Pulse Newsletter

February 1, 2024

News of the Institute

2024AM: Workshop Opportunities

Have you registered for EERI’s 2024 Annual Meeting in Seattle? Don't forget to sign up for workshops! There will be three workshop options on Tuesday, April 9. Follow the below links or visit the meeting website for more information.

2024am meeting graphicReconnaissance Workshop and Field Exercise

The Reconnaissance Training Workshop will provide instruction in post-earthquake reconnaissance tools and techniques, such as documenting perishable data on geological, geotechnical, structural, and lifelines impacts; utilizing instruments, survey tools, and mobile-based software apps in the field; understanding resources for sharing, publishing, and archiving reconnaissance data; and dealing with the methodological and ethical dimensions of rapid-response research in post-disaster contexts. Participants will also have the opportunity to practice these skills in a full-day Reconnaissance Field Exercise. EERI is partnering with the Washington Geological Survey to conduct the first in-person exercise of the new Washington Geologic Hazards Clearinghouse Plan.

USGS National Seismic Hazards Model Workshop

EERI is partnering with the U.S.Geological Survey (USGS) to host the USGS National Seismic Hazards Model Workshop during 2024AM. The workshop will focus on Overview of 2023 USGS National Seismic Hazard Model, Delivery of NSHMs, and Future NSHMs 

Reconnaissance Data Publishing Workshop: 2023 Kahramanmaraş Earthquake

This workshop will provide interactive and hands-on training for curating and publishing data in the DesignSafe Data Depot. It will be specific to publishing the reconnaissance datasets gathered after the 2023 Kahramanmaraş earthquake that affected Turkey and Syria. Participants will have the opportunity to learn about DesignSafe data curation, discuss their datasets, consult with curators, usability experts and other experienced field researchers, and prepare their datasets for publication.

Register here! The advance registration deadline is February 29, 2024. Make sure you have renewed your EERI membership to get the discounted EERI member-only rate!

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Public Policy and Advocacy

Reauthorization of the National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program

On January 16, on the eve of the 30th anniversary of the 1994 Northridge earthquake, U.S. Senators Alex Padilla (D-CA) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) introduced bipartisan legislation to reauthorize the National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program (NEHRP) through Fiscal Year 2028. The bill would authorize a total of $175.4 million per year from FY 2024-2028 across the four federal agencies responsible for long-term earthquake risk reduction under NEHRP: the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), the National Science Foundation (NSF), and the United States Geological Survey (USGS).

On Tuesday, January 30th, the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology, Subcommittee on Research and Technology held a hearing on the reauthorization of both NEHRP and the NWIRP (National Windstorm Impact Reduction Program). Representatives from FEMA, NIST, NSF, and USGS all testified in support of the programs. EERI’s Public Policy and Advocacy Committee organized a livestream to view the hearing, and incoming EERI Board of Directors member Mike Mahoney (M.EERI 1996), Director of Projects for the Applied Technology Council (ATC), attended the hearing in person. Mahoney observed that the overall sentiment of the congress members in the hearing was “very positive,” which “bodes well for reauthorization of the programs.”nehrp hearing

Photo: representatives of the NEHRP agencies testify at the House hearing on January 30 (Mike Mahoney).

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Webinars

Quick Quake Briefing: M7.5 Japan Earthquake Of January 1, 2024

Thursday, February 22, 2024
03:00 - 04:30 PM Pacific Time
REGISTER HERE

Japan Earthquake ImageThe EERI Northern California Regional Chapter is hosting a FREE webinar on the earthquakes that struck the Nolo Peninsula on the west side of Japan. The shallow reverse-faulting shock achieved a Modified Mercalli intensity of IX (Violent). The shaking and accompanying tsunami caused extensive damage making it the deadliest earthquake in Japan since the 2016. Peak ground accelerations exceeding 1g were recorded at several locations and striking crustal uplift exceeding 10 feet was observed along with numerous types of ground failures.

Speakers:

  • Dr. Hiroyuki Goto of the Disaster Prevention Research Institute, Kyoto University. He will present on the strong ground motions observed from the earthquake.
  • Dr. Masataka Shiga of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Nagaoka University of Technology. He will present on the geotechnical aspects observed from the earthquake.

 

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Students

NHERI Graduate Student Council Seeks Members

The NHERI Graduate Student Council, which offers graduate students interested in natural hazards research a chance to connect with other like-minded students and access  leadership, service, and funding opportunities, is seeking new members!.As a student-run organization established by the NSF-funded Natural Hazards Engineering Research Infrastructure (NHERI), NHERI GSC hopes to draw membership from graduate students in organizations across the US and abroad to build a graduate community of researchers and scientists in the natural hazards field. 

NHERI GSC supports participating members by offering camaraderie, mentorship, leadership experience, and opportunities to apply for scholarships and travel awards to attend natural hazards events, such as the NHERI Summer Institute. Furthermore, Council members have the opportunity to learn about and benefit from the NHERI resources and network of 12 facilities across the US.  

The Council’s General Meeting is held monthly online, every 3rd Friday, at 11:00 a.m. Central Time (US). Students may register for membership here.

Upcoming SDC Deadlines: Damping Proposal and T-Shirt Competition

A quick reminder to EERI Student Chapters about an upcoming deadline for optional SDC submittals! Submissions for the T-shirt design competition are due Friday, February 9, 2024, at 11:59 PM PST. Keep watching the SLC website or social media for updates!

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Announcements

Confined Masonry Symposium

The UNESCO Chair in Disaster Risk Reduction and Resilience Engineering is excited to announce an online global symposium on recent advancements and the way forward in confined masonry construction practice.

The symposium, endorsed by the EERI Confined Masonry Network, will  assess the state of development in research, design and construction of confined masonry around the globe, and discuss the way forward.

The workshop will run online from February 8 - February 9, 2024, 1:00-4:00 PM GMT, with invited speakers from several countries presenting relevant topics and contributing to panel discussions. The objective of the workshop is to facilitate knowledge exchange between countries with ample experience of confined masonry practice, and countries where this technology is currently being promoted and the development of the design codes is in progress or has not yet started.

Please find more information and register here.

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Subscribing Member Spotlight

Structural Focus

StructuralFocusStructural Focus is a structural engineering consulting company specializing in the design of complex and innovative buildings. Since its founding in 2001, the firm has designed several million square feet of new structures and rehabilitated hundreds of existing buildings, including numerous historic projects, dozens of which are on the National Register of Historic Places.

California Earthquake Authority

CEA small logoCalifornia 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. 

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