’t just talk about helping people; they take action. They attend commissioner meetings, sit with homeless individuals to understand their needs, and adapt when disasters strike. “Trust is standing on your word, having integrity,” she explains. From weatherizing homes to providing childcare for pregnant women through age five, this community action agency proves that real change happens when organizations immerse themselves in the communities they serve, building relationships one conversation at a time.
Monday, June 17, 2025: Virtual Meeting with Joe Trainor
The summer scholars virtually attended a session led by Dr. Joseph Trainor, a researcher on the households and government thrust based at the University of Delaware, who spoke about what fairness really means in the context of disaster response and recovery. He broke down the differences between equality, equity, and justice in a way that encouraged the students to reflect on how these ideas play out in the real world. Using examples from past disasters and community experiences, Dr. Trainor demonstrated how policies that treat everyone the same can still result in unfair outcomes. His talk reminded the summer scholars that recovery isn’t just about rebuilding; it’s about making sure the process works for everyone, especially those who are often overlooked. The session left many of us thinking more deeply about how fairness has to be built into every stage of planning and response.
Monday, June 24, 2025: Visit to Kinston, NC
The summer scholars visited planners of the City of Kinston and Lenoir County. They spoke with Adam Short, Assistant County Manager, and Scott Alston, Director of Parks and Recreation. In their meeting, the students had the opportunity to ask questions about park management, critical infrastructure, grant applications, and the needs of their vulnerable populations. They learned about the process of planning for and managing parks, buyouts, and infrastructure with the help of various grants. The summer scholars received some insight into the upcoming project extensions and new initiatives within the community. During their meeting, Adam and Scott also shared the rich history of flooding in the area and its impact on different populations and community management. The meeting provided the scholars with a great example of a successful local government.
The scholars also completed an individual project to complement these endeavors throughout the course of the program. Each student selected a specific topic within the Hub’s scope of research that matched their background and interests. The activities mentioned above provided opportunities for them to pursue their research question through interviews and data collection, capturing local knowledge, perspectives, and experiences critical for the Hub.
You can learn more about the students’ individual projects by watching their presentations on the CHEER YouTube Channel. Click here to access 2025 Summer Scholars Research Showcase Playlist.
