An assistant professor in MU’s Communication Department has been awarded a $2.4 million grant to establish a Terrorism and Disaster Center on campus.
MU Communications Assistant professor Brian Houston received the grant from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.
Funding for the project began Oct. 1, and Houston has four years to complete his project. He said the Terrorism and Disaster Center will focus on child, family, and community health after possible disasters.
“We’ll focus on projects that are intended to better understand and increase disaster preparedness, recovery, long term recovery, and also resilience related to disasters – whether they are natural disasters or man-made, intentional disasters like acts of terrorism," Houston said.
Eventually, Houston will serve as the co-director of the Terrorism and Disaster Center. He applied for the grant with the help from an experienced team of former grant recipients from the University of Oklahoma.