13NCEE

The 13NCEE Technical Program is Now Live!

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The wait is over! We are excited to unveil the full technical program for the 13th National Conference on Earthquake Engineering (13NCEE). Our curated schedule features an incredible breadth of sessions covering research, policy, practice, and innovation.

View the Program!

Log in with your EERI account credentials to access the full interactive program.

Key Program Features:

• 5 Plenary Sessions: Join the entire 13NCEE community for exciting keynotes and panel discussions from local policy leaders, NEHRP agency members, and award lecturers.

• Over 100 Concurrent Sessions: Explore a vast range of topics, from structural innovation to community resilience, led by industry experts and academic pioneers.

• 17 Lightning Sessions: Fast-paced presentations designed to spark new ideas and highlight emerging research.

• 3 Poster Sessions: Engage directly with presenters and have meaningful, one-on-one conversations.

• 7 Workshops: In-depth learning on a wide range of topics relevant to earthquake engineering research, practice, policy, and career development.

• 2 Tours: Visit OSU or the Portland CEI Hub to engage directly with earthquake engineering research and practice in the region.

Start Planning Your Experience

With over 100 sessions to navigate, we encourage you to view the program early and start building your personal itinerary. When browsing, you can add sessions to your calendar or “star” them to create your own personal program.

One Month Left to Register Before Prices Increase

There is ONE MONTH LEFT before registration rates increase by $100 for the 13th National Conference on Earthquake Engineering (13NCEE) taking place in Portland, Oregon from July 13-17, 2026! Current registration rates are available through May 31, 2026, so register now to AVOID the price increase.

View the registration page here for rates, information, and a link to the registration portal. EERI members receive the best rates, so we recommend you renew or join before you register.

Check out the Partner-Organized Workshops and Tours, and make your plans by looking at the Schedule at a Glance and the full technical program.

We’re looking forward to seeing you in Portland from July 13-17, 2026!

13NCEE Hotel Rooms are Filling Up – Book Now

This is also the perfect time to finalize your 13NCEE travel arrangements!

EERI encourages you to stay at the conference headquarters hotel, the Hyatt Regency. This will allow you to take full advantage of the conference networking opportunities, and ensure the shortest walk to the conference venue at the Oregon Convention Center. Book your stay at the Hyatt Regency. EERI’s special room rates are available through June 19, 2026, but rooms are LIMITED, so book soon.

You can find more information about the hotel HERE.

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NEWS OF THE INSTITUTE

Now Accepting Nominations and Applications for EERI's Awards and Honors!

Nominate someone or apply today for one of EERI’s prestigious awards! Each selection committee depends on your nominations and applications to identify members whose contributions should be recognized. Each committee considers all submissions and provides recommendations to the EERI Board of Directors.

Nomination and Application Process:

Nominations or applications are being accepted for the Housner Medal, Alquist Medal, Distinguished Lecturer, Honorary Member, Bolt Medal, Joyner Lecturer, Shah Prize, and Early Career Member Award. Please review each award's description, criteria, and nomination requirements and submit the appropriate form. All nominations and applications are due June 30, 2026 at 11:59 PM Pacific Time.

View this news post for more information.

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WEBINARS

San Diego Chapter Webinar: Application of Non-Ergodic Site Response Analysis to Seismic Retrofit Projects

May 14, 2026

12:00 - 1:00 PM Pacific Time

REGISTER HERE

 

EERI’s San Diego Regional Chapter is hosting a FREE webinar on the Application of Non-Ergodic Site Response Analysis to Seismic Retrofit Projects. This webinar will present results from a study that documents processes and results for case examples from two seismic retrofit projects in Los Angeles, California that incorporated non-ergodic site response analysis.

Speakers:

• Marty Hudson, Ph.D., P.E., G.E. Principal Geotechnical Engineer, Hudson Geotechnics

• Ken Hudson, Ph.D., P.G., E.I.T. Principal Geoscientist , Hudson Geotechnics

For more details, and to register, visit: https://my.eeri.org/events/event-details/?id=afe97e03-c539-f111-9a90-7c1e5292b3b9.

