Learning from Earthquakes
Virtual Earthquake Reconnaissance Team Summaries on Indonesia Earthquakes Now Available
Two major earthquakes struck Indonesia in July and August 2018. EERI extends its sympathy to the victims as rescue and relief work continues. As part of its Learning from Earthquakes (LFE) Program, the Virtual Earthquake Response Team (VERT) has conducted an initial review of news articles and social media to develop summaries of earthquake impacts from the July 28, 2018 M6.4 Lelongken earthquake and the M6.9 August 5, 2018 Loloan earthquake in Indonesia. The team summarized immediate impacts to schools, buildings, hospitals, emergency response, lifelines, geotechnical structures, roads and bridges and also provides information on social media response.
The VERT summaries are now available in the EERI LFE Earthquake Archive:
1. Virtual Earthquake Reconnaissance Team (VERT): Immediate Response to M6.9 Loloan, Indonesia Earthquake
Contributors: Angel Perez-Irizarry, Wael Hassan, Gabby Haro, David Yoo, Christine Wittich, Yolanda Alberto, Manny Hakhamaneshi, Vishal Joshi, Alex Julius.
2. Virtual Earthquake Reconnaissance Team (VERT): Immediate Response to M6.4 Lelongken, Indonesia Earthquake
Contributors: Daniel Sandoval, David Yoo, Mikael Gartner, Yanbing Bai, Christine Wittich, Jack Bergquist, Eytan Fiszman, Alex Julius, Hartanto Wibowo, Roberto Anton, Preetish Kakoty.
The Virtual Earthquake Reconnaissance Team is led by Co-Chairs Erica Fischer (M.EERI,2010) and Manny Hakhamaneshi (M.EERI,2009).
EERI is currently monitoring the situation from media reports, and reaching out to members, colleagues, and organizations that have conducted reconnaissance and research in the impacted regions. To share other information or reports about these earthquakes, please contact EERI Program Manager Maggie Ortiz-Millan at Maggie@eeri.org.
Photo: Collapsed mosque in Pemenang, North Lombok. (Adek Berry/AFP/Getty)
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EERI Younger Member Spotlight
YMC Co-Chair Guillermo Diaz-Fanas Named ASCE 2018 New Face of Civil Engineering
Congratulations to Guillermo Diaz-Fanas, P.E., M.ASCE (M.EERI,2015), for recognition by the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) as one of ten outstanding young professionals named the 2018 New Faces of Civil Engineering! Diaz-Fanas is a geotechnical engineer in WSP USA’s New York City office who works on transportation, infrastructure and building projects around the world as a member of the firm’s Geotechnical and Tunneling Technical Excellence Center, with a focus on projects that require the expertise of multi-hazard risk studies and seismic resilience.
Diaz-Fanas' career path was influenced by two natural disasters that left an indelible impression on him. Growing up in the Dominican Republic, at the age of 9, he experienced the fury and the aftermath of Hurricane George. Five years later he experienced the powerful Puerto Plata earthquake. Fast forward, and today Diaz-Fanas is a dedicated engineering professional who is equally committed to volunteerism and advocacy. He serves as Co-Chair of EERI's Younger Member Committee, has been a volunteer for ASCE technical committees and other organizations, and in earthquake reconnaissance and recovery efforts throughout the Americas. He is also active in groups that promote diversity and inclusion of underrepresented groups in civil engineering.
To learn more, please read these articles and watch the video:
Diaz Recognized as New Face of Civil Engineering (WSP Insights)
Childhood Earthquake Inspired ASCE New Face to Make a Seismic Difference (ASCENews)
Video (YouTube)
Younger Members Committee Webinar
How Induced Earthquakes Are Making Us Rethink the Challenges of Earthquake Engineering
How Induced Earthquakes Are Making Us Rethink the Challenges of Earthquake Engineering
Monday, September 17, 2018
10:00 – 11:00 am PST
Speaker: Abbie Liel, Ph.D.
