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Walter Gillis Peacock

Professor of Landscape Architecture & Urban Planning, Texas A&M University
Walter Gillis Peacock is professor of Urban Planning in the Department of Landscape Architecture and Urban Planning and the Director of the Hazard Reduction and Recovery Center at Texas A&M University (TAMU) where he has been a member of the faculty since 2002. He is also working at the U.S. Census Bureau as a Research Survey Statistician, in the Social, Economic, and Housing Statistics Division, Small Area Modeling & Development, with the Community Resilience Estimation Program. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Georgia. He is internationally known for his research on disaster recovery, community resiliency, and social vulnerability.

In 2009 he was awarded the Quarantelli Award for Social Science Disaster Theory, acknowledging significant theoretical work in disaster and hazards research. Between 2008 and 2012 he was the holder of the Rodney L. Dockery Endowed Professorship in Housing and the Homeless and in 2012 he was awarded the Sandy and Bryan Mitchell Master Builder Endowed Chair at Texas A&M. In 2014 he received the Distinguished Achievement Award in Research from Texas A&M, an award sponsored by the Association of Former Students. He has conducted research in Florida, Texas, California, Guatemala, Mexico, Peru, the former Yugoslavia, Italy, Turkey, and India.

Economy

Swiss National Bank Scales Back Currency Interventions After Taming Inflation

The Swiss National Bank (SNB) significantly reduced its foreign currency interventions in 2024, purchasing just 1.2 billion Swiss francs ($1.36 billion) after selling 132.9 billion francs in 2023. The drastic shift...

Asian Stocks Surge as Hong Kong Rallies on AI Hype and China Stimulus

Asian stocks climbed on Tuesday, with Hong Kong leading gains as optimism over Chinas economic stimulus and growing confidence in AI innovation fueled a rally in major tech stocks. Hong Kongs Hang Seng Index jumped nearly...

Oil Prices Rise Amid Gaza Strikes and Fed Uncertainty

Oil prices gained in Asian trading Tuesday after Israel launched airstrikes on Gaza, allegedly violating a ceasefire following failed hostage negotiations. Brent crude rose 0.4% to $71.32 per barrel, while WTI climbed 0.4%...

Gold Surges Past $3,000 Again Amid Tariff Uncertainty and Dollar Weakness

Gold prices soared past the $3,000 mark for the second time in a week, hitting a record high of $3,014.83 per ounce on Tuesday as investors sought refuge from economic uncertainty. Spot gold was up 0.4% at $3,012.74 per...

ANZ Raises China’s 2025 Growth Forecast Amid Stronger Industrial Output and Policy Support

ANZ analysts have upgraded their 2025 GDP growth forecast for China to 4.8% from 4.3%, citing robust industrial production and new policy measures aimed at boosting consumption and market confidence. The bank also raised...

Politics

Erdogan Seeks White House Meeting with Trump to Strengthen U.S.-Turkey Ties

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan is working to arrange a meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House, potentially by late April, Bloomberg News reported, citing Turkish officials. Erdogan views stronger...

Global CEOs to Convene in Beijing as China Seeks Foreign Investment Amid Economic Challenges

Dozens of global CEOs will attend the China Development Forum in Beijing on March 23-24, with some expected to meet President Xi Jinping on March 28. This high-profile event comes as China seeks to attract foreign...

Trump Takes Over Kennedy Center, Criticizes ‘Disrepair’ and Threatens Changes

U.S. President Donald Trump visited the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts on Monday, marking his first appearance since appointing himself chairman. Trump criticized the iconic venue, calling it tremendously...

Trump to Press Putin for Ceasefire in Ukraine Amid High-Stakes Call

U.S. President Donald Trump is set to speak with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday, aiming to secure a ceasefire in the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war. The call will test Trumps negotiation skills and his...

Judge Challenges Trump Over Controversial Venezuelan Deportations

A federal judge has ordered the Trump administration to explain the deportation of 261 Venezuelans, despite a court ruling blocking the flights. President Donald Trump claims the deported individuals were linked to Tren de...

Science

What’s the shape of the universe? Mathematicians use topology to study the shape of the world and everything in it

When you look at your surrounding environment, it might seem like youre living on a flat plane. After all, this is why you can navigate a new city using a map: a flat piece of paper that represents all the places around...

Asteroid has a very small chance of hitting Earth in 2032, but a collision could devastate a city

In December 2024, astronomers in Chile spotted a new asteroid streaking through the sky, which they named 2024 YR4. Whats significant about this 100m-wide space rock is that it has a small chance of hitting Earth in 2023....

Leonardo da Vinci’s incredible studies of human anatomy still don’t get the recognition they deserve

Wikimedia, CC BY-SA The mere mention of Leonardo da Vinci evokes genius. We know him as a polymath whose interests spanned astronomy, geology, hydrology, engineering and physics. As a painter, his Mona Lisa and Last Supper...

One of the largest searches for alien life started 30 years ago. Its legacy lives on today

In February 1995, a small research organisation known as the SETI Institute launched what was then the most comprehensive search for an answer to a centuries-old question: are we alone in the universe? This Sunday marks...

South African telescope discovers a giant galaxy that’s 32 times bigger than Earth’s

Inkathazos glowing plasma jets are shown in red and yellow. The starlight from other surrounding galaxies can be seen in the background. K.K.L Charlton (UCT), MeerKAT, HSC, CARTA, IDIA, CC BY You may not know it, but right...

Technology

NASA Astronauts Return to Earth After Prolonged ISS Mission

NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams finally returned to Earth after an extended mission aboard the International Space Station (ISS). Originally set for an eight-day test, their journey stretched to nine months...

BYD Stock Hits Record High After Unveiling Ultra-Fast EV Charging Platform

Shares of BYD Co (HK:1211) surged to an all-time high on Tuesday following the companys launch of an advanced electric vehicle (EV) platform with ultra-fast charging technology and plans for a nationwide charging network....

Tesla Stock Drops 5% After YouTube Video Exposes Autopilot Flaws

Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA) shares fell 5% on Monday, underperforming the broader markets 0.6% gain. Meanwhile, Luminar Technologies (NASDAQ: LAZR), a leading LiDAR maker, surged 27.5%. The market shift follows a viral video by...

AstraZeneca Acquires EsoBiotec for $1B to Boost Cell Therapy Innovations

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) has announced plans to acquire biotechnology company EsoBiotec for up to $1 billion, aiming to advance its cell therapy capabilities, particularly for cancer and autoimmune treatments. The deal...

SpaceX Crew-10 Arrives at ISS to Bring Stranded Astronauts Home

A SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule successfully docked at the International Space Station (ISS) early Sunday, completing a 29-hour journey from NASAs Kennedy Space Center. The Crew-10 mission, which launched Friday at 7:03 p.m....