The seventh Shah Family Innovation Prize was awarded to Rebekah Green in recognition of her outstanding leadership, entrepreneurship, and personal commitment in advancing earthquake mitigation and preparedness efforts in Central Asia.

Her contributions blend a unique understanding of cultural influences on risk decision-making with engineering insights in advancing risk reduction programs. Her leadership in bringing together builders, citizens, school teachers, and community leaders has led to innovations in housing construction, nonstructural mitigation, and public education. Her entrepreneurship in designing and implementing appropriate earthquake engineering solutions has resulted in meaningful risk reduction. Rebekah has persevered in overcoming personal challenges and in “going the last mile” to improve the lives of many individuals who normally do not benefit from advances in earthquake engineering.

Endowed by a generous gift from the Haresh Shah family, the $10,000 Shah Family Innovation Prize is awarded annually to younger professionals and academics for creativity, innovation and entrepreneurial spirit in the field of earthquake risk mitigation and management. The prize recognizes and honors individuals who have been involved in the development of cutting-edge, innovative solutions to problems in earthquake engineering and related disciplines. Recipients should be in the developing or expanding stage of his or her career, with the promise of important contributions ahead.

The Shah Family Innovation Prize Selection Committee was charged with narrowing a very impressive field of candidates down to a single awardee. Follow this link for a description of the nomination process and selection criteria.