Publications

Earthquake Spectra Issue on the 2010–2011 Canterbury Earthquake Sequence Now Available Online

The February 2014 special issue of Earthquake Spectra on the 2010–2011 Canterbury, New Zealand, earthquake sequence is available online at http://earthquakespectra.org/toc/eqsa/30/1. Printed copies will begin arriving over the next few weeks. You may order additional copies at https://www.eeri.org/products-page/past-issues/es-30s1-the-2010-2011-canterbury-earthquake-sequence-special-issue/.

This special issue of Earthquake Spectra represents the collaborative effort of the Earthquake Engineering Research Institute (EERI) and the New Zealand Society for Earthquake Engineering (NZSEE); guest editors from both organizations coordinated the review of 26 papers exploring all aspects of the earthquake sequence.

The widespread damage to buildings and lifelines from relatively low-magnitude earthquakes raises important questions about the risk to urban centers around the world from unmapped faults. The similarity of historical and modern construction practices with other developed countries means the damage to the built environment in Christchurch is relevant to potential infrastructure damage in many parts of the world, including the United States, given similar earthquake shaking.

If you have questions about this Spectra issue, you may contact Managing Editor Liz Stalnaker at liz@eeri.org.

Earthquake Spectra Preprints

In late April, twelve preprint manuscripts were posted on the Earthquake Spectra website prior to their formal publication. The list of new preprint manuscripts, including authors, follows:

• "Incorporating Simulated Ground Motion in Seismic Risk Assessment – Application to the Lower Indian Himalayas" by Mathilde B. Sørensen and Dominik H. Lang (M. EERI, 2000)

• "Two Bayesian Algorithms for Earthquake Parameters Estimation" by J.P. Wang and Logan Brant

• "Experimental evaluation of the seismic response of a roof-top mounted cooling tower" by Rodrigo Astroza (M. EERI, 2011), Elide Pantoli (M. EERI, 2012), Francesco Selva, José I. Restrepo (M. EERI, 1997), Tara C. Hutchinson (M. EERI, 1995), and Joel P. Conte (M. EERI, 1990)

• "North Torrey Pines Bridge Seismic Retrofit: Part I, Seismic Hazard and Geotechnical Design" by James R. Gingery (M. EERI, 2002), Kevin W. Franke (M. EERI, 2008), Jorge F. Meneses (M. EERI, 2013), and Zia Zafir (M. EERI, 2008)

• "Efficient analytical fragility function fitting using dynamic structural analysis" by Jack W. Baker (M. EERI, 2004)

• "Application of isolation to high-rise buildings: A Japanese design case study through a US design code lens" by Tracy C. Becker (M. EERI, 2008), Shunji Yamamoto, Hiroki Hamaguchi, Masahiko Higashino (M. EERI, 1994), and Masayoshi Nakashima (M. EERI, 1988)

• "Collapse Assessment of the Alto Rio Building in the 2010 Chile Earthquake" by Zeynep Tuna (M. EERI, 2014) and John W. Wallace (M. EERI, 1988)

• "A Seismic Retrofit Cost Database for Buildings Having a Framed Structure" by Reza Jafarzadeh, Jason M. Ingham (M. EERI, 2012), and Suzanne Wilkinson

• "Detailed Seismic Performance Assessment of High-value Contents Laboratory Facility" by T.Y. Yang (M. EERI, 2005), J.C. Atkinson (M. EERI, 2013), and L. Tobber (M. EERI, 2013)

• "Dynamic Response of a Model Levee on Sherman Island Peat: A Curated Dataset" by Edward Reinert, Jonathan P. Stewart (M. EERI, 1994), Robb E.S. Moss (M. EERI, 2003), and Scott J. Brandenberg (M. EERI, 2001)

• "Three-Stage Multiscale Nonlinear Dynamic Analysis Platform for Building-Level Loss Estimation" by In Ho Cho and Keith Porter (M. EERI, 1998)

• "A Geospatial Liquefaction Model for Rapid Response and Loss Estimation" by Jing Zhu (M. EERI, 2013), Davene Daley, Laurie G. Baise (M. EERI, 2002), Eric M. Thompson (M. EERI, 2005), David J. Wald (M. EERI, 1988), and Keith L. Knudsen (M. EERI, 2001)

To read preprint manuscripts or browse the complete list of preprint manuscripts, visit the Earthquake Spectra website at http://earthquakespectra.org/toc/eqsa/0/0 .

