The late Richard Cook was one of the forces that launched and grew Resilience Engineering for safety in complex risk-critical worlds since the original 2004 Symposium. (read the story of Richard Cook on the dedicated article of Adaptive Capacity Labs: The Career, Accomplishments, and Impact of Richard I. Cook: A Life in Many Acts). Among his works on adaptation and complexity are the papers Going Solid, Being Bumpable, How Complex Systems Fail, The Stella Report, and the talk Bone is Resilience. He was a legendary mentor for the Young / Emerging Talents Programs at many of the Resilience Engineering Association (REA) Biennial Symposia. In honor of Richard’s contributions, REA is proud to announce a scholarship fund in his name.
First and foremost, Richard focused his attention on people doing real work. He had a magical way of pointing out the expertise of front line workers—work-as-done, while highlighting what distant views missed—work-as-imagined. This skill also made him an excellent teacher, professor, and mentor. He loved working with early-career researchers and emerging resilience engineers from all sorts of backgrounds. He loved helping people who were hungry to learn, and this scholarship fund is one way his contributions can continue.
Donations will be used to subsidize the travel of promising Resilience Engineering talents to the biennial symposia. The next Symposium is coming up in October of 2025 in Brazil. We look forward to your support for the next generation of Resilience Engineers.
Share your favorite memory of Richard and donate here (opens new tab to a different website):
The Young Talents Program
The mission of the Young Talents Program of the Resilience Engineering Association is to empower, inspire, and nurture the next generation of Resilience Engineers. We aim to equip future leaders with the skills, insights, and networks necessary to drive new theoretical contributions and resilient solutions across diverse industries and communities with a special focus on connecting the academic and the applied perspective.
The Young Talents program creates value by providing young researchers with unique, real-world learning experiences, access to a global network of Resilience Engineering experts, and platforms for professional growth. The highlight of our Young Talents program is a bi-annual workshop organized to coincide with the REA symposium. During this workshop, Masters’ and Ph.D. students within the fields of RE will have the opportunity to present their work to and exchange with prominent researchers in these fields. During several online activities, Young Talents prepare for this workshop and get the opportunity to bond before meeting each other in person. As the Young Talents program has typically been driven by previous program participants, it ensures the safeguarding of Resilience Engineering across generations.
The Young Talents program has been the entry point for many actively engaged in the REA organization. It also ensures that Resilience Engineering as a field continues to develop. The program drives innovation in Resilience Engineering by harnessing the creativity and energy of Young Talents, enriching the broader community with fresh perspectives. In doing so, it enhances the capacity for resilience across all sectors.
Recently, the Young Talents program has also focused on greater diversity within the RE community by focusing on participation from, and initiatives for, Asia.
Who can apply for the Young Talents Workshop?
Master’s and Ph.D. students who are currently pursuing research in the areas of RE can apply. We aim for gender and geographical diversity.