|
|
Member Access
click to enter
Search the EERI roster
Renew your membership
Submit changes to your info |
Visit the following EERI Websites:
|
|
|
|
Board of Directors
Andrew Whittaker
Biography
Andrew Whittaker is a Professor in the Department of Civil, Structural and Environmental Engineering at the University at Buffalo and a licensed Structural Engineer in the State of California. He completed his graduate degrees in structural engineering at the University of California, Berkeley, in the 1980s. He practiced as a structural engineer in Australia and Asia in the late 1970s and early 1980s and in the United States in the late 1980s. He served as the Associate Director of EERC/PEER in the 1990s and joined the University at Buffalo in 2000. He joined the Board of Directors of the Consortium of Universities for Research in Earthquake Engineering (CUREE) in 2001, served as Vice President in 2003/2004 and as President since 2005.
Whittaker's research and professional interests include earthquake and blast engineering, performance-based design, seismic protective systems, ultra-high-rise buildings, offshore platforms and power-related infrastructure. He is the author of more than 200 publications, including a reference text, book chapters, journal papers, conference papers and technical reports. Whittaker led NSF-funded earthquake reconnaissance teams to Kobe, Japan, in 1995, and Izmit, Turkey, in 1999, and was a member of the 3-person, NSF-funded structural engineering reconnaissance team at the site of the former World Trade Center in September 2001. He currently serves on technical committees for ACI, ASCE, AISC, BSSC, DHS/FEMA, EERI and USGS.
Whittaker is an active member of the design-professional community in the United States and abroad. He provides consulting and peer-review services to private companies, local, state, and federal government agencies in the United States, Asia, Australia, Europe, Far East, Middle East, South America and the United Kingdom. A focus of his professional work is the application of new technologies and performance-based design to ultra-tall buildings, bridges, and conventional and nuclear-related infrastructure. He is the leader for the Structural Performance Products team that is developing the second generation of tools for performance based earthquake engineering as part of the DHS/FEMA-funded ATC-58 project.
Vision
The mission of EERI is to reduce earthquake risk by advancing the science and practice of earthquake engineering, improving understanding of the impact of earthquakes on the physical, social, economic, political, and cultural environment, and advocating comprehensive and realistic measures for reducing the harmful effects of earthquakes. The EERI Board has proposed a five-year Strategic Plan to advance the mission. The Plan is constructed around four strategic initiatives (see www.eeri.org/home/5yearplan.html), namely, to (1) enhance educational materials and technical programs, (2) improve outreach and advocacy, (3) develop projects and programs with international partners to address the global need for reliable and timely information, and (4) strengthen the financial base to enable the organization to fully support current national and international initiatives and to underwrite future programs. Objectives and viable strategies have been developed for each strategic initiative, building on past and current EERI activities.
Board members can contribute to each of the four proposed initiatives but substantial progress will be made only if a significant percentage of the membership become actively involved in EERI activities-the key challenge facing the incoming Board. The Board must develop mechanisms for engaging the membership in EERI activities, recognizing that most members have little time for additional professional activities. The tangible strategies identified in the Strategic Plan must be prioritized and integrated into a coordinated business plan by the Board to minimize the demands placed on the membership and to maximize the chances of success. Performance metrics must be established, where possible, to judge the success of activities and help allocate resources in future years-one of the key responsibilities of a Board of Directors.
EERI President Craig Comartin described EERI as a stellar organization. I agree with him. For this success, we owe a debt of thanks to the EERI staff and current and former members of the Board. However, we cannot rest on our laurels. We must look for new opportunities to advance our mission and move younger members into positions of responsibility and leadership in the organization to ensure that our star continues to burn brightly.
|
|
|
|
Board of Directors