Build and Broaden: Conference on Social Connections to Promote Individual and Community Resilience in Post-COVID-19 Society

This project consists of a conference, the objective of which is to build partnerships and collaborations among the University of Texas at Arlington (UTA), a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI), several other Minority-Serving Institutions (MSIs) in Texas, as well as other leading research institutions across the nation. The conference addresses fundamental research questions of the role of social connections as a key form of social capital for individuals and communities adapting to changes after high-impact disasters and extreme events. Collaborative opportunities among the social sciences, computer sciences, and engineering in innovative data, technology, and methods of studying and strengthening social connections are highlighted. The conference promotes interdisciplinary dialogues as the basis for a series of fruitful collaborations to address critical social needs as society recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic.

This hybrid conference includes a two-day live-streamed physical conference, two pre-conference virtual meeting sessions, and a series of post-conference follow-up virtual meetings. Each pre-conference virtual meeting consists of three speakers' presentations and an open discussion session with an estimate of 25 participants. The physical conference includes three structured speaker sessions and three open discussion sessions, with an estimated 50 participants. Overall, speaker sessions include topics on 1) social connections as key social capital in coping with the COVID -19 crisis, 2) vulnerability and risks of COVID-19 and mitigation impact of social connections among minority and high-risk populations, and 3) innovative methods in investigating the impact of social connections in vulnerability and resilience to COVID-19. Open discussion sessions include topics on 1) the unique roles of MSIs in leading research and dissemination among the most affected communities, and 2) exploring interdisciplinary collaborative opportunities and dialogues. A student-focused poster session is held at the physical meeting, with an estimate of 50 poster presentations and an additional 50 visiting students. The poster session focuses on social connections as a critical component of resilience. Post-conference follow-up meetings and activities concern team building and how the impact of the conference may be sustained.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.