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ORAL HISTORY

Kariotis Stanley Scott Volume Release

Don’t miss the next publication in EERI’s Interviews by Stanley Scott series, focusing on John C. Kariotis (1927-2013). The Interviews by Stanley Scott: An EERI Oral History Collection preserves and shares the valuable unfinished work of Stanley Scott (1921-2002), who conducted tape-recorded interviews with pioneers in the field of earthquake engineering in the 1980s and 1990s that formed the basis for 17 volumes in the Connections series of oral histories. This new series makes available interviews that Scott was unable to finalize and publish during his lifetime.

John Kariotis spent his early years on a cattle ranch in the Missouri River Badlands of Montana with a K-8 education in a one-room school. After 14 months in the US Navy, he earned his BS in Civil Engineering from the California Institute of Technology in 1949 and began his career with an emphasis on seismic design. He was a partner in several Pasadena structural design firms that analyzed and designed innovative structures and construction systems. His interest in seismic code development grew into research on seismic performance of unreinforced masonry buildings, which included dynamic testing of components such as diaphragms and walls through the Agbabian, Barnes, and Kariotis (ABK) Joint Venture that was foundational to the development of new assessment methods, retrofit techniques, and guidelines for existing unreinforced masonry buildings. As a participant in the Technical Coordinating Committee for Masonry Research (TCCMAR), he played a key role in the development of limit-state design standards for masonry buildings in seismic zones.

Download the PDF of John C. Kariotis from the EERI Digital Library here.

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REGIONAL CHAPTERS

San Diego Chapter: Ishihara Save the Date

In collaboration with the EERI UC San Diego Student Chapter, we are honored to announce the 8th Ishihara Colloquium, celebrating the life and legacy of Professor Kenji Ishihara. The event will take place on September 10–11, 2026, at the University of California, San Diego.

Pre-Colloquium Short Course

On September 9, Professor Ellen Rathje and a couple of other guest lecturers will lead an intensive one-day short course on Site Response Analysis using Random Vibration Theory.

Please mark your calendars for this significant gathering of the earthquake engineering community.

Stay tuned for further details regarding registration and the full technical program.

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PUBLIC POLICY & ADVOCACY

EERI & SPUR Visit California State Capitol

On April 16, 2026, EERI and SPUR joined together to host a “Seismic Safety & Disaster Preparedness Lunch & Learn” session at the California State Capitol to discuss earthquake risk with members of the legislature and their staff.  The session was aligned with the 120th anniversary of the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake & Fire. Speakers included Sarah Atkinson, Keith Knudsen, Sam Mengelkoch, Charles Scawthorn, and Heidi Tremayne who shared policy needs and ideas to reduce the impacts from earthquakes in California:

1. Identify and retrofit existing vulnerable buildings + lifeline infrastructure: Support local jurisdictions in developing retrofit programs for vulnerable building types.

2. Enhance coordination of lifeline providers and systems: Address the risk of fires following an earthquake that could lead to devastating urban conflagrations like the 1906 SF fires and 2025 LA fires.

3. Consider earthquake impacts in other hazard initiatives/legislation: Align with affordable housing development, sea level rise adjustments, new fire construction provisions, green/sustainable building, insurance, permitting, and more.

4. Invest in research and hazard identification as federal priorities shift: Scenarios and loss estimates, early warning and monitoring systems, retrofit techniques, post-earthquake investigations, and more.

5. Advance functional recovery-based buildings codes, standards, and guidelines: Adopt new standards for CA, use for state buildings/infrastructure, require for schools/ housing.

This session was a planned follow-up to the December 2025 visit of the EERI California Legislative Subcommittee of the Public Policy & Advocacy Committee, as the committee works to establish recognition of EERI among legislators and key staff in Sacramento and build EERI’s access and influence on state policy around seismic safety.