Register for the Webinar
This presentation examines the ongoing human-caused seismicity in Oklahoma, Kansas and other parts of the central U.S. from an earthquake engineering perspective. Key questions to be answered include: Are these earthquakes different from natural (tectonic) earthquakes in important ways for earthquake engineers? Are these earthquakes large enough to cause damage to buildings and infrastructure? What is the impact of these earthquakes on seismic hazard and risk?
Abbie Liel, Ph. D. (M.EERI,2009)
Abbie is an Associate Professor of Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering at the University of Colorado, Boulder. She earned two undergraduate degrees from Princeton University, one in Civil Engineering and one from the Woodrow Wilson School of Public Policy, starting her interest in uniting engineering and public policy. She started her graduate studies in the United Kingdom on a Marshall Scholarship, where she received a M.Sc. in Civil Engineering and a M.Sc. in Building and Urban Design and Development. Abbie did her Ph.D. at Stanford University, under the guidance of Professor Gregory Deierlein (M.EERI, 1989), focusing on collapse risk of older non-ductile concrete frame structures. At the University of Colorado, Abbie has worked on problems related to seismic performance of concrete buildings, snow loads on structures, and flood damage in the 2013 Boulder, CO floods, and induced seismicity, and advised 13 doctoral students. She has been the recipient of Shah Family Innovation Prize from the Earthquake Engineering Research Institute, and recently received the Charles A. Hutchinson Memorial Teaching Award from the University of Colorado's College of Engineering.
EERI Annual Awards Call for Nominations
EERI Annual Awards: Call for Nominations/Applications
EERI is proud to announce the call for nominations and deadlines for the following awards, which will be presented at the 2019 EERI Annual Meeting in Vancouver, BC, Canada on March 5-8, 2019 (unless otherwise noted).
Please view the following list of awards that are now open for nominations. Please click on the name of the award for specific details such as selection criteria and instructions for nominating a candidate and/or submitting an application.
Nominations are due August 23, 2018 for:
The William B. Joyner Memorial Lecture Award
Nominations are due September 10, 2018 for:
The George W. Housner Medal
The Alfred E. Alquist Special Recognition Medal
EERI Honorary Membership
EERI Distinguished Lecture Award
The Bruce Bolt Medal
Outstanding Paper Award for Earthquake Spectra (2017, vol.33)
Nominations/Applications are due October 1, 2018 for:
2018 Shah Family Innovation Prize
2018-2019 EERI/FEMA Graduate Fellowships in Earthquake Hazard Reduction
EERI 2018 Undergraduate Student Paper Competition
Coming Soon:
2019 Younger Member Award
2019 Joyner Lecture: Nominations are due August 23, 2018
The William B. Joyner Memorial Lectures were established by the Seismological Society of America (SSA) in cooperation with EERI to honor Bill Joyner's distinguished career at the U.S. Geological Survey and his abiding commitment to the exchange of information at the interface of earthquake science and earthquake engineering.
Joyner Lecturers are chosen on the basis of their work at this interface, whether they are contributions from earthquake science to earthquake engineering or from earthquake engineering to earthquake science. The nomination deadline is August 23, 2018.
Sponsor Nomination
The sponsor of the nominee, with help from others, must clearly document the accomplishments of the nominee that foster and enhance communication at the earthquake-science/earthquake-engineering interface, and why their work makes a difference. The sponsor must prepare a written proposal providing a brief summary of the candidate’s professional history. It may include honors and awards, professional affiliations, lectures and publications, and professional service and experience that address the intent of the Joyner Award.
Nominations for the 2019 Joyner Lecturer should be emailed to the Joyner Lecture Committee by August 23, 2018 to: awards@seismosoc.org.
Click here for more information on the William B. Joyner Memorial Lectures.
Photo: Ellen Rathje (M.EERI,1996) delivers the 2018 Joyner Lecture at the 11NCEE. Photo credit: Christian Millan
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Announcements
SEG Forum on Infrastructure: Stillwater, Oklahoma
The Society of Exploration Geophysicists (SEG) in collaboration with the American Society of Civil Engineers and the US Army Corps of Engineers, will present the Forum on Infrastructure, concentrating on unique challenges to geotechnical and civil engineering and geoscience and geophysics in central USA, at the Oklahoma State University Stillwater Campus, August 24-26, 2018. The Forum provides an opportunity for active engagement of all attendees in casual but focused round-table type discussions of key issues concerning infrastructure assessment, renewal, and resiliency.