In addition, the Spectra editors also posted a Special Collection of Preprints of the papers that will be published in the NGA-West2 special issue (forthcoming, August 2014).

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Announcements

Call for Abstracts: 3rd International Conference on Urban Disaster Reduction

Abstracts are being solicited for the 3rd International Conference on Urban Disaster Reduction (3ICUDR), which will be held September 28 – October 1, 2014 in Boulder, Colorado. The conference builds on an established practice of international collaboration and knowledge-sharing after disaster events in Japan, U.S., and Taiwan. In this third conference, New Zealand joins the three collaborating countries. The mission of this conference is to develop, integrate, and promote new knowledge and best practices in sustainable disaster recovery, with a particular emphasis on urban environments.

Abstracts that take bold steps in describing new strategies and ways of thinking to significantly reduce potential casualties, damage, and disruption from future disasters; and create safe, resilient, and adaptive communities, regions, and nations are being solicited. Young scholars are encouraged to present emerging research. Papers that bridge the knowledge gaps between research and practice are particularly welcomed. For more information and suggested topic areas, view the Call for Abstracts at http://3icudr.org/call-for-abstracts/. The deadline for submission is May 15, 2014.

The conference is being organized by the Earthquake Engineering Research Institute in collaboration with colleagues from the following partner organizations: USA — the Natural Hazards Center, University of Colorado, Boulder; Disaster Research Center, University of Delaware; Hazard Reduction and Recovery Center, Texas A&M University; Japan — the Research Center for Disaster Reductions Systems (DRS), Disaster Prevention Research Institute, Kyoto University, Kyoto, and the Risk Management Office/Research Center for Natural Hazard & Disaster Recovery, Niigata University, Niigata, in coordination with the Institute of Social Safety Science; Taiwan — the National Science and Technology Center for Disaster Reduction (NCDR) and the Disaster Management Society of Taiwan; and New Zealand — the New Zealand Society for Earthquake Engineering (NZSEE) and GNS Science, New Zealand. For more information about the conference, visit: www.3icudr.org.

CSI Event: Performance Based-Design Seminar

Performance-based design is a major shift from traditional structural design concepts and represents the future of earthquake engineering. The procedure provides a method for determining acceptable levels of earthquake damage. Also, it is based on the recognition that yielding does not constitute failure and that preplanned yielding of certain members of a structure during an earthquake can actually help to save the rest of the structure.

In this technology-packed seminar, CSI President and CEO Ashraf Habibullah (M. EERI, 1999) will present the theory and practical application of nonlinear analysis and performance-based design in terms and analogies that are very familiar to the practicing structural engineer. Attendees will leave the seminar empowered with a clear understanding of this new technology.

Date: Thursday, May 15, 2014
Time: 8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Location: Westin LAX, 5400 West Century Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90045
Registration fee: $125 per person

Registration Includes:
Textbook: Modeling for Structural Analysis by Professor Graham Powell (value: $150)
Continental breakfast, luncheon, and refreshment breaks
Gift drawings and prizes you won’t want to miss

To learn more about this seminar, visit the CSI website at http://www.csiamerica.com/news/whats-new/performance-based-design-la . CSI is a Diamond Subscribing Member of EERI.

