NEW: Heat mapping to strengthen resilience – 2025

Overview

The small island states of the Caribbean are among the most vulnerable to extreme weather, which is expected to increase the stressors on these island communities with altered temperature and precipitation patterns, increased likelihood of natural hazards, and accelerated rates of sea level rise. People in this region are particularly at risk due to their limited land space, geographic isolation, scarce freshwater supplies, high dependence on tourism and fisheries, and high rates of poverty. Decades of disinvestment and deferred maintenance have also weakened critical infrastructure, degraded ecosystems, reduced biodiversity, and threatened the well-being of people who live in this region.

The US Virgin Islands are a US territory, home to approximately 87,000 US citizens. The population faces enormous socioeconomic challenges with a median household income half of that in the Continental US. In this context, extreme weather events are triggering cascading, ongoing crises, which hinder recovery efforts and undermine the ability of communities to adequately adapt and build resilience to natural hazards. This is further complicated by a limited range of economic activities, constrained natural resources, and deep historical traumas linked to the territory’s colonial history.

Daily average temperatures in the territories are undergoing dramatic change. Minimum temperatures are increasing faster than daily average temperatures, compounding the impact of energy burden and further straining energy infrastructure. With little surface water, the territories are increasingly more vulnerable to drought, also exacerbated by increasing temperatures.

With expectations that the trends toward warmer, drier conditions will continue, adequate planning and preparedness is critical. The lack of relevant and timely data impedes the ability for public agencies and community organizations to identify, plan, and implement effective adaptation and resilience strategies. This program is meant to address this data gap by providing additional capacity for data collection and curation for heat, stormwater, and energy.

Community Partnerships

• US Virgin Islands Department of Planning and Natural Resources (DPNR)
• Green Caribbean Center, University of the Virgin Islands

Projects:

• The Government of the US Virgin Islands Department of Planning and Natural Resources (DPNR) is launching a program to collect baseline measurements of heat throughout the territory, and to investigate the feasibility of a stormwater monitoring program. Working with DPNR and partners at the University of the Virgin Islands, DukeEngage students will collect data on heat, stormwater infrastructure, and energy infrastructure, forming a territory-wide inventory that will be used to support planning, preparedness, and implementation of adaptation and resilience strategies. Students will use handheld Wet Bulb Globe Temperature (WBGT) monitors to collect and map heat, GPS tracking to geolocate and inventory stormwater infrastructure, and incorporate these with infrared satellite imagery to assess energy usage and the impact of the current built environment on temperatures. Team members from Duke’s Heat Policy Innovation Hub will work with the students and project partners to establish a digital inventory and visualize the data collected.
• Students will also create video narratives of their work, to be used by project partners in support of communication efforts to spread information about resilience.

Requirements

Language and Coursework: None required.

Skills: GIS and experience with GPS a plus but not required. R programming language skills a plus. Ability to use Excel. Good written communication skills and experience with various social media platforms a plus.

Personal Qualities:

Ability to work in teams and problem solve; acclimation to exertional outdoor activities; experience working or engaging with a wide range of partners; flexibility in living and working in environments that may be different than what they have previously experienced.

Logistics

Housing, meals, and transportation:Students will likely stay in dorms at the University of the Virgin Islands on the island of St. Thomas. They will have access to purchase meals in the dining hall, local grocery stores, or local restaurants. There will be some ability to prepare food in the dorm (coffee maker, microwave, etc.). Students will be transported to and from work sites each day via van.

Local safety, security, and cultural norms: If you have special needs related to health, culture, disability, or religious practices, we encourage you to contact the program director(s) or the DukeEngage office to discuss whether your needs can be accommodated in this program.

For guidance on how race, religion, sexual/gender identity, ability, or other aspects of identity might impact your travels, we suggest exploring the Diversity, Identity and Global Travel section of the DukeEngage website.

Academic Connections

This program is open to all and might especially appeal to students interested in community resilience; disaster planning, preparedness, and readiness; and environmental science.