Symposium on the M7.1 November 30, 2018, Anchorage, Alaska Earthquake; Anchorage, Alaska; September 24-26, 2019

Earthquake Engineering Research Institute, Oakland CA

Investigators

Abstract

This award provides support to the Earthquake Engineering Research Institute (EERI) to organize a symposium in Anchorage, Alaska, on September 24-26, 2019, to capture the lessons learned and future research directions resulting from the magnitude 7.1 November 30, 2018 Anchorage, Alaska earthquake. The symposium will bring together researchers, practitioners, emergency managers, policy makers, and federal, state and local experts to develop a cross-disciplinary research agenda by showcasing a very broad set of observations from this earthquake in a single symposium venue. The symposium will be held in Anchorage, Alaska, to maximize participation by state and local experts who were impacted by the earthquake and will also include participation by individuals and organizations that conducted post-earthquake investigations, response, and recovery. By engaging a wide range of participants, the symposium will help facilitate that the lessons learned not only influence future research, but can also inform future mitigation actions that have the potential to save lives, reduce damage, and maintain critical post-event services, thus fostering national, state, and local health, welfare, and prosperity. Recommendations from the symposium will be shared widely with the broader research and earthquake risk reduction community through a symposium report to be posted on EERI's website (https://www.eeri.org). This award supports the National Science Foundation's role in the National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program. The November 2018 Anchorage, Alaska earthquake presents a major learning opportunity for the U.S. research and practitioner community across many disciplines. The symposium will include two days of plenary and break-out sessions and a one-day educational field trip to areas affected by the 2018 earthquake. The symposium will cover a wide range of topics, including, but not limited to: geology, seismology, ground motion, geotechnical and structural engineering, lifelines, public health, emergency management and response, recovery, tsunami monitoring and modeling, societal impacts, school safety, and public policy. Through the participation of attendees from a wide range of disciplines and the integration of experts from academia and practice, the symposium will also start important dialogues that promote future and continued knowledge transfer from research to practice and vice versa, thereby opening new areas for discovery and innovation. EERI will plan this symposium with the Alaska Earthquake Center at the University of Alaska, Fairbanks, and convene a multi-disciplinary organizing committee to plan the symposium agenda. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.