Izuru Takewaki Awarded the Architectural Institute of Japan 2014 Book Prize

EERI member Izuru Takewaki of the Department of Architecture and Architectural Engineering at Kyoto University, along with Professor Abbas Moustafa of Minia University of Egypt and Professor Kohei Fujita of Kyoto University, were recently awarded the Architectural Institute of Japan 2014 Book Prize for their book Improving the Earthquake Resilience of Buildings: The worst case approach (Springer, London, July 2012).

The Prize was founded in 2013 for recognizing the excellent achievements and contributions to the field of architecture and architectural engineering. Motivated by the 2011 Japan earthquake, the book discusses the importance of a worst scenario approach for improving the resilience of buildings. One of the most important challenges faced by structural engineers may be to narrow the range of unexpected incidents. Redundancy, robustness, and resilience play important roles in this effort. This book was initially announced in the EERI Newsletter, July 2012 issue.

ATC Webinar: Seismic Design of Steel Special Concentrically Braced Frames Systems

The purpose of the webinar is to provide an overview of the Technical Brief 8 Report, Seismic Design of Steel Special Concentrically Braced Frames Systems, which describes the use of this class of braced frames, and the expected behavior of the system when subjected to seismic loading.

Guidance is provided for proportioning, analysis, and design of braced frames for maximizing system ductility. Code requirements and accepted approaches to their implementation will also be addressed, with additional discussion on good practices that go beyond code minimum requirements. Finally, detailing and constructability tips are presented.

Date: Wednesday, May 21, 2014
Time: 12:00 – 1:30 p.m. Pacific

Presenter: EERI member Rafael Sabelli (P.E., S.E.) is a Principal and Director of Seismic Design at Walter P Moore. Rafael has earned a Special Achievement Award from AISC, as well as the T.R. Higgins Lectureship award. He is active in the development of seismic design standards for steel systems and is a member of the AISC Seismic Provisions Committee, the ASCE 7 Seismic Task Committee, and the NIST Building Seismic Safety Council’s Provisions Update Committee. Rafael is the chair of the AISC Seismic Design Manual committee and was the Project manager for the 5-volume SEAOC Seismic Design Manual. Rafael served as the ATC-103 Project Director and lead author of this Technical Brief 8 Report.

Professional Development Hours (PDHs): Each registrant of the Technical Brief 8 Report Webinar will receive an electronic certificate documenting 1.5 PDHs. Each additional participant sharing the registrant’s computer may obtain PDH documentation for $5 using a form provided following the webinar.

To review complete webinar information, and to register, visit the ATC website at http://eventcallregistration.com/reg/index.jsp?cid=45292t11 .

USGS Seeks Earthquake Hazards Research Proposals

The U.S. Geological Survey will award up to $5 million in grants for earthquake hazards research in 2015.

“The grants offered through the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program are an established and long-standing effort that have proven to be a success every year, with talented, scientific applicants who significantly contribute to the advancement of earthquake research,” said Bill Leith, USGS Senior Science Advisor for Earthquake and Geologic Hazards. “Every year we are rewarded by innovative proposals from across the country, so we encourage the continued submission of new ideas to help earthquake science evolve and, ultimately, reduce earthquake losses.”

Interested researchers can apply online at GRANTS.gov under funding opportunity number G14AS00036. Applications are due May 22, 2014.

Each year the USGS awards earthquake hazards research grants to universities, state geological surveys, and private institutions. Past projects included investigating the Central Virginia Seismic Zone to develop a better understanding of this active seismic zone; examining the paleoseismic record in the Prince William Sound area of Alaska to characterize earthquakes prior to the Great Alaska Earthquake of 1964 to better understand future earthquakes in this hazard-prone area; and using GPS to measure ground deformation in the greater Las Vegas area and provide information on how faults will rupture in large, damaging earthquakes.

A complete list of funded projects and reports can be found on the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program external research support website.

For more information, visit the USGS website at http://on.doi.gov/1fkR65e .

