{"id":156176,"date":"2026-11-03T09:30:39","date_gmt":"2026-11-03T14:30:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/news\/?p=156176"},"modified":"2026-11-03T09:10:00","modified_gmt":"2026-11-03T14:10:00","slug":"ucf-grad-turns-to-anthropology-for-flood-mitigation-efforts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/news\/ucf-grad-turns-to-anthropology-for-flood-mitigation-efforts\/","title":{"rendered":"UCF Grad Turns to Anthropology for Flood Mitigation Efforts"},"content":{"rendered":"
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When Nilver Tovar-Ospina \u201926PhD<\/strong> came to UCF to pursue a doctorate in environmental engineering<\/a>, he expected to continue studying the environmental challenges he had explored in Colombia during his graduate studies. Instead, the Colombian native opened a new avenue of research in UCF\u2019s Department of Anthropology<\/a>.<\/p>\n

In Summer 2026, Tovar-Ospina became the first graduate of UCF’s integrative anthropological sciences doctoral program with a concentration in environmental anthropology. His research in environmental engineering examines how flooding and sea-level rise affect vulnerable communities in South Florida.<\/p>\n

Tovar-Ospina found that while high-income, tourist-focused areas received substantial flood-protection infrastructure, historically lower-income communities continued to experience recurrent flooding that, in some places, had persisted for decades. He connected these contemporary disparities to earlier drainage and canalization projects, environmental changes and uneven infrastructure investment.<\/p>\n

\u201cUnderstanding what these communities are experiencing today is essential for developing more equitable risk assessments and adaptation strategies,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

From Colombia to UCF<\/h2>\n

Tovar-Ospina’s interest in the field began years ago while working for a company that conducted environmental studies in Neiva, Colombia. His experience evaluating how hydrological companies, construction and projects can impact biodiversity and societies dependent on biodiverse resources deepened his interest in how environmental and social changes affect communities. It prompted him to explore these connections further from home, which led him to the UCF Global Intensive English Program and eventually his doctoral program.<\/p>\n

Focus of Research<\/h2>\n

During his doctoral studies, Tovar-Ospina began examining how flooding and sea-level rise affect communities in Miami-Dade County and why flood vulnerability is distributed so unevenly. Through UCF Coastal<\/a>, one of UCF\u2019s Faculty Cluster Initiatives (FCI), he connected his anthropological research with broader interdisciplinary conversations about coastal vulnerability and climate adaptation.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wanted to go beyond conventional flood-risk models and understand how flooding is actually experienced by the people living with it,\u201d Tovar-Ospina says. \u201cThat meant combining ethnography and community knowledge with historical research, participatory mapping and GIS to understand not only where flooding occurs, but why vulnerability is so uneven.\u201d<\/p>\n