News of the Institute
David A. Friedman Named 2024 Honorary Member
David A. Friedman (M. EERI 1988) has been named a 2024 EERI Honorary Member in recognition of his devotion to world-wide seismic risk reduction and advancing community seismic resilience. Honorary membership of the Earthquake Engineering Research Institute is awarded to recognize members who have made sustained and outstanding contributions to the field of earthquake engineering and/or to EERI and the pursuit of its objectives.
Friedman is retired Senior Principal, Emeritus Chair of the Board of Directors, President and CEO of Forell|Elsesser Engineers. He has over 48 years of professional practice in structural and earthquake engineering. He has solved numerous structural and earthquake engineering challenges during his career with a specialty in seismic engineering and retrofitting of existing structures, particularly those with historic designation. His notable contributions to EERI include serving on the Board of Directors from 2011-2013 and as President in 2017-2018, during which he oversaw a successful Executive Director transition. In 2001, he and his family endowed the Friedman Family Visiting Professionals program, which now provides lectures to hundreds of students each year. He has also played an integral role in the creation and success of the Learning From Earthquakes Endowment Fund, which launched in 2019.
To read the full announcement, view the news post on the EERI website here.
Ivan G. Wong Named 2024 Honorary Member
Ivan G. Wong (M. EERI 1978) has been named a 2024 EERI Honorary Member in recognition of his significant contributions to earthquake engineering and seismology. Honorary membership of the Earthquake Engineering Research Institute is awarded to recognize members who have made sustained and outstanding contributions to the field of earthquake engineering and/or to EERI and the pursuit of its objectives.
Wong is a Senior Principal Seismologist at Lettis Consultants International and an internationally renowned expert with nearly 50 years of experience. He has directed and participated in seismic hazard assessments and seismic design of more than 700 critical facilities. He was involved in the education and implementation of the seismic risk assessment software HAZUS for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and has been the recipient of 20 United States Geological Survey (USGS) National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program (NEHRP) external research grants for the development of urban probabilistic and scenario hazard maps and other earthquake hazard-related studies. Wong has been an active EERI member for 45 years, serving on the Board of Directors, as President of the Northern California chapter, on the Earthquake Spectra editorial board, as a SESI founding member, and as a Friedman Family lecturer.
To read the full announcement, view the news post on the EERI website here.
2023 Shah Family Innovation Prize Awarded to Eyitayo Opabola
EERI is pleased to announce that the 2023 recipient of the Shah Family Innovation Prize is Eyitayo (Tayo) Opabola (M.EERI 2020), in recognition of his significant contributions to earthquake engineering research and practice, supported by expertise in engineering mechanics, experimentation and community resilience. The Shah Prize is awarded to early- to mid-career individuals who have emphasized creative and innovative thinking and demonstrated the potential to make major contributions to the field of earthquake risk mitigation and management. The prize recognizes a combination of past accomplishments and future potential.
Opabola’s research focuses on laboratory and field testing of large-scale structural components and systems, assessment and design of civil infrastructure under single and multiple hazards, and developing risk-informed methodologies for resilience enhancement of buildings and communities. He is a member of several technical committees on seismic assessment and design of reinforced concrete structures. He has served as a consultant for a wide range of disaster risk management projects in Africa, North America, Europe, Oceania, Central Asia and South-East Asia. He has also served as a member of the UK Earthquake Engineering Field Investigation Team (EEFIT) missions to Indonesia and Turkey.
To read the full announcement, view the news post on the EERI website here.
2024AM: Registration Grant Applications Due Today!
Planning to apply for a registration grant to attend the 2024 Annual Meeting in Seattle? Applications are due by 11:59 PM today, Wednesday November 15! Computers and Structures, Inc. (CSI) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) have generously made funds available to award registration grants and attendance scholarships to students, early career members, and those participating in the April 9 Reconnaissance Training Workshop to help defray costs of attending 2024AM. Find out more about registration grants here and click here to apply.
