PEER is coordinating a team of researchers traveling to Japan to discuss and investigate the recent magnitude 9.0 Tohoku Earthquake in Japan. The team is leaving for Japan on April 9th and will remain in Japan for one week. If possible, the team will post their progress and findings from Japan at the following websites:
- – Clearinghouse of the Center for Urban Earthquake Engineering, Tokyo Institute of Technology
- – EERI Clearinghouse
This team of researchers is funded by the National Science Foundation and represents the US-based organizations PEER, EERI, and GEER as well as members of the broad tsunami research community. The US team will be joining Japanese colleagues who are arranging the logistics, meetings, and a field trip to the affected region during the team’s visit. These Japanese colleagues represent the Japanese organizations SCJ, JAEE, and CUEE, and official meetings have also been arranged with several other organizations in Japan including JSCE, AIJ, and others.
The purposes of the meetings in Tokyo and the field trip to the Tohoku area are to get a broad overview of the effects of the March 11, 2011 (and following) earthquakes and tsunami, identify how Japanese researchers are gathering, processing and archiving data, discuss how they are anticipating identifying and coordinating future research on the important new earthquake and tsunami effects uncovered, and identify opportunities for future US research and professional teams to work with the Japanese in field investigations and followup research. Thus, the US researchers traveling to Japan are intended to represent the broader interests of the US earthquake and tsunami engineering community.
The participating US team members include:
Structural Focus
Stephen Mahin, Byron and Elvira Nishkian Professor of Structural Engineering & Director of the Pacific Earthquake Engineering Research Center
University of California, Berkeley
Greg Deierlein, Director of the Blume Earthquake Engineering Research Center & the John A. Blume Professor of Engineering
Stanford, University
Julio Ramirez, Director of NEEScomm & Professor
Purdue University
Gilberto Mosqueda, Associate Professor
University at Buffalo
Lifeline Focus
Charles Scawthorn, Visiting Scholar
Pacific Earthquake Engineering Research Center
Geo-Engineering Focus
Steven Kramer, John R. Kiely Professor of Civil Engineering
University of Washington
Youssef Hashash , Professor and John Webb Endowed Faculty Scholar
University of Illinois
Kyle Rollins, Professor
Brigham Young University
Tsunami Focus
Harry Yeh, Professor
Oregon State University
Philip L.-F. Liu, Class of 1912 Professor
Cornell University
In Tokyo, the US team will be joined by a significant group of Japanese professors in structural, geotechnical and tsunami engineering. The Japanese team going to Sendai with the US team includes:
Organizer: Professor Kasai, CUEE, Tokyo Tech.
Professor Midorikawa, CUEE, Tokyo Tech.
Professor Meguro, University of Tokyo
Professor Aydan, Tokai University.
Associate Professor Yamada, CUEE, Tokyo Tech.
Assistant Professor Kishiki, CUEE, Tokyo Tech.
Assistant Professor Morgan, CUEE, Tokyo Tech.
Professor Motosaka and others from Tohoku Univ., plus AIJ and other local engineers in Sendai
A briefing will be organized upon the return of the US team to share their findings along with the findings of several other reconnaissance teams who have traveled to the region. This briefing will be web-broadcast live to allow participation of viewers from across the US and from around the world. More information will be posted about this event in the coming week.
With the support of the National Science Foundation, this visit to Japan will be followed by a series of research coordination and follow-up meetings between US colleagues and their Japanese researchers throughout 2011.
PEER gratefully acknowledges the support of Japanese colleagues from SCJ, JAEE, and CUEE without whom the meetings, field trip to the affected region, and coordination with Japanese organizations would not be possible. Thanks are especially given to Professor Kasai of CUEE and Tokyo Tech University who is organizing the entire visit by US team.