Publications

Just released! Earthquake Spectra: November 2019 (Vol. 35 Issue 4)

Hot off the press — the November 2019 issue of Earthquake Spectra (Vol. 35 Issue 4) is now available online! We've just mailed out print copies of the new issue. You may order additional copies, as well as past issues from the EERI Knowledge Center & Online Store, until December 31, 2019. Some highlights of this issue include:

• "A Neural Network for Automated Quality Screening of Ground Motion Records from Small Magnitude Earthquakes" by Xavier Bellagamba (M.EERI,2017), Robin Lee (M.EERI,2019), and Brendon A. Bradley (M.EERI,2012)
• "Quantification of the Influence of Deep Basin Effects on Structural Collapse Using SCEC CyberShake Earthquake Ground Motion Simulations" by Nenad Bijelić (M.EERI,2012), Ting Lin (M.EERI,2009), and Gregory G. Deierlein (M.EERI,1989)
• "Significance of Ground Motion Scaling Parameters on Amplitude of Scale Factors and Seismic Response of Short- and Long-Period Structures" by Esengul Cavdar (M.EERI,2018), Gokhan Ozdemir (M.EERI,2013), and Beyhan Bayhan (M.EERI,2010)
• "The Behavior of the Salesforce Tower the Tallest Building in San Francisco California Inferred from Earthquake and Ambient Shaking" by Mehmet Çelebi (M.EERI,1980), Hamid Haddadi (M.EERI,2002), Moh Huang (M.EERI,1984), Michael Valley (M.EERI,1995), John Hooper (M.EERI,1987), and Ron Klemencic
• "Simulation Framework for Infilled RC Frames Subjected to Seismic Loads" by Supratik Bose (M.EERI,2014), Jimena Martin (M.EERI,2019), and Andreas Stavridis (M.EERI,2005)
• "Assessment Supporting the Use of Outcropping Rock Evolutionary Intensity Measures for Prediction of Liquefaction Consequences" by Zach Bullock (M.EERI,2018), Shideh Dashti (M.EERI,2009), Abbie B. Liel (M.EERI,2009), Keith A. Porter (M.EERI,1998), and Zana Karimi

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Opportunities

Job alert: UBC seeks Assistant Professor in Civil Engineering

The University of British Columbia (UBC) - Vancouver seeks a tenure-track faculty position at the Assistant Professor level within the Department of Civil Engineering with expertise in the area of structural and earthquake engineering that complements existing expertise in the Department. Learn more about this opportunity.

Job alert: GNS Science seeks Senior Natural Hazard Risk Modeller/Scientist

GNS Science seeks a Senior Natural Hazard Risk Modeller/Scientist with a high-quality analytical bent towards risk and impact modelling and experience and knowledge to perform in inter-disciplinary research areas. Deadline to apply is November 10. Learn more about the opportunity.

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News of the Profession

Links to recent news and views

• Third strong quake this month kills 5 in southern Philippines (Associated Press)
• Philippines struck by second big earthquake in three days (New York Times)
• Towers in earthquake country — designers say new ones are safe to their core (San Francisco Chronicle) Jack Moehle (M.EERI,1981) and John Hooper (M.EERI,1987) were interviewed.
• UCSD buildings pose 'serious risk to life' if earthquake strikes (NBC San Diego 7) EERI board member Jorge Meneses (M.EERI,2006) was interviewed.
• Loma Prieta 30 years later: Santa Cruz rises from the rubble to become a model of earthquake preparedness (The Mercury News) Mehmet Celebi (M.EERI,1980) was interviewed.
• Earthquake statistics vary with fault size (AGU Earth and Space Science News)
• Can we tell if faults grew during or between earthquakes? (AGU Earth and Space Science News)
• Can climate affect earthquakes, or are the connections shaky? (NASA Climate)
• California: July earthquake caused fault to move for first time on record (The Guardian)

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EERI Awards

Julian J. Bommer selected as 2020 Joyner Lecturer

The Earthquake Engineering Research Institute (EERI) and the Seismological Society of America (SSA) are pleased to announce that Julian J. Bommer, a Senior Research Investigator at Imperial College London, is the 2020 recipient of the William B. Joyner Lecture Award. Bommer will deliver the Joyner Lecture at the 2020 EERI Annual Meeting and National Earthquake Conference to be held 4-6 March 2020 in San Diego, California, and the 2020 SSA Annual Meeting to be held 27-30 April 2020 in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

The lectureship is jointly awarded by EERI and SSA to those who have provided outstanding earth science contributions to the theory and practice of earthquake engineering or outstanding earthquake engineering contributions to the direction and focus of earth science research—together with demonstrated skills of communication at the interface of earthquake science and earthquake engineering. The lecture honors the distinguished career of William B. Joyner at the U.S. Geological Survey and his abiding commitment to continuing communication and education at the interface between research findings of earthquake science and the practical realities of earthquake engineering.