Your help and participation is needed! Join the EERI Public Policy & Advocacy California Legislative Committee today, by sending a quick email to policy@eeri.org. It is open to all EERI members!

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IN MEMORIAM

In Memory of Neil Hawkins (1935-2026)

Dr. Neil M. Hawkins, a distinguished structural engineer, educator, and longtime leader in earthquake engineering, passed away in Seattle, Washington, on February 25, 2026. His obituary can be viewed here. Born in Sydney, Australia, in 1935, Dr. Hawkins built an international career that helped advance the seismic design and performance of buildings, bridges, and infrastructure, while also shaping generations of students, researchers, and practicing engineers.

Dr. Hawkins earned degrees in mathematics, physics, and engineering from the University of Sydney before completing his MS and PhD in civil engineering at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. He began his academic career at the University of Sydney, later joined the University of Washington, and returned to Illinois in 1991, where he served as Head of Civil and Environmental Engineering from 1991 to 1996 and again as Interim Head from 2001 to 2002. Across his career, he taught structural analysis, reinforced and prestressed concrete design, steel design, earthquake engineering, and bridge design.

A leading figure in structural and earthquake engineering, Dr. Hawkins was widely respected for research and consulting that improved the earthquake readiness of buildings, bridges, and infrastructure around the world. He taught graduate and undergraduate courses in structural analysis, reinforced and prestressed concrete design, steel design, earthquake engineering, and bridge design, and he authored Reinforced Concrete Structures in Seismic Zones in 1977. The two memorials also note his work on major structural investigations and assessments, including the sinking of the Interstate 90 floating bridge, the structural analysis following the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, and the assessment and design fixes involving cracking of the SR 520 floating bridge pontoons.

Dr. Hawkins also gave important service to the earthquake engineering community. He served as a Director on the EERI Board from 1984 to 1986, contributing to the institute during an important period in the continued development of modern seismic practice. His broader professional service also included leadership roles in the American Concrete Institute and work on major national committees related to seismic provisions and structural design.

Those who worked with Dr. Hawkins remembers him not only for his technical accomplishments, but also his generosity, mentorship, and steady support of colleagues and students.

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SUBSCRIBING MEMBER SPOTLIGHT

Bronze Members

Bechtel helps our customers deliver projects of purpose that create a lasting positive legacy. These are projects that create jobs and grow economies; improve the resiliency of the world's infrastructure; connect communities to resources and opportunity; get us closer to net zero; protect U.S. and allied interests; tackle critical environmental challenges to protect people and the planet; and accelerate progress to make the world a cleaner, greener, safer place. While expertise enables delivery, partnerships ensure long-term success, which is why we align everything we do to our customers’ goals.

The Croatian Centre for Earthquake Engineering (CCEE) is a leading institution in Croatia dedicated to the study, advancement, and practical application of earthquake engineering. Established to enhance seismic resilience, CCEE serves as a key platform for research, education, and professional collaboration in earthquake engineering and seismic risk mitigation. 

Subscribing Government Agency

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is a physical sciences laboratory and non-regulatory agency of the United States Department of Commerce. Its mission is to promote American innovation and industrial competitiveness. NIST is the lead agency for the National Earthquake Hazard Reduction Program (NEHRP).

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NEWS OF THE PROFESSION

Links to Recent News and Views

• What San Francisco learned from the 1906 earthquake (Axios)

• San Francisco’s Skyline Shines, but Earthquake Risk Remains 120 Years After 1906 (KQED)

• Vancouver built up fast — but now its older towers face an earthquake reckoning (The Conversation)

• Japan warns of slightly increased risk of mega-quake after a 7.7-magnitude one (East Bay Times)

• Magnitude 4.0 earthquake in southeast Missouri prompts closer look at New Madrid fault (KFVS)

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