Amy L Ai, a Faculty Affiliate with the Institute for Successful Longevity and professor in the College of Social Work, has been named a Fellow of the Fahs-Beck Fund for Research and Experimentation.

The Fahs-Beck Fund also provided Ai a $20,000 grant for her project “Traumatization and Resilience among Puerto Rican Americans Following Hurricane Maria in Florida: The Role of Positive Media.”

Collaborating with Co-PI Art Raney in the College of Communication and Information, Dr. Ai will collect preliminary data among Hurricane Maria evacuees and their extended family members currently living in Florida, the largest resettlement site for Puerto Rican victims of the 2017 storm. With the IRB approval, a sample of Hurricane Michael was added. The project will consider how the storm affected the mental health of evacuees, how individuals used media during the storm and how positive media may affect resilience in the aftermath.

The Fahs-Beck Fund supports research that contributes to a greater understanding of and solutions for problems affecting individuals, families and communities.

 “No one has yet explored the crucial role that media can play for people recovering from the trauma of Hurricanes Maria and Michael,” Dr. Ai said, “and media also remain primary tools for escape and reflection after the traumatic event. The ultimate is to inform better disaster relief.”