Bommer has worked for more than 30 years at the interface between seismology and earthquake engineering as both a researcher and practitioner. A Fellow of the UK Institution of Civil Engineering, he obtained a Ph.D. in Engineering Seismology under the supervision of Professor Nick Ambraseys, who encouraged him to undertake field investigations of earthquakes. Bommer’s first field reconnaissance was of the earthquake that struck the capital of El Salvador in October 1986, and he has since participated in fieldwork in Armenia, Colombia, Italy, Greece, Japan, Mozambique, Peru and Turkey. 

From 1993 to 1994 Bommer returned to live in El Salvador where he worked at two universities, introducing engineering seismology into the civil engineering curriculum and installing an accelerograph network funded by the European Union. He returned to the United Kingdom to take up a faculty position at Imperial College London where he became Professor of Earthquake Risk Assessment. His research has focused on ground-motion prediction and seismic hazard and risk assessment, topics on which he has published more than 130 journal papers that have been widely cited.

In 2011 Bommer moved to a part-time appointment as a Senior Research Investigator at Imperial College London in order to focus more time on consultancy. He has worked on seismic hazard and design inputs for major engineering projects worldwide, including dams, bridges and pipelines, as well as serving on the Seismic Advisory Board for the Panama Canal expansion. A major focus of his work has been seismic hazard assessments for nuclear facilities, working for the Office for Nuclear Regulation in the UK as well as contributing to the Senior Seismic Hazard Analysis Committee (SSHAC) implementation guidelines for the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. He has consulted on projects for nuclear sites in Abu Dhabi, Brazil, Romania, South Africa, Spain, Switzerland and the United States. Bommer also works extensively on hazard and risk assessments for induced seismicity in Europe and the Americas, as well as advising the Oil & Gas Authority in the United Kingdom.

Bommer first met Joyner when he joined the USGS field reconnaissance team for the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake and returned to Menlo Park a couple of years later to spend time with Joyner and David Boore (the 2014 Joyner Lecturer) working on ground-motion modelling.

“I have very fond memories of that time,” Bommer recalled. “Most days I would venture into Bill’s office at some point with questions and doubts, and while I recall that I often entered with mild trepidation, I always emerged enlightened.”

Bommer’s Joyner lecture will look at the impact of small-magnitude earthquakes, of both tectonic and anthropogenic origin, on the built environment and discuss how the risk associated with such events can be quantified and mitigated.

For more information about the Joyner Lecture Award, visit the EERI website at www.eeri.org/about-eeri/honors-awards/william-b-joyner-award, or the SSA website at www.seismosoc.org/awards/joyner.

Application open for the EERI Younger Member Award

The Annual EERI Younger Member Award application is now open! The award recognizes early-career EERI members who have made outstanding contributions to EERI and the pursuit of its objectives – especially contributions that have improved opportunities for and increased the impact of younger members within the Institute. To read more about this award click here.

The recipient of this prestigious award will be recognized during the 2020 EERI Annual Meeting and National Earthquake Conference. The award recipient will be reimbursed for the cost of traveling to and attending the meeting. The application deadline is November 17 at 11:59 pm PT. Click here to apply online.  

Photo: Last year's YMA recipient Xin Ma (M.EERI,2016) with EERI Executive Director Heidi Tremayne (M.EERI,2004) and EERI President Laurie Johnson (M.EERI,1990).

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Learning from Earthquakes

Anchorage Symposium presentations & posters now available online

EERI and the Alaska Earthquake Center, hosted “One Year Later: Symposium on the 2018 M7.1 Anchorage Earthquake” in Anchorage, Alaska from September 24 - 26. During this symposium, a wide range of multidisciplinary professionals shared their insights on the November 2018 Anchorage Earthquake.

You can now access presentation slides and posters from the 2019 Symposium on the 2018 M7.1 Anchorage Earthquake. EERI extends gratitude to the many authors and speakers who have allowed us to share their work. CLICK HERE TO VIEW

Major findings from the Symposium will be presented at a session at the 2020 EERI Annual Meeting and the National Earthquake Conference in San Diego.

Webinar recording now available: Ridgecrest Earthquake Sequence Reconnaissance Briefing

EERI hosted the Ridgecrest Earthquake Sequence Reconnaissance Briefing Webinar as a part of the Learning from Earthquakes (LFE) program on August 14. You can now view a recording of the webinar on the Ridgecrest Earthquake Sequence Clearinghouse website and on the EERI YouTube channel.