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News of the Institute

Register for 10NCEE Today: Rates Increase after May 15, Travel Grant Recipients, and SDC Info

Register now for 10NCEE in Anchorage, Alaska, July 21–25, 2014. Registration rates will increase after May 15, 2014 ($100 increase for full conference rate and $50 increase for one-day rates). Information about Travel and Lodging, Airline Discounts, Pre-Conference Events, and Thursday Evening at the Alaska Native Heritage Center is available at www.10ncee.org.

10NCEE Program Online
The full program for the Tenth U.S. National Conference on Earthquake Engineering (10NCEE) is now available online at http://www.10ncee.org/program. The program includes over 750 presentations in 130 sessions, including 27 invited presentations by distinguished speakers in the plenary and theme sessions. The online program is completely searchable and can be used to search for presentations by colleagues or to find presentations by keyword. Questions or concerns about the online program should be sent to 10ncee@eeri.org.

Travel Grant Recipients
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the Pankow Foundation, and EERI have made funds available to award travel grants to graduate students and early career professionals to defray travel costs for attending 10NCEE. To view the list of 75 10NCEE Travel Grant Recipients, visit: http://10ncee.org/travel-grants.

New 10NCEE Sponsors

BBFM Engineers Inc. is a new Bronze Sponsor of 10NCEE. Established in 1996, BBFM Engineers Inc. is headed by five principals with a commitment to reliable structural engineering solutions. The firm is dedicated to providing quality, effective, and cost-conscious design that meets the needs of the client. For the past 15 years, BBFM Engineers Inc. has been a leading provider of structural engineering services to design professionals, building owners, and government agencies on projects throughout the state of Alaska and Antarctica. For more information, visit the BBFM Engineers Inc. website at http://www.bbfm.com/ .

Northern Geotechnical Engineering – Terra Firma Testing, Inc. (NGE-TFT) is a new Friend of 10NCEE. NGE-TFT provides expert engineering services throughout the state of Alaska. The services are provided to civil/design engineering firms, general contractors, and local, state, tribal, and federal agencies. The NGE-TFT core staff is comprised of accomplished engineers, geologists, and technicians with over 100 years of combined experience. For more details, visit the NGE-TFT website at http://www.nge-tft.com/default.asp .

For the full list of 10NCEE sponsors, visit: http://10ncee.org/sponsors.

New 10NCEE Exhibitors
The Consortium of Universities for Research in Earthquake Engineering (CUREE) is a new exhibitor at 10NCEE in Anchorage this summer. For the full list of 10NCEE exhibitors, visit: http://10ncee.org/exhibitors.

SDC Registration
Registration for the 11th Annual EERI Seismic Design Competition (SDC) is open at https://eeri.org/cohost/registration/2014-sdc-registration. This registration is required for all teams and students traveling to the SDC in Anchorage, Alaska this summer. Registration will close at midnight May 16, 2014 PDT. Additional team members may be added after May 16th; however, there will be an increase in price. For any questions or concerns about registration, contact EERI Membership Coordinator Juliane Lane at 510-451-0905 or juliane@eeri.org.

For EERI members who may be interested in observing, the SDC will test their models on shake tables on Thursday and a live auction will take place on Wednesday evening.

Career Fair and Panel Discussion for Students at 10NCEE
The Student Leadership Council (SLC) is organizing a special session for the afternoon of Tuesday, July 22nd, tailored specifically for undergraduate students attending the Seismic Design Competition or 10NCEE. This event will consist of presentations by prominent members of EERI and NSF followed by a panel discussion in which practicing professionals, faculty members, and graduate students will share their experiences and answer questions about career options and life after graduation. At the end of the session, the SLC will host a Career/Grad School Fair where students can meet a variety of companies and graduate school representatives interested in recruiting students to the work force or their respective universities. All students are encouraged to attend the free Tuesday afternoon programming.

There is still room to exhibit at the Career/Grad School Fair. Companies, universities, and organizations that are interested in exhibiting at the Career Fair should contact the SLC Co-Presidents David Grilli (M. EERI, 2012) and Manny Hakhamaneshi (M. EERI, 2009) at slc@eeri.org.