The 2024 Annual Meeting will take place in Seattle, WA from April 9-12, 2024. The meeting will bring together participants from engineering, geoscience, emergency planning, social science, and other fields to connect and learn about the latest developments in research and practice for understanding earthquake risk and increasing earthquake resilience. The meeting’s theme is “Uniting Earthquake Science and Engineering for a More Resilient Future,” and the two-day technical program will span a range of topics related to earthquake engineering, risk, reconnaissance, and resilience. The meeting will also feature exciting events like a Seattle Fault scenario earthquake reconnaissance exercise conducted in collaboration with the Washington Geological Survey, the 2024 Undergraduate Seismic Design Competition, and training workshops hosted by EERI’s Learning From Earthquakes program and partner organizations.
Register to attend 2024AM here!
More details on registration rates and deadlines are available at the meeting website.
EERI has secured special group rates for rooms at the meeting venue, and strongly urges participants to book rooms at the Sheraton Grand in order to take full advantage of the workshop and networking opportunities at the 2024AM. EERI's special room rates are available via this booking link. EERI has also partnered with Delta Airlines and Alaska Airlines for discounted airfare to the 2024 Annual Meeting. Please use code NM32Y when flying with Delta and code ECMK158 when flying with Alaska to receive a discount. More details regarding these discounts can be found here. We're excited to see you in Seattle next year!
Last Day to Vote in the EERI Election: November 16
Thursday, November 16 is the last day to vote in the 2024 EERI Election! If you are an eligible EERI voter who hasn’t voted yet, look for the email you received on November 15th with a link to your ballot. Votes are due by November 16, at 11:59 PM Pacific Time.
Click here to learn more about the candidates and read their vision statements.
Don't Forget to Renew for 2024!
Renewal season is here, and we hope that you’ve found your EERI membership valuable this year. With your EERI membership, you’ll continue to gain opportunities to build community and connections, expand your knowledge of the earthquake risk reduction field, and grow your leadership skills. We hope you take a moment to renew your membership for 2024, so that we can do more (and even better!) together in the years ahead.
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!
Back to top >Public Policy and Advocacy
PPA Leadership Update: Kaleigh Yost Joins as a New Co-Chair
The EERI Board of Directors has confirmed Kaleigh Yost (M.EERI 2012) as a new co-chair of the Public Policy and Advocacy Committee (PPA). Dr. Yost joins current co-chair Anna Lang (M.EERI 2002) and will serve a two-year term. Dr. Yost is a geotechnical engineer with a specialty in earthquake engineering and subsurface investigation. She is the L. Robert and Mary L. Kimball Early Career Assistant Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Pennsylvania State University.
EERI thanks outgoing PPA co-chair Fred Turner (M.EERI 1985) for his dedicated service to the institute as a co-chair.
Any members interested in policy and advocacy are encouraged to join the PPA and attend their monthly meetings where the committee considers how to advance EERI’s mission and vision through policy action.
Back to top >Announcements
Abstract Submission is Open for the 2024 Researchers Meeting
The Natural Hazards Workshop invites abstracts for the 2024 Researchers Meeting, to be held on the afternoon of Wednesday, July 17 and through the day on Thursday, July 18 following the 49th Annual Natural Hazards Research and Applications Workshop. The meeting is hosted by the International Research Committee on Disasters (ISA-RC39), in partnership with the Natural Hazards Center and the NHERI-CONVERGE facility.
The Organizing Committee welcomes submissions from academic and professional researchers and graduate students on all types of hazards and disaster research by Friday, January 26, 2024. For more information, view the meeting page here.
ASCE establishes Dan M. Frangopol Medal for Life-Cycle Engineering of Civil Structures
The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) has established a new award, the ASCE Frangopol Medal, in recognition of Dan M. Frangopol (M.EERI 1987), the inaugural Fazlur R. Khan Endowed Chair of Structural Engineering and Architecture at Lehigh University. The creation of the medal recognizes Frangopol’s contributions as a pioneering researcher and educator and leading authority in the fields of life-cycle civil engineering and life-cycle cost optimization, and the award will serve to recognize individuals who follow in his footsteps. The Frangopol Medal will be a biennial accolade celebrating those who have made substantial contributions in life-cycle engineering, in aspects such as design, assessment, inspection, maintenance, and cost optimization of civil infrastructure systems, particularly through exceptional work in publications and patents demonstrating a clear scientific or engineering impact.
