Each year, communities across Alabama are faced with the possibility of water-related emergencies like floods, droughts, hurricanes and extreme storms. Before the public is alerted, there is work that goes into how information about natural disasters is distributed for optimal safety to those that could be affected. That is where someone like Travis Loof, Ph.D., comes into play.
Loof is a social and communication scientist for the Cooperative Institute for Research to Operations in Hydrology (CIROH). As part of a joint effort between The University of Alabama and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), CIROH is made up of 28 different institutions working to improve water conditions. Situated within that, Loof’s job is to look for problems and solutions within how this important information is being relayed to the public. He wears several hats: researcher, collaborator, connector and communicator.
“Usually, people are just in operations or just in research,” Loof explained. “My job is to connect those two things. Instead of waiting years for findings to make their way into practice, I help make that transition happen right away.”
Much of Loof’s work centers on understanding how people perceive and respond to information during high-stakes water-related situations like a flood or hurricane. One of his recent projects focused on improving participation in emergency alert systems, particularly on college campuses like UA, by identifying what prevents people from signing up and how to overcome those barriers. By examining those communication gaps, Loof hopes to strengthen the first line of response long before a crisis even develops.
A separate project earlier this year took Loof into the field with the Alabama Emergency Management Agency, where he participated in an emergency simulation that modeled a hypothetical hurricane sweeping through the state. The exercise brought together experts from transportation, power companies and emergency services as they tested response plans. Together, they examined how communication, both strong and flawed, can shape decision-making during real-world environmental crises.
Sometimes Loof finds himself the only communication specialist in a room full of scientists and engineers, but often that is what makes his perspective so valuable during the planning process. He can take scientific data given to him and help transform it into something more digestible for the public.
Loof’s position allows him to move fluidly between academic research and real-world applications. At C&IS, he collaborates with faculty and students who share his passion for bridging disciplines and creating communication solutions that make an impact beyond the university.
“Everyone here wants to innovate and improve,” said Loof. “From University leadership to my colleagues, everyone’s focused on solving meaningful problems.” That spirit of collaboration, he added, is what makes The University of Alabama and CIROH such a powerful partnership.
Loof’s background wasn’t originally in hydrology, but he embraced the challenge of new information and immersing himself in the world of science. When meeting with hydrologists or engineers, he takes the time to understand their methods and vocabulary. He takes the language given to him to create materials that fit a multitude of situations and audiences. He works as a conduit between planning and action.
“I think that people in C&IS are some of the best people to make that bridge, because we aren’t necessarily experts in hydrology, but we are experts in understanding how people communicate about hydrology,” said Loof. “It’s about going from one human being to the next human being. What’s that transfer, and what’s that flow of information? And in that way, we’re sort of like the connective tissue.”
As technology and artificial intelligence continue to evolve, Loof believes communication and information sciences will become even more critical in helping people make sense of a rapidly changing world. His work demonstrates how understanding human behavior and perception can make scientific research not only more accessible, but more actionable.
The work being done at CIROH by experts like Loof shows that there is a noticeable benefit in science collaborating with storytelling. Whether he’s sitting in an emergency management exercise or working alongside a team of hydrologists, his focus remains the same: to ensure that the right information reaches the right people at the right time.