February 28 Deadline to Apply for Federal Alliance for Safe Homes (FLASH)® Scholarship Program

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Federal Alliance for Safe Homes (FLASH)

Jan 16, 2014, 08:00 ET

$1,500 scholarships target students seeking higher education and graduate degrees that underpin disaster safety and mitigation

TALLAHASSEE, Fla., Jan. 16, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Federal Alliance for Safe Homes (FLASH)®, the country's leading consumer advocate for strengthening homes and safeguarding families from natural disasters, is launching its third annual scholarship program, aimed at master and doctoral candidates seeking academic degrees that underpin disaster safety and mitigation, including construction, engineering, financial services, meteorology, risk communication, social sciences and more.

"Our scholarship program helps ensure that the professionals who can drive disaster resilience are aware of the role they play whether they are construction professionals, engineers, financial services experts, meteorologists or risk communicators," said FLASH President and CEO Leslie Chapman-Henderson. "And, we are especially grateful for the generous support of our leading FLASH partners who are helping expand the program this year. Our past graduate student scholarship winners have arrived in the marketplace with a full understanding of how they can help communities survive and recover from natural disasters by supporting the practice, policy and science of disaster safety and resilience."

Leading FLASH partners are pleased to offer the following $1,500 scholarships to eligible master and doctorate-degree students across the country for 2014:

FLASH® Social Science Scholarship – for students performing research on behavior change, societal effects or other social aspects as they relate to natural disaster mitigation or preparation.
International Code Council® Scholarship – for students performing research on the education of building codes, the effectiveness of building codes or the incentives/impediments for adoption and enforcement of building codes.
Kohler® Generators Scholarship – for students performing research on the role of backup power in mitigation of cascading damages following a utility power loss, the role of backup power in determining a structure's resilience or the cost/risk mitigation analysis of backup power.
RenaissanceRe® Risk Management Scholarship – for students performing research on the identification, assessment or prioritization of risk as it relates to natural disaster liabilities.
Simpson Strong-Tie® Structural Engineering & Construction Scholarship – for students performing research on resilient construction materials or techniques.
State Farm® Financial Services Scholarship – for students performing research on financial analysis, investment management or corporate finance as they relate mitigating the effects of, responding to or recovery from natural disasters.
The Home Depot® Supply Chain Scholarship – for students performing research in supply chain logistics/availability of materials following a natural disaster.
WeatherPredict Consulting Inc. Meteorology Scholarship – for students performing research on meteorology or meteorological risk modeling as it relates to natural disasters.

This year's application period closes February 28, 2014. Scholarship awardees will be notified by March 15, 2014 regarding their selection as recipients.

Winners will be recognized at the 2014 FLASH Annual Conference November 19 - 21 in Orlando, FL where they will be required to present their research findings as posters. For more details on the open application process, interested individuals are encouraged to visit www.flash.org/scholarship/.

The scholarship program was originally created as a higher education extension of StormStruck: A Tale of Two Homes® (StormStruck) the popular interactive severe weather experience at INNOVENTIONS at Epcot® at the Walt Disney World® Resort and sponsored by the Federal Alliance for Safe Homes (FLASH®); RenaissanceRe Holdings Ltd.; WeatherPredict Consulting Inc., an affiliate of RenaissanceRe; Simpson Strong-Tie® and State Farm®.

StormStruck helps guests learn about natural disaster risks, understand their property-protection and safety options and take action today to protect their families and their homes. In a 100,000-square-foot venue, StormStruck allows guests of all ages to experience a spectacular 4-D windstorm and team up to build a home that can withstand severe weather. Guests play fun-filled disaster safety games, create storm kits, take interactive quizzes on natural disasters local to their zip codes and can even create simulated mini-storms.

About FLASH
Federal Alliance for Safe Homes (FLASH)®, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, is the country's leading consumer advocate for strengthening homes and safeguarding families from natural and manmade disasters. FLASH collaborates with more than 100 innovative and diverse partners that share its vision of making America a more disaster‐resistant nation including: BASF, Federal Emergency Management Agency, Florida Division of Emergency Management, The Home Depot®, International Code Council, Kohler® Generators, National Weather Service, Portland Cement Association, RenaissanceRe, Simpson Strong-Tie®, State Farm™, USAA® and WeatherPredict Consulting Inc. In 2008, FLASH opened the interactive weather experience StormStruck: A Tale of Two Homes® in Lake Buena Vista, FL. Learn more about FLASH and gain access to its free consumer resources by visiting www.flash.org or calling (877) 221- SAFE (7233).

SOURCE Federal Alliance for Safe Homes (FLASH)