2014-2015 EERI/FEMA Graduate Fellowship in Earthquake Hazard Reduction

EERI is pleased to announce the availability of a Graduate Fellowship for the 2014-2015 academic year to support one full-time student in a discipline contributing to the science and practice of earthquake hazard mitigation.

The one-year fellowship, underwritten with funds provided by the Federal Emergency Management Agency , is designed to foster the participation of capable individuals in working toward goals and activities of the National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program.

Award
The EERI/FEMA NEHRP fellowship provides a nine-month stipend of $12,000 with an additional $8,000 for tuition, fees, and research expenses.

Criteria
Applicants must be enrolled in a graduate degree program at an accredited U.S. college or university and must hold U.S. citizenship or permanent resident status. All applications must include an academic transcript and a statement of educational and career goals.

All application materials must be submitted electronically to EERI, including a letter of nomination from a faculty sponsor at the student’s institution and two additional reference letters. Letters should evaluate the applicant’s recent academic performance, document the applicant's research accomplishments, and assess the candidate’s potential to contribute to the field.

Application
Candidates may apply online at https://eeri.org/cohost/registration/fema-grad-fellowship. Deadline for submission of all application materials is May 12, 2014. Announcement of the award will be made on June 16, 2014.

Introducing EERI Housner Fellows Class of 2014

EERI's Housner Fellows Management Committee selected eight Fellows out of many competitive applications for the second class of Housner Fellows, a leadership training program EERI inaugurated with a bequest from George Housner. Additional support for the program is provided by the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR) of the World Bank. GFDRR is supporting the participation of three Fellows.

The eight 2014 Housner Fellows are:

• John Bevington (M. EERI, 2011), ImageCat Inc., London, U.K.
• Ayse Hortacsu (M. EERI, 2000), Applied Technology Council, Redwood City, CA, USA
• Kishor Jaiswal (M. EERI, 2007), Synergetics Inc. / U.S. Geological Survey, Golden, CO, USA
• Forrest Lanning (M. EERI, 2009), Aurecon New Zealand, Limited, Christchurch, N.Z.
• Garmalia Mentor-William (GFDRR Housner Fellow; M. EERI, 2014), Emergency and Disaster Management Specialist, Cap-Haitien, Haiti
• Ghazala Naeem (GFDRR Housner Fellow, M. EERI, 2014), Disaster Risk Reduction Consultant, Islamabad, Pakistan
• Surya Narayan Shrestha (GFDRR Housner Fellow, M. EERI, 2014), National Society for Earthquake Technology, Nepal
• Katherine Thibert (M. EERI, 2005), Ausenco, Vancouver, BC, Canada

This second class of Housner fellows will meet with the program leadership trainer, EERI member Lucy Arendt (M. EERI, 2008) of the University of Wisconsin Green Bay, along with Board members and members of the Housner Management Committee during 10NCEE and the EERI Annual Meeting in July in Anchorage. They will participate in a weeklong leadership training program. During their two years of active participation in the program, the class will develop a group project and individual projects with the support of mentors.

For additional information about the program, visit: http://www.eeri.org/projects/housner-fellows-program/.

Call for Nominations: 2015 EERI Distinguished Lecture Award

The EERI Honors Committee will meet soon to consider candidates for the Distinguished Lecture Award for 2015. The Committee welcomes nominations from EERI members. All nominations must be sent to EERI at eeri@eeri.org by Friday, May 30, 2014, accompanied by a brief justification.

Since 1992, EERI has honored leaders in the earthquake profession through this annual award. The lecture is generally presented for the first time at the EERI Annual Meeting and then at a series of student and regional chapter meetings nationwide.

Past awardees are listed at www.eeri.org/about-eeri/honors-awards/award-recipients/.

