News of the Institute

12NCEE: Call for Papers Coming Soon!

Save the date—the 12NCEE website and Call for Papers will be launching next week! 

12NCEE is the upcoming U.S. National Conference on Earthquake Engineering, hosted by EERI every 4 years in conjunction with federal and local partners. This milestone conference brings together professionals from a broad range of disciplines: architecture, civil and structural engineering, seismology, geology, geophysics, geotechnical engineering, business, public policy, the social sciences, regional planning, emergency response, and regulation. The 2022 EERI Annual Meeting and EERI’s Annual Undergraduate Seismic Design Competition will take place concurrently.

12NCEE will be held in Salt Lake City, Utah from June 27-July 1, 2022. More information will be available on the EERI and 12NCEE websites soon.

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Awards

Meet the 2021-2022 EERI/FEMA NEHRP Graduate Fellows in Earthquake Hazard Reduction

We’re excited to announce the 2021-2022 EERI/FEMA NEHRP Graduate Fellows, Patrick Bassal (M.EERI, 2015) and Alan Poulos (M.EERI, 2020)! 

Supported by funds from FEMA, the one-year fellowship seeks to foster the participation of those working toward goals and activities of the National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program. We look forward to highlighting the fellows' research at 12NCEE next year. Learn more about the EERI/FEMA NEHRP Graduate Fellowship on our website here.

Patrick Bassal 
Ph.D. Candidate in Geotechnical Engineering, University of California, Davis

Patrick C. Bassal is a Ph.D. candidate in geotechnical engineering at the University of California, Davis. His doctoral research focuses on using advanced numerical and geostatistical methods to understand the key mechanisms and factors contributing to the magnitude and spatial extent of liquefaction effects at sites with interlayered soil deposits. This research has involved in-depth analyses of post-earthquake case studies and seeks to provide practical insights for both simplified and numerical liquefaction evaluations. Patrick holds a B.S. in civil engineering from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, and an M.S. in Geoengineering from the University of California, Berkeley. He has worked as a geotechnical engineering consultant for four years and is a registered civil engineer in California. Patrick was introduced to EERI as a post-graduate intern in 2013, and later served as a board member and webmaster for the EERI-NYNE Regional Chapter and the Younger Members Committee. More recently, he has contributed to developing new multidisciplinary tasks for the undergraduate Student Design Competition through the Student Leadership Council, and is currently co-president of the EERI at UC Davis Student Chapter.

Alan Poulos 
Ph.D. Candidate in Structural Engineering, Stanford University

Alan Poulos is currently a Ph.D. candidate in structural engineering at Stanford University, working with Professor Eduardo Miranda. His current research focuses on ground motion directionality and its effects on earthquake-resistant design and regional risk assessment. These effects, which are usually ignored, are being studied to improve current civil infrastructure design and management practices. Alan holds a master’s degree in structural engineering from Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, where he worked with Professors Juan Carlos de la Llera and Judith Mitrani-Reiser on modeling earthquake-induced building evacuations. He has previously worked in research and development at a structural engineering firm and a disaster risk management research center, both in Chile.

Honorable Mentions: Tyler Oathes and Hailey-Rae Rose

EERI’s Student Awards Committee also awarded honorable mentions to candidates Tyler Oathes (M.EERI, 2018) of the University of California, Davis, and Hailey-Rae Rose (M.EERI, 2020) of the University of Colorado Boulder.

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Announcements

Lifelines 2021-2022 Conference Change of Date

The Lifelines 2021-2022 conference at UCLA, commemorating the 50-year anniversary of the 1971 San Fernando Earthquake, has been moved earlier by one week to avoid conflicting with the revised scheduling of the National Football League (NFL) Super Bowl hosted in Los Angeles. The dates were changed to make costs, accommodation options and air travel planning easier for attendees.

The conference timetable is now:

• January 31, 2022: Pre-conference workshops
• February 1-3, 2022: Main Conference Program
• February 4, 2022: Post-conference workshops and tours

Please mark your calendars for January 31, 2022 to February 4, 2022 to attend the Lifelines 2021-22 conference at the UCLA Campus in Los Angeles. For more information, please visit the conference website.