Resiliency of infrastructure and specifically critical lifeline infrastructure to high level seismicity (large earthquakes) are often an integral part of design,construction, and execution. Today, however, infrastructure in many parts of the country, particularly the Central USA, face threat from low-level seismicity, which due to their recurrence pattern appear to be impacting structures in complex ways that cannot be readily explained. Damages are real and the need to monitor infrastructure health is real. Geophysical methods can help in monitoring both above and below the ground. The forum explores symbiosis between geophysics and design and maintenance of lifelines.
A unique feature will be the production of deliverables, via a white paper and executive summaries designed for sponsors, collaborators, and policymakers; and technical summaries for SEG, ASCE, and other professional society publications. The production of these deliverables will be through writing projects for volunteers, facilitators, presenters, and attendees.
Click here to register. If you have questions, please contact lwhitesell@seg.org
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New Faculty Positions in Structural Engineering at University of Nevada, Reno
The Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at UNR invites applications for up to two assistant professors in the area of structural engineering for extreme events. These full-time, tenure-track positions include teaching, research, and service responsibilities. The structural and earthquake engineering program within the Department is one of the university’s premier research programs with nine academic faculty, two research faculty and approximately 35 graduate students and postdoctoral fellows. The state-of-the-art structural engineering laboratories include a re-locatable, four-table array for large-scale system-level earthquake simulation experiments, while a fifth shake table and laminar soil box for soil-structure interaction is under construction.
This posting will close on October 15, 2018, and the intended start date for both positions is July 1, 2019.
For additional information and to submit an application, please access the job posting online by clicking here.
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Welcome New Members
EERI Welcomes New Members to the Institute
E-Affiliate
Edgar Tapia-Hernández, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México, Structural, Mexico
Chenna Arun Rajaram, The School of Civil Engineering in RGMCET, Structural, India
Jose Gamboa-Villegas, Structural, Mexico
Adda Prieto-Coyoc, Civil, Mexico
Naser Alnaser, California State University, Northridge, Civil
Abdullah M. Almannaie, California State University, Northridge, Civil
Alvaro Jaime Gonzalez, Consultant, Civil, Colombia
Horacio Orlando Ponce, Fuerzas Armadas "ESPE," Civil, Ecuador
Diana Alexandra Quintana, Salesian Polytechnic University, Geotechnical, Ecuador
Er.Sayeed Ahmad Masoodi, PWD, Civil, India
Mehdi Banazadeh, Amirkabir University of Technology, Civil, Iran
Omid Dadpour, Amirkabir University of Technology, Risk Analysis, Iran
Osman Carrillo Soto, Universidad Rafael Landivar, Structural, Guatemala
Enrique de Leon, Civil, Guatemala
Regular
Juan Jose Perez Gavilan, UNAM, Civil
Evan Wilson, CDG Engineers, Structural
Kyle Brennan, Shannon & Wilson, Inc., Geotechnical
Young Professional
Ana Isabel Orozco Campos, EERI, Civil
Yuxin Pan, University of British Columbia, Structural
Enrique Polanco, Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, Civil
Esmaeel Rahmanishamsi, MiTek USA Inc., Structural
Molly Winston, Shannon & Wilson, Geotechnical
Students
Vishwajit Anand, Indian Institute of Technology Madras
Yeshwant Anandan, Colorado State University, Civil
Apostolos Athanasiou, University of Texas at Austin, Civil
Justin Brown, University of Canterbury, Education
Ali Hammad, University of Nevada Reno
Mohammad Salehi Najafabadi, Texas A&M University
Ao Du, Rice University, Civil
Kenjiro Yamamoto, Institute of Industrial Science (IIS), Tokyo
Anthony Beers, Cal Poly SLO, Structural
Fardin Ferdosian, UBC, Civil
Fangzhou Liu, Georgia Institute of Technology, Geotechnical
Morgan Sanger, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Geotechnical
Rodger Lee, UCLA, Civil
Qudama Albu Jasim, Texas A&M University, Civil
Yara Daoud, American University of Beirut, Civil
Filippos Filippitzis, California Institute of Technology, Mechanical
Hussein Kambar, California State University Northridge, Civil
Kelly Esmeralda Lopez, California State University Northridge, Civil
Youness Mechmachi, Polytechnique Montreal, Civil
Ankush Mittal, Bauhaus-Universität Weimar, Civil
Codi McKee, Texas A&M University, Structural
Redis Koleka, University of Surrey, Civil
Andrew Pearson, Texas A&M University, Structural
