DSOC · About
Working together to move forward
DSOC connects students with faculty, staff, and experienced emergency-management professionals to deliver planning and operational support to local, regional, national, and international clients, through student-centered experiential learning and applied research.
Mission & vision
Real services, taught in real time
Our mission is to give students an operational, experiential learning and research experience that returns tangible health and safety services to WKU, its broader community, and partnered entities across the state of Kentucky, as well as the nation.
Our vision is to act as a proactive all-hazards intelligence and support entity, protecting life, property, environment, and economic stability while building pathways for student success. WKU Administration has charged DSOC with developing a Consortium of Disaster Science spanning multi-discipline academics and research.
- Who we serve
- WKU, the Bowling Green community, the Commonwealth of Kentucky, local, state, and federal agencies, and business and industry partners across the U.S.
- What drives us
- Student forecasting, emergency-management operators, graduate leaders, social media analysts, and supporting students in computer science, visual design, and science communication.
- Advisors
- A national advisory panel of career professionals, plus multiple supporting faculty and staff.
Goals
What we're building
Intelligence
Robust weather and situational intelligence with operational support for decision-makers.
Mitigation
An all-hazards mitigation strategy for WKU and partners.
Hyperlocal forecasting
Event-scale weather forecast and decision-support services, including onsite real-time work.
Training
Credentialed meteorology training through customized workshops.
Planning support
Planning support for partner organizations, operations, and events.
Consortium
Development of the Consortium of Disaster Science & Management (CDSM) across all five WKU colleges.
Academics
Support for EMDS certificates and graduate Disaster Science programs.
Outreach
Communications and outreach as an extension of our education efforts.
What anchors us
One campus, every discipline
DSOC is anchored by interdisciplinary operational collaborations across WKU: Meteorology, the College of Health and Human Services, Environmental Health & Safety, Public Broadcasting, and Athletics.
Together, these units interface with Police, Fire, Emergency Medical Services, and Emergency Management for anticipated risk, incident management, and all-hazards monitoring and communications.
The story
Operational before the Center existed
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The consortium
Development of the Consortium of Disaster Science begins, integrating programs across all five WKU colleges.
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The room
DSOC is dedicated on November 4 in Environmental Science & Technology Hall, and receives the Kentucky Association of Mitigation Managers “Mitigation Project of the Year” award.
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The proof
A tornado strikes dangerously close to campus on December 11. DSOC is still in planning, and works the event anyway. “We were operational that night even though we didn't have this space up and running.”
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The idea
A visit to Amazon's Global Security Operations Center in Phoenix plants the question: what would a student-run operations center look like?