Travel study participants at the Catedral Metropolitana de México (Abe Lynn)
From September 14 to 20, 2025, in partnership with the Sociedad Mexicana de Ingeniería Sísmica (SMIS), EERI led its third Learning From Earthquakes Travel Study (LFE-TS) program, this time in Mexico. During the week-long LFE-TS program, 24 early-career professionals and graduate students attended lectures by distinguished local and international experts; met with professionals, community members, nonprofits, and government agencies; visited sites impacted by previous Mexico earthquakes; and participated in the semi-annual national earthquake early warning drill. Throughout the week, participants examined how risk reduction, response, and recovery have evolved in the 40 years since the 1985 Mexico earthquake. Program activities centered on five themes: Early Warning, Preparedness and Response; Building Codes and Construction; Site Effects; Building Retrofit, Innovative Systems and School Safety; and Cultural and Historic Structures. LFE-TS participants shared their observations and conclusions with an audience of approximately 150 people at the SMIS-sponsored Symposium on 40 Years Since the 1985 Mexico Earthquake.
Presenting observations and conclusions at the Symposium on 40 Years Since the 1985 Mexico Earthquake (Chris Cattron)
Highlights of the trip included meeting with the Archbishop of Puebla to discuss the social consequences of damage to churches in his diocese, descending into the foundation of the Catedral Metropolitana to investigate solutions to differential settlement, visiting Mexico City’s central command and communication center for emergencies (C5), and listening to fellow participants deliver high-quality presentations at the SMIS-sponsored symposium commemorating the 1985 Mexico City earthquake. One participant said, “One of my favorite moments from the trip was visiting the Catedral Metropolitana de México. Seeing such an iconic structure up close and learning about the engineering challenges of preserving it in a highly seismic region was fascinating. It beautifully illustrated how history, architecture, and structural engineering intersect in the context of seismic resilience.”
Rehabilitation using control piles to counteract excessive differential settlement at the Catedral Metropolitana in Mexico City (Mohammed Ibrahim)
Overall, the travel study program provided the participants with an in-depth understanding of the challenges of a highly seismic region, such as Mexico, and the focused efforts that various sectors of the Mexican community have made over the last 40 years to improve seismic resilience. As one participant noted, “This trip reminded me of the privilege and responsibility we have as engineers to serve communities and continually improve the safety and resilience of our built environment. The lessons learned in Mexico will stay with me throughout my career.” Join us at the 13NCEE in the session called “Learning from the 1985 Mexico Earthquake - 40 Years Later” to hear from participants about their experiences and observations.
Visiting the United Nations Disaster Assessment and Coordination office
Participants were Andres Acosta, Paul Acuna, Gustavo Araujo Rodriguez, Sarah Atkinson, Ana Paula Bona, Kenny Buyco, Christopher Cattron, Connie Chen, Peter Cruz, Claudia Deveaux, Maria Jose Echeverria, Roni Fraser, Anna Gasha, Mohammed Ibrahim, Amory Martin, Laurel Mathews, Salvador Ramos, Morgan Sanger, Keri Scholte, Rocio Segura, Facundo Sirri, Paola Vargas, Luis Velasco, and Charlie Zhang.
The organizing team included Thalia Anagnos, Carlos Molina Hutt, Abe Lynn, Maggie Ortiz-Millan, and Maureen Wilmot from EERI, and Luis Pinto Carvalho, Héctor Guerrero Bobadilla and Fernando Heredia from SMIS. Many EERI and SMIS members delivered lectures on topics ranging from the evolution of the Mexico City building code, to damage to heritage structures in Puebla, to earthquake early warning systems. SMIS member and former EERI board member, Sergio Alcocer, gave an outstanding lecture on the school retrofit program in Mexico and LFE Committee Co-Chair Eduardo Miranda hosted a pre-trip webinar on Mexico’s earthquake history.
Group photo at Torre Reforma, where a historic hacienda-style house was preserved and integrated into the lobby of the 57-story tower (Carlos Molina Hutt)
The program was made possible by support from the EERI Learning From Earthquakes Endowment Fund, SMIS, and the 2025 trip’s Anchor Sponsor, Computers and Structures, Inc.(CSI).
The next LFE-TS program to Taiwan is tentatively scheduled for October/November 2026. Watch the Pulse for more information and application deadlines.
Photo credits: Abe Lynn, Chris Cattron, Mohammed Ibrahim, Thalia Anagnos, Carlos Molina Hutt.