Shengyi Shi, Texas A&M University, Structural
Husain Saleem Abbas Aldahlki, Texas A&M, Structural
Joao Carlos Vendramini Mansani Queda, California State University Northridge, Civil
Brenda Rodriguez, California State University Long Beach, Emergency Response
Jorge Luis Sanchez, California State University Northridge, Civil
Soheil Sadeghi, Lehigh University, Structural
Alex Shegay, University of Auckland, Structural
Thao Truong, University of Minnesota
Sarah Wichman, University of Washington
Benjamin Worsfold, UC Berkeley, Structural
Xiaolei Xiong, Tongji University, Civil
News of the Profession
Links to Recent News & Views
Eight (8) recent articles, stories, opinions, or reports from around the web.
Scientists Complete Mission to Map Fast-Moving Fault off Alaska: Data will help coastal communities prepare for risks from earthquakes and tsunamis (USGS press release) Researchers from NOAA, U.S. Geological Survey and their partners have completed the first high-resolution, comprehensive mapping of one of the fastest moving underwater tectonic faults in the world, located in southeastern Alaska. This information will help communities in coastal Alaska and Canada better understand and prepare for the risks from earthquakes and tsunamis that can occur when faults suddenly move. Read more
How Mexico’s 2017 Earthquake Galvanized Its Architecture Community (Metropolis) Just three days after Mexico's September 19, 2017 magnitude 7.1 earthquake, more than 100 architects mobilized to form a nonprofit under the name ReConstruir México and called on building professionals to design sustainable, context-sensitive housing as part of the country’s regenerative efforts. Since last fall, the network has swelled into a multidisciplinary coalition of hundreds of architects, engineers, planners, and sociologists. Read more
Lombok Earthquake Death Toll Surges Above 400 (CNN) The death toll from the 6.9-magnitude earthquake that hit the Indonesian island of Lombok more than a week ago has surged to 436, authorities said Monday (August 13). The number is expected to rise further as search and rescue efforts continue. Read more
Aftermath of Deadly Earthquake on Lombok – in Pictures (The Guardian) A collection of photos taken immediately following the 6.9-magnitude earthquake. Read more
LA Buildings will Shake More in Earthquakes than Previously Predicted (Curbed Los Angeles) Developers and builders will have to reassess the safety of “tall buildings.” Experts behind the CyberShake project say they have identified a far more accurate and localized method of simulating earthquakes’ effects at specific locations. Read more
Earthquakes Can Systematically Trigger Others on Opposite Side of Earth (Science Daily) New research from Oregon State University published August 2 in Scientific Reports shows that a big earthquake can not only cause other quakes, but large ones, and on the opposite side of the Earth. Read more
Earthquakes: Why Some Natural Disasters are More Deadly Than Others (The Irish Times) What are the factors that turn some natural disasters into human catastrophes? Lucy Jones (M.EERI,2001) says it is the human dimension, the planning, the response and the social dynamics, that often determine the ability of societies to survive the Big One. Read more
Hunting for Landslides from Cascadia’s Great Earthquakes (EOS) Researchers examine the rings of drowned trees in landslide-dammed lakes for clues to today’s earthquake hazards in the Pacific Northwest. Read more
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Publications
New Resources Added to the Mitigation Center Website
EERI's Mitigation Center Website features information on many ways to reduce losses from earthquakes. The information can be used broad spectrum of audiences, from homeowners to teachers, and from building professionals to public policy makers and community planners. Over 30 new resources have been added to the site this year. Featured resources include:
Guide to Identify & Manage Seismic Risks of Buildings for Local Governments
March 2017, California Seismic Safety Commission
This guidebook presents a broad four-step process, with many different options, to help local governments identify and reduce the risks presented by older buildings. It also summarizes California’s relevant laws and regulations. "The Four Steps to Managing Collapse Risk Buildings" as outlined in the report, include:
Step 1: Create Opportunities for Education, Dialogue, and Public/ Private Participation in Decisions about Buildings
Step 2: Estimate the Size and Nature of Collapse Risk
Step 3: Develop and Consider Options for Identifying and Mitigating Collapse Risks
Step 4: Other Key Management Considerations
For each step, success stories in different jurisdictions are described.
