Changwon Son Leads NIST-Funded Project to Develop Cutting-Edge Emergency, Disaster, and Crisis Management Education for Texas Tech Engineering Students
Changwon Son, lead Principal Investigator (PI) from Texas Tech University’s Department of Industrial, Manufacturing, and Systems Engineering (IMSE) in the Edward E. Whitacre College of Engineering, along with Co-PIs Mihwa Park from the College of Education and Wesley Wehde from the Department of Political Science, has secured a $149,021 grant from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). This project aims to develop a groundbreaking education module on emergency, disaster, and crisis management (EDCM) standards for undergraduate and graduate engineering students at Texas Tech University.
In today’s rapidly changing world, engineers are increasingly expected to manage emergency situations such as natural disasters, public health crises, and industrial incidents. This project, funded by NIST, aims to address this growing need by creating a publicly accessible, replicable course module that teaches future engineers how to manage emergencies and disasters effectively. The module will be integrated into both a core safety engineering course and an elective safety engineering course at Texas Tech, offering students foundational knowledge and practical skills.
For the IMSE Department, this grant is a significant achievement, as it is the first NIST Standards Education Grant the department has ever received. The project aligns with the department’s commitment to producing well-rounded engineers who are prepared to handle real-world crises. Traditionally, safety education has focused on general system safety. This new grant will allow the department to specialize further in disaster management, creating a more comprehensive safety curriculum.
The project also includes a research component that evaluates innovative teaching methods like simulation-based and facility-based learning. Dr. Son and his team plan to utilize a state-of-the-art virtual reality (VR) firefighting simulator to give students hands-on experience in a safe, controlled environment. Additionally, students will have opportunities to visit local fire departments and training facilities to gain practical insights into disaster management.
This grant supports the Whitacre College of Engineering’s educational goals by providing students with up-to-date, practical skills that are vital in today’s safety-conscious world. One of the key deliverables of this project is the creation of an elective course open to all engineering students, allowing more of the Texas Tech engineering community to benefit from this innovative safety education.
Son sees this project as an opportunity to expand his research into educational methods, incorporating novel pedagogical approaches into his teaching. By collaborating with experts in education and public policy, he hopes to evaluate and improve the impact of these methods on student learning. In the long term, he aims to share his findings through international conferences and journals, further establishing Texas Tech as a leader in safety education.
To current and future students, Son offers this advice: "Make safety our second nature."
He hopes that students will carry this message into their professional lives, ensuring
that safety is always a top priority in their communities.
This NIST-funded project is a step toward making Texas Tech’s Whitacre College of Engineering a leader in emergency, disaster, and crisis management education, preparing engineers for the challenges of tomorrow.