Miranda Silano (Master's Student)

I received my Bachelor of Science in Geology from the University of Florida in the summer of 2021. My research areas in my Bachelor's degree included vertebrate paleontology, paleoclimatology, and paleoecology. Specifically, I looked at how climate change influenced ecological relationships using stable isotope geochemistry. Understanding the influence of climate change on the natural world prompted an interest in me understanding the effect of climate change on humans. Growing up in southwest Florida and experiencing first-hand the impacts of hurricanes on people started an interest in understanding how climate change can influence weather hazards and increase the risk for disastrous consequences. I also became interested in how some groups are more vulnerable to the effects of hurricanes and why. Therefore, for my thesis, I decided to combine these two interests. I started my Master of Science in Geography at Auburn University in the fall of 2021. My thesis focuses on the effects of hurricanes on small and medium-sized Gulf of Mexico cities, specifically looking at the risk and social vulnerability aspects. The goal of my research is to be able to provide better insight into methods of managing different types of natural hazards through not only understanding the science of the hazard but how people interact with the hazard.