Click here to access the report through the Mitigation Center.
Community Resilience Planning Guide for Buildings and Infrastructure Systems
May 2016, National Institute of Standards and Technology
This guide helps connect good ideas and constructive actions for long-term community prosperity. In addressing the how of resilience, the guide is a tool that will help communities unify disaster risk management, emergency response planning, and long-term community and economic development planning. The guide walks through a six-step process to planning for community resilience:
Step 1: Form a Collaborative Planning Team
Step 2: Understand the Situation
Step 3: Determine Goals and Objectives
Step 4: Plan Development
Step 5: Plan Preparation, Review, and Approval
Step 6: Plan Implementation and Maintenance
The guide ends with a walk-through of the process using a fictional city.
Click here to access the report through the Mitigation Center.
2016 Safer Cities Survey
2016, Structural Engineers Association of Southern California
This report shows that many types of buildings in California built under earlier versions of the building code are now known to be very vulnerable to earthquake damage and will be responsible for the majority of deaths in future earthquakes. Ordinances to encourage or mandate the retrofit of these buildings for improved seismic safety are the main tool available for local jurisdictions to reduce this risk. This Safer Cities Survey report provides an overview of the seismic ordinances that have been enacted or are under consideration in the jurisdictions of Southern California.
Click here to access the report through the Mitigation Center.
If you would like to submit resources to the Mitigation Center, please send them to mitigation@eeri.org.
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Regional Chapter News
Last Chance to Register for San Diego Regional Chapter Events!
The EERI San Diego Regional Chapter is organizing these upcoming events to be held on August 23 and 24, 2018. There is still time to register. Special discounts apply when registering for both events. Register Now!
Venue
San Diego State University
Hardy Memorial Tower, Room HT-140
5500 Campanile Drive
San Diego, CA 92182
A 1-Day Short Course
“Using DEEPSOIL: An equivalent linear and nonlinear seismic site response analysis software platform”
Presenter: Prof. Youssef Hashash (M.EERI,1999), University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Thursday, August 23, 2018, 8:00am – 5:00pm
This short course will introduce the latest release of DEEPSOIL (V7) for seismic site response analysis (SRA). The course will provide attendees with a background on SRA and the development of the DEEPSOIL platform. It will cover the various modules available including motion processing, equivalent linear analysis, and nonlinear analysis with and without pore water pressure generation. The course will also include a number of hands-on exercises to gain familiarity with the development of model input and evaluation of analysis results.
Kenji Ishihara Colloquium Series on Earthquake Geotechnical Engineering
“Seismic Settlements”
Keynote Speakers: Prof. Jonathan Bray (M.EERI,1990) (UC Berkeley) and Prof. Kohji Tokimatsu (M.EERI, 1994) (TSRC, Japan)
Friday, August 24, 2018, 8:00am – 5:00pm
This colloquium series will focus on seismic settlements – the topics are oriented towards geotechnical engineers, structural engineers, engineering geologists, architects, civil engineers, researchers, and students. Speakers set to present at this colloquium include Prof. Jonathan Bray (M.EERI,1990) (UC Berkeley), Prof. Kohji Tokimatsu (M.EERI,1994) (Tokyo Soil Research Co.), Prof. Youssef Hashash (M.EERI,1999) (UIUC), Prof. Susumu Yasuda (M.EERI,1995) (Tokyo Denki University), Craig Comartin (M.EERI,1987) (CDComartin, Inc.), Stephen Harris (M.EERI,1986) (SGH), among other professionals and professors from the US and Japan.
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