Keith Knudsen

Keith Knudsen, senior engineering geologist for the California Geological Survey, has been selected as the 2004 NEHRP Professional Fellow in Earthquake Hazard Reduction, awarded by EERI under a cooperative program funded by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. This activity is undertaken by FEMA as part of the National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program. The fellowship is designed to provide an opportunity for a practicing professional to gain greater skills and broader expertise in earthquake risk reduction. The Institute extends thanks to the review committee, consisting of Professor Robert Olshansky, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Professor Gregory Deierlein, Stanford University, and C.B. Crouse, principal engineer, URS Corporation, Seattle, Washington.

Knudsen's research will seek to add interpretation of geologic parameters to liquefaction field case history databases, thereby developing a better understanding of the geologic nature of liquefiable materials. He will coordinate with several engineers responsible for many of the recent geotechnical advances and help bridge the gap between geologists and geotechnical engineers so that both sets of knowledge can be jointly brought to bear on this problem. He will carry out his research under the direction of Professor Raymond B. Seed at the University of California, Berkeley.

Knudsen has been a senior engineering geologist at the California Geological Survey in San Francisco since 1999 and has managed the San Francisco Areal Mapping Unit of the Seismic Hazards Mapping Program. Prior to this, he worked in the private sector as a geologist. He has written numerous reports and publications, including recent articles regarding the production of regional liquefaction-induced deformation maps.

Knudsen earned his Bachelor of Science in Geology at Carleton College in Minnesota and his Master of Science in Geology and Environmental Systems at Humboldt State University in Arcata, California. He is a registered geologist and certified engineering geologist in the state of California. He has served in leadership capacities in several professional geophysical and geological associations, including the American Geophysical Union, the Association of Engineering Geologists, the Northern California Chapter of the Earthquake Engineering Research Institute, the Seismological Society of America, and others.

The Professional Fellowship is awarded annually and provides a stipend of $30,000, commencing in January 2004, for tuition, fees, and living expenses for a 12-month period.

The objective of EERI is to reduce earthquake risk by advancing the science and practice of earthquake engineering, by improving understanding of the impact of earthquakes on the physical, social, economic, political and cultural environment, and by advocating comprehensive and realistic measures for reducing the harmful effects of earthquakes.

Earthquake Engineering Research Institute
499 14th Street, Suite 320
Oakland, California 94612-1934
tel: (510) 451-0905 • fax: (510) 451-5411