Keren Prize Bolter, PhD
Sea-Level Rise Expert, Geospatial Analyst,
Science Director, Coastal
Risk Consulting
Dr. Keren Bolter is a research coordinator for the FAU Center for Environmental Studies (CES), a policy analyst for the Southeast Florida Regional Planning Council, and Science Director for Coastal Risk Consulting, LLC. Keren uses LIDAR digital elevation, storm surge, and water table models in GIS to assess sea level rise (SLR) risk. Methods include mapping and analysis of the impacts of SLR, addressing both physical, socioeconomic, and health implications.
Dr. Bolter has a Bachelor’s Degree in Environmental Engineering from Tufts University and a Master’s Degree in Environmental Studies from Florida Atlantic University (FAU), and a PhD in Geosciences from FAU. She has planned and collaborated on several projects including the MIT Sea Level Rise Scenario Planning and Alternative Futures project and an Anglo-Floridian partnership to exchange adaptation strategies between the UK and the US. Keren helped to organize the 2012 Hydrology of the Everglades in the Context of Climate Change Workshop and the 2013 FAU Sea Level Rise Summit, where she served on the Health Committee and spoke on the Health Panel. Dr. Bolter has presented her maps and research at TEDx Miami and on national news stations including NBC and the Weather Channel.
For the Southeast Florida Regional Planning Council, Keren helped
create a Guide for Adaptation Action Areas, in order to identify areas that
experience coastal flooding due to extreme high tides and storm surges. Identifying
areas vulnerable to the impacts of rising sea levels assists communities in
prioritizing funding for infrastructure needs and adaptation planning. She has
also developed outreach resources, including podcasts and videos, for community
use.
Dr. Bolter has also helped organize a Data Common to help the public better
understand the challenges and opportunities of using data to drive change in
Southeast Florida. A concurrent project, the “Citi-Community Development
Equity Indicators Project”, uses Social Equity Indicators to better understand
communities, improve public policy and promote informed decision-making. Keren
has created data visualization interfaces through a web-based analysis and visualization
environment (WEAVE) to illustrate the usefulness of inquiry-based data exploration.