University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability (SEAS) PhD Students Olivia David (MS ‘22) and Amy Van Zanen (MS ‘23) have been interested in flood resilience and its related policy tools and implications since they were SEAS master’s students together. Both studied environmental policy and planning, though David also specialized in environmental justice. They both also worked with SEAS Adjunct Professor Sara Hughes, and after transitioning into the PhD program, David and Van Zanen continue to work with Hughes on research relating to flood management and policies in the Great Lakes region.
David and Van Zanen’s work is an extension of the research that Hughes had completed with two former SEAS master’s students. This work was funded by GLISA, NOAA’s Great Lakes CAP team. Hughes and her former students identified four major categories they used to assess state policy frameworks for supporting local flood resilience and identifying innovative strategies that support it. These categories (regulations and standards, planning guidance, information, and funding and financing) were published as a journal article and a public policy brief.