China/U.S. Symposium for the Advancement of Earthquake Sciences and Hazard Mitigation Practices; held October 19-21, 2010 in Beijing, China.

Earthquake Engineering Research Institute, Oakland CA

Investigators

Abstract

This award provides travel support to China for five U.S. academic researchers and two Earthquake Engineering Research Institute (EERI) representatives on the twenty-one member U.S. team to participate in the first China/USA Symposium for the Advancement of Earthquake Sciences and Hazard Mitigation Practices. This symposium is in response to a request from the President of the Chinese Academy of Sciences to conduct a joint scientific exchange on earthquake hazard mitigation with invited U.S. expertise. The one-day symposium in Beijing, China and two-day field trip to the epicentral area of the 2008 M7.9 Wenchuan, China earthquake will be held from 19 to 21 October 2010. Two days of informal meetings with key Chinese government agencies and researchers working in earthquake-related fields will be held during the week of the symposium/field trip. The symposium/field trip is co-sponsored by EERI and the Chinese Chamber of Commerce of Hawaii. EERI will administer the travel grant, coordinate travel arrangements, and handle all administrative procedures involved. Broader Impacts: The symposium will advance earthquake sciences and hazard mitigation practices in both China and the U.S., establish a baseline of state of the art earthquake engineering practices, and identify areas for future research of common interest, while enhancing cooperation and mutual understanding between the two countries. Intellectual Merit: In this symposium, expert earthquake scientists, engineers, and hazard mitigation practitioners from China and the U.S. will meet and collaborate to identify and discuss the approaches and research taken by both countries to address common issues in earthquake hazard mitigation. This first meeting will help identify areas of future research and facilitate a continuing exchange of useful scientific, engineering, and planning knowledge and experience that could lead to safer buildings and reduced casualties in future earthquakes. The symposium and related meeting functions enable a multi-disciplinary team from the U.S. to interact with a very broad range of Chinese officials and researchers in the key ministries, universities, and institutes dealing with earthquake research, development of codes and standards, planning, hazard mitigation, and disaster response and recovery policies.