PEER Blind Prediction Competition and Researchers' Workshop

The Pacific Earthquake Engineering Center has launched the 2021 Blind Prediction Competition, open to everyone in the global structural engineering community. This year's Blind Prediction Contest, "Quasi-Static Cyclic Test of a Reinforced Concrete Column," is developed by the structural engineering community including Maffei Structural Engineering, Simpson Strong-Tie, Tipping Structural Engineers, Tuchscher Engineering Group, and California State University Long Beach.  This year's contest focuses on the response of a reinforced concrete columvn subjected to lateral deformation. This survey is based on an experimental test of a concrete column conducted in 2020, the results of which have not yet been published. The test column is representative of gravity columns common in concrete buildings designed prior to the 1990s. The deadline for questions is August 19, and predictions are due by September 9. The results will be announced in September 2021.

PEER is also holding its Researchers’ Workshop online on August 16-17 (registration deadline August 11). This workshop features presentations from all active PEER-funded projects from TSRP and PEER-Bridge Programs. The goal of the workshop is to disseminate information about research that is currently ongoing in the Center and to develop interaction between projects across disciplines. Learn more at the PEER website here.

PBD-IV Abstract Deadline Extended

 The 4th International Conference on Performance-Based Design in Earthquake Geotechnical Engineering (PBD-IV), to be held in July 2022 in Beijing, China, has announced an extension for abstract submissions. Due to the increased interest and the considering the influence of COVID-19, the Scientific Committee have decided to extend the abstract submission deadline until August 10, 2021. Learn more at the PBD-IV website here.

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Subscribing Member Spotlight

Haselton Baker Risk Group

Haselton Baker Risk Group provides methods and software to enable cutting-edge resilient design and risk assessment using advanced building-specific risk assessment technologies, enabling engineers to quickly implement advanced design and assessment methods into practice. Haselton Baker Risk Group's Seismic Performance Prediction Program (SP3) implements the FEMA P-58 (ATC-58) analysis method, distilling years of research into a user-friendly tool enabling performance-based design methods (and advanced building-specific risk assessments). SP3 supports both new design and advanced building-specific risk assessments.

Nanometrics

Nanometrics is an award-winning company providing monitoring solutions and equipment for studying man-made and natural seismicity. Nanometrics delivers solutions to customers across the globe through real-time and portable seismic systems utilized by the world’s leading scientific institutions, universities and major corporations. Nanometrics specializes in collecting and analyzing critical real time data for global, regional and local seismic networks. Nanometrics is dedicated to providing an open and honest scientific approach to seismic monitoring that has been honed by over 30 years of experience developing innovative seismic technology. 

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News of the Profession

News of the Profession

• Largest US Quake in Half-Century Causes Alaska Little Damage
• Tsunami Warning Canceled After 8.2 Offshore Earthquake Sent People in Many Alaska Coastal Communities to Higher Ground
• Interview: OSU's Armin Stuedlein (M.EERI 2011) Talks Earthquake Preparedness
• Commentary: Seismic-safety Mandates and Deadlines for Hospitals Need to Stay in Place
• Older Concrete Buildings in San Francisco Raise Earthquake Concerns

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Opportunities

Job Opening: Director, USGS Earthquake Science Center

Job applications are now being accepted for Director, USGS Earthquake Science Center, Moffett Field, CA. The position is posted on USAJOBS.gov here, and is open to all U.S. Citizens. Applications will be accepted through August 16, 2021.

The Director of the Earthquake Science Center (ESC) manages the research, monitoring, personnel, and financial aspects of the Center to fulfill the mission of the U.S. Geological Survey’s Earthquake Hazards Program and meet the needs of other USGS Programs and external partners. The ESC Director is supervised by the Director of the USGS Southwest Region, and the ESC Center Director has close working relationships with the Directors of the other nine Centers within the Region. The Center Director also works closely with the Directors of the Northwest-Pacific Islands and Alaska Regions to inform and coordinate understanding of earthquake hazards along the U.S. Pacific coast. The Center Director oversees a vibrant group of staff to collect a wide range of data on earthquakes, faults, and crustal deformation; conduct research to increase our understanding of earthquake source processes, occurrence, and effects; and synthesize this knowledge into probabilistic seismic hazard assessments, aftershock forecasts, and ground-shaking scenarios for anticipated major earthquakes. ESC also leads the National Strong Motion Project and the ShakeAlert earthquake early warning system; houses renowned rock mechanics laboratories and deep borehole geophysics facilities; conducts extensive geophysical, geologic, and paleoseismic investigations along active faults; and conducts scientific investigations following significant earthquakes, both in the U.S. and internationally. With partners, ESC operates the California Integrated Seismic Network and Pacific Northwest Seismic Network, as well as seismic networks at sites of induced seismicity, and operates geodetic networks through the western United States.

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