APSU Provost Lecture Series kicks off with session about Religion in Disaster Relief

Clarksville, TN – An Austin Peay State University social work faculty member will explore the role of spirituality in natural disaster relief as the first session of the University’s Provost Lecture Series for 2012-13.

Dr. Tatsushi Hirono, assistant professor of social work, will present “The Role of Religious Leaders in Natural Disaster Relief: A Comparative Analysis Between the Clergy of American Christian Churches and Japanese Buddhist Temples” at 3:00pm, Thursday, September 20th in the Morgan University Center, Room 303.

All sessions of the Provost Lecture Series are free and open to the public. [Read more]

APSU’s GIS Center and Oak Ridge Receive $400,000 Grant for Cell Phone App Program

Clarksville, TN – On a stormy Monday afternoon, while tornado sirens blared across the Austin Peay State University campus, Mike Wilson, manager of the school’s Geographic Information Systems Center, decided to talk about natural disasters.

“Suppose a tornado rips through here,” he said, knocking on his wood desk to ward off the suggestion. “If that happens, local officials will need to do a preliminary damage assessment. That’ll go to the state, and the governor will make a decision on whether to call in FEMA for a natural disaster. This app speeds that up.”

Wilson motioned to his Android mobile phone. A year ago, his office, in conjunction with the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, developed an innovative new cell phone application known as the Disaster Mitigation and Recovery Kit (DMARK). The application allows emergency responders to document immediately any damage they come across following a disaster. [Read more]