For a complete description of the award, visit: www.eeri.org/about-eeri/honors-awards/distinguished-lecture-award.

Abbie Liel and Greg Deierlein to Receive Spectra Outstanding Paper Award

The Earthquake Spectra Editorial Board and the EERI Honors Committee selected the following paper to receive the Earthquake Spectra Outstanding Paper Award: “Using Collapse Risk Assessments to Inform Seismic Safety Policy for Older Concrete Buildings,” by Abbie B. Liel (M. EERI, 2009), University of Colorado, and Gregory G. Deierlein (M. EERI, 1989), Stanford University (vol. 28, num. 4, pp. 1495-1521). Professors Liel and Deierlein will receive the Award at the 2014 EERI Annual Meeting, which takes place as part of the 10th U.S. National Conference on Earthquake Engineering (10NCEE) this July in Anchorage.

The Editorial Board citation states that the paper provides a history of three legislative acts regulating seismic safety in California, and discusses policy lessons learned from those acts. An advanced performance-based engineering assessment of nonductile concrete frame buildings is then performed to assess the collapse risk posed by this class of buildings, and finds that the risk is 30 to 40 times higher than that of modern concrete frames. The assessment is used to investigate the impact of policy alternatives for seismic mitigation of these buildings.

The paper is written in a clear and engaging manner, and is unusual in its use of engineering analysis to evaluate policy alternatives. In this regard, it is an outstanding contribution to EERI’s mission of “advocating comprehensive and realistic measures for reducing the harmful effects of earthquakes.” It is also exemplary of the promise of performance-based earthquake engineering for informing decision-making regarding seismic safety. Social scientists will benefit from the paper by understanding a new engineering tool that supports policy advocates, and engineers will benefit from the paper’s explanation of a procedure to quantify the public safety benefits of their work.

Abbie B. Liel (Ph.D. and P.E., California) is Assistant Professor of Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering at the University of Colorado, Boulder. Professor Liel specializes in structural engineering and structural mechanics and plans to develop a multiscale methodology for assessing the reductions in seismic risk possible through building retrofit design and policy. Her emphasis on retrofit is motivated by the large number of older buildings that predate major changes to seismic code provisions and, as a result, are vulnerable to earthquake-induced damage.

Gregory G. Deierlein (Ph.D.) is John A. Blume Professor in Civil and Environmental Engineering at Stanford University and Director at the John A. Blume Earthquake Engineering Center. Deierlein's research focuses on improving limit states design of constructed facilities through the development and application of nonlinear structural analysis methods and performance-based design criteria. Recent projects include the development and application of strength and stiffness degrading models to simulate steel and reinforced concrete structures, seismic design and behavior of composite steel-concrete buildings, analysis of inelastic torsional-flexural instability of steel members, and a fracture mechanics investigation of seismically designed welded steel connections.

For more information on the Earthquake Spectra Outstanding Paper Award, visit the EERI website at https://www.eeri.org/about-eeri/honors-awards/outstanding-paper-award/.

Note: See the full list of 2014 EERI Award Recipients at http://bit.ly/1c3HttF. In the next issue of The Pulse, we will feature the 2013 Shah Family Innovation Prize winner.

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Program Updates

Ken Elwood is New Chair of EERI Learning from Earthquakes Committee

Ken Elwood (M. EERI, 1994) has accepted a three-year term as the new chair of the EERI Learning from Earthquakes (LFE) Advisory Committee. Professor Elwood said the LFE Program is synergistic with his research and his goals professionally. Elwood is an Associate Professor in the Department of Civil Engineering at the University of British Columbia (UBC), Vancouver, Canada.

Elwood had been serving as interim chair of the LFE committee since December 2013, when he replaced Professor Jack Moehle (M. EERI, 1981) as chair. Jack P. Moehle is the T.Y. and Margaret Lin Professor of Engineering at the University of California, Berkeley. The Institute extends its appreciation to Professor Jack Moehle for his outstanding service and dedication leading the EERI LFE Advisory Committee.