Back to top >Opportunities
CGS Hiring a Seismological Instrument Technician
The California Geological Survey is seeking a Seismological Instrument Technician. The technician will be a member of a team installing and maintaining complex accelerographic and data communication systems in buildings or other structures and at remote sites throughout the state, in support of the Earthquake Engineering Program. Applications are due November 20, 2023. For more information about the position and how to apply, view the job posting here.
Open Rank Faculty Position in Civil Engineering and Engineering Mechanics at Columbia University
Columbia Engineering is pleased to invite applications for a tenure-track or tenured faculty position in the Department of Civil Engineering & Engineering Mechanics (CEEM) at Columbia University in the City of New York. Applications at all ranks, including assistant professor, associate professor, and full professor, will be considered.
The CEEM Department welcomes applications in the field of computational intelligence for the fabrication and automation of civil infrastructure. Representative areas of interest include (i) additive manufacturing of civil infrastructures, including but not limited to 3D printing of concrete and reinforced concrete or composites, additive manufacturing for energy applications, including wind turbines and other structural components, (ii) automation and optimization of construction and fabrication (e.g., robotic construction and excavation, data-driven controls, building envelopes, planning and analytics of built environments), and (iii) design and manufacturing of architectured materials. Apply by December 1, 2023 for priority consideration. For more information and how to apply, view the job posting here.
Tenure-Track Position in Seismology at the University of Memphis
The Center for Earthquake Research and Information (CERI) at the University of Memphis invites applications for a tenure-track faculty position at the Assistant Professor level to begin in August 2024. Appointment at the Associate level will be considered based on the applicant’s experience. We are searching for an individual to complement our existing strengths in seismology, geodesy, computational tectonics, earthquake rupture dynamics, earthquake physics, and seismic hazard. We are particularly interested in applicants with a strong theoretical background in any subfield of seismology. CERI is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive culture for all faculty and graduate students and we strongly encourage members of underrepresented groups to apply.
CERI is a state recognized Center of Excellence and is an independent academic unit within the College of Arts and Sciences. The MS and PhD Concentration in Geophysics is housed alongside the Earth Sciences graduate program and has academic and research ties with the Departments of Earth Sciences and Civil Engineering. CERI has an additional role as a State of Tennessee entity that is periodically reviewed by the State legislature. CERI is a core member of SCEC, Statewide California Earthquake Center. Our facilities include access to the campus high-performance computing facility, a rock deformation laboratory, and an earthquake modeling and visualization laboratory. CERI has an extensive outreach and education program and is a fundamental source of information regarding the region's earthquake science and seismic hazard. Applications are due February 2, 2024. For more information and how to apply, view the job posting here.
Back to top >Subscribing Member Spotlight
Kinemetrics
Since 1969, Kinemetrics and its subsidiaries continue to lead the global market in designing technologies, products, and solutions for monitoring earthquakes and their effects on people and structures. Today, Kinemetrics continues to lead the seismic industry’s vision of earthquake resilience by delivering results that reinforce saving lives and operational continuity initiatives.
California Earthquake Authority
California Earthquake Authority (CEA) is a longtime EERI Platinum-Level Subscribing Member. CEA is a not-for-profit, privately funded, publicly managed organization that provides residential earthquake insurance to more than 1 million households in California. Since 1996, CEA has been making earthquake insurance as affordable as possible for all California residents, while helping reduce their risk of earthquake loss wherever they live.
News of the Profession
Links to Recent News and Views
- Morocco grapples with how to rebuild after September quake that killed thousands (PBS, quoting EERI member Kit Miyamoto)
- World Tsunami Awareness Day and launch of a center to better understand them (Times-Standard, by EERI member Lori Dengler)
- Toxic vapors will be deadly when mega-earthquake hits Portland, report says, prompting call for regulation (The Oregonian)
- The 1994 earthquake broke the 10 Freeway. How L.A. rebuilt it in record time (Los Angeles Times)
- Another large earthquake shows seismic activity continues to increase in West Texas, experts say (The Texas Tribune)
- Thousands of earthquakes have scientists watching for a volcanic eruption in Iceland (NPR)