REU Site: Earthquake Engineering Internship for Resilient Communities

University Of California-Berkeley, Berkeley CA

Investigators

Abstract

This three-year REU site program focusing on earthquake resilient communities will be administered by the Pacific Earthquake Engineering Research (PEER) Center. Each summer,undergraduate students will be placed at the three partnering universities: University of California Berkeley, University of California Davis, and the University of Washington. The students will be placed in pairs with a faculty and graduate student mentor to complete projects related to the seismic resiliency of infrastructure, ports, levees,and urban buildings. The mentors have expertise in a variety of disciplines including structural and geotechnical engineering, urban planning, public policy and economics. This multi-disciplinary integration is an important aspect of this REU site because multidisciplinary cooperation and collaboration is needed to achieve the broad goal of earthquake resilient communities. During their summer research experience, interns will regularly interface with others studying alternate disciplines within the same research topic area and weekly engage with the full intern cohort. Supplemental activities will also be conducted to broaden the intern experience and inspire them to continue in earthquake engineering and related research. Improving the earthquake resilience of communities nationwide must be a critical goal of our nation (NEHRP 2008). This REU program will contribute to that effort. The REU participants will learn how research can advance earthquake resiliency by developing tools and technologies that minimize earthquake damage and help communities to recover quickly from large earthquakes. Recruitment efforts will focus on students participating in minority serving student clubs and at undergraduate serving institutions will build a group of REU interns with diverse backgrounds, and thus the program will provide a unique experience to attract underrepresented students to the fields of earthquake hazard mitigation. Their research experience, improved technical communication skills, and participation in the PEER Annual Meeting will make them strong candidates for graduate study. Through their involvement as mentors, graduate student participants will enhance their teaching and mentorship skills to prepare them for future academic faculty appointment.