Ken Elwood is actively involved in research related to the seismic response of existing structures, focusing on seismic assessment of older concrete and masonry buildings. He has received several awards for his research, including the Earthquake Spectra Outstanding Paper Award in 2009 and the Chester P. Siess Award for Excellence in Structural Research from the American Concrete Institute (ACI) in 2007. He currently serves as a member of several building code and standards committees, including the ACI 318H (Seismic Provisions), ASCE 41 (Concrete Issue Team Chair), and the Standing Committee for Earthquake Design for the National Building Code of Canada.

Elwood has been closely involved with EERI activities since 1994, when he founded the EERI Student Chapter at UIUC. In 2003, he helped to establish and became the faculty mentor for the first international EERI student chapter at UBC. He currently serves on the EERI Board of Directors, the Learning from Earthquakes Committee, and was most recently the lead guest editor for the Special Issue of Earthquake Spectra on the 2010-2011 Canterbury Earthquakes in New Zealand. He has participated in reconnaissance missions to five different earthquakes, including co-leading the EERI team for the February 2011 Christchurch earthquake.

To learn more about EERI's Learning from Earthquakes program, visit: https://www.eeri.org/projects/learning-from-earthquakes-lfe/.

2014 Cascadia Earthquake and Tsunami Exercise

EERI members are invited to participate in the California Earthquake Clearinghouse exercise on Wednesday, May 14, 2014 from 11 a.m.–1 p.m. (PDT). This exercise will provide an opportunity for members to learn how to use EERI-supported tools for reconnaissance data collection and also to contribute data that will be visible on the California Earthquake Clearinghouse website map.

The May 14 Clearinghouse exercise is being held in tandem with the California state-level 2014 Cascadia Earthquake and Tsunami Exercise Series. This exercise uses a large earthquake in the Cascadia Subduction Zone as the backdrop. During the 11 a.m.–1 p.m. timeline, EERI members will simulate reconnaissance observations that will include notes and photos depicting building, lifelines, geotechnical, and tsunami damage or good performance. This will be a completely virtual exercise and members can participate from any location. A smartphone is not required to participate, but it will maximize the number of applications that a user can test.

Tools that EERI members are encouraged to use include Clearinghouse Fieldnotes and the EERI Photo Upload map. For user guides and tutorials on each of these tools, visit: http://www.californiaeqclearinghouse.org/field-tools/.

EERI members wishing to participate in the exercise should contact EERI Program Associate Maggie Ortiz (M. EERI, 2012) at maggie@eeri.org to receive the latest updates and receive notifications before and during the exercise. More detailed instructions for exercise participation will be sent to those who RSVP to participate by Friday, May 9.

Building Back Better: Case Study of the 2010-2011 Canterbury, New Zealand Earthquake Sequence

The Building Back Better: Case Study of the 2010-2011 Canterbury, New Zealand Earthquake Sequence Learning from Earthquakes (LFE) report is now available in the LFE Reconnaissance Archive. In September 2013, an EERI team travelled to New Zealand to study the ongoing recovery process and document building back better practices in three sectors: Housing, Commerce, and Infrastructure.

This case study, the second of two being completed by EERI for the Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR) of the World Bank, will inform a guideline for building back better that is under development by the GFDRR, European Union, and United Nations Development Programme.

This highly collaborative report was authored by EERI team members Scott Miles (M. EERI, 2009), Dana Brechwald (M. EERI, 2013), and Rachel Davidson (M. EERI, 1995); GFDRR Consultant Katalin Demeter;  and New Zealand colleagues David Johnston (M. EERI, 2013), Stefano Pampanin (M. EERI, 2011), and Suzanne Wilkinson. To read the full report, visit: https://www.eeri.org/wp-content/uploads/EERI_GFDRR_NZ_BBB.pdf.

This study was supported by a grant agreement with the GFDRR of the World Bank.

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