In this webinar, members of reconnaissance teams presented their observations:

• Welcome: Cindy Pridmore (M.EERI,2000), California Geological Survey/California Earthquake Clearinghouse
• Earthquake Overview: Ken Hudnut (M.EERI,2000), US Geological Survey
• Geological Observations: Janis Hernandez, California Geological Survey
• Geotechnical Engineering Impacts: Jon Stewart (M.EERI,1994), UCLA/GEER
• Structural Engineering Impacts: Wayne Chang, Structural Focus

For more information, visit the Ridgecrest Earthquake Sequence Clearinghouse website.

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News of the Institute

Apply for a registration grant to the EERI Annual Meeting and National Earthquake Conference!

If you are a graduate student or early-career academic/professional in need of financial support to attend the 2020 EERI Annual Meeting and National Earthquake Conference in San Diego, consider applying for one of our registration grants. Generously funded by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), these awards are limited to graduate students, early-career academics and professionals who reside in the U.S., attend a U.S. university, or teach at a U.S. university as of November 22, 2019. Access the application here.

The deadline to submit your application is Friday, November 22. We will notify award recipients by Friday, December 6, 2019. Grant recipients must register for the conference by Tuesday, December 31 and must agree to volunteer for four hours during the conference. Click here to apply.

The selection committee will judge applicants based on the following:

1. Active participation in the 2020 conference (e.g., invited speaker or moderator, abstract and/or posters accepted for the conference, conference committee volunteer work, etc.)
2. While EERI membership is not required, the committee will take EERI membership, active participation with national EERI or a local EERI Student or Regional Chapter (if a local chapter exists) into consideration.

Continue to explore your valuable EERI benefits in 2020

At EERI, we're always looking for opportunities to provide you with the tools and knowledge you need, and we look forward to bringing you more relevant offerings in the coming year! Please take a moment to renew your membership and remain a part of our passionate and dedicated community. It couldn’t be easier - just click here to renew! 

How can you benefit from your EERI membership?

• Stay abreast of the latest developments in earthquake engineering practice, codes and regulations, public policy, and investigation reports with a full-access subscription to our prestigious scientific journal, Earthquake Spectra — published four times a year, with extra special edition issues.
• Broaden your technical expertise by gaining exclusive discounted rates to the EERI Annual Meeting and our growing portfolio of webinars and other professional development opportunities.
• Access a community of members from diverse disciplines, where you can turn to for ideas, problem-solving, and new opportunities. Find and connect with fellow EERI members based on region and discipline in our online directory (via the membership portal).
• Subscription to our bi-weekly e-newsletter, Pulse, to keep you up-to-date with what’s happening in the field, filled with timely information on recent earthquakes, new publications, conferences, news of the profession, job opportunities, and more.
• Opportunities to shape EERI’s impact and enhance your leadership skills. Join, and even lead, one of our committees, such as Learning from Earthquakes, Public Policy and Advocacy, and School Earthquake Safety Initiative.
• Opportunities to make a major impact where you live and work by leading and participating in a Regional Chapter. Play an essential role in serving your local community’s needs, while networking with others in the field.

WHY EERI?

“I joined EERI in 2016 as a graduate student as part of the Student Leadership Council then the Younger Members Committee. My favorite part about being an EERI member is the wealth and diversity of initiatives, committees and opportunities available for younger members like myself, from all disciplines, to expand their knowledge and skills, while effectively contributing to reducing earthquake hazard.” — Maha Kenawy (M.EERI,2016)

“EERI is a unique community of multi-disciplinary professionals working towards a common goal. Nowhere else have I felt such a sense of mission and selfless contribution among engineers. Year after year, EERI sustains and improves valuable programs and initiatives.” — Benjamin Kosbab (M.EERI,2006)

Last chance to vote in the 2020 EERI board of directors elections!

Don't forget to cast your vote for the 2020 EERI Board of Directors election! You can view the candidate bios and vision statements here. The election will close tonight at 11:59 pm PT. We sent you one last email reminder yesterday, so please check your inbox for your secure ballot if you haven't voted yet.

Housner Fellows Program seeks new cohort

EERI is seeking exemplary early to mid-career professionals who are committed to earthquake risk mitigation for the Housner Fellows Program, Class of 2020. Fellows will participate in a Leadership Institute and develop a group project that makes a real impact in the field. Learn more about the Housner Fellows Program here and submit your application here by Friday, December 6.

Photo: the 2017 Housner Fellows cohort, along with EERI Board Member, Dr. Lucy Arendt, on a week-long trip to Mexico engaging in visits, tours, and observations.

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