Earthquake Engineering Conference In Christchurch This Weekend

‘Implementing lessons learnt’ is the theme of this weekend’s annual conference of the New Zealand Society for Earthquake Engineering, which will see more than 370 people gather at the University of Canterbury.

The conference aims to examine the lessons learnt from Christchurch earthquakes and move from merely recognising that New Zealand society needs to be better prepared, towards developing an effective and cohesive strategy to implement the necessary improvements, said NZSEE president Peter Wood.

Attendees are from the wider technical earthquake engineering community through to the construction industry, local government authorities, social scientists, policy makers and insurers.

The conference will open on Friday with a tour, coordinated with CERA, to look at earthquake impacts and recovery progress.

The programme includes an overview of the effects of the Canterbury earthquakes, from the September 2010 Darfield earthquake, and including the February 2011 Christchurch earthquake.

Keynote presentations will be given by Roger Sutton, CEO of CERA; and Professor David Alexander, Chief Senior Scientist at the Global Risk Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

The NZ Society for Earthquake Engineering was established in 1968 to foster the advancement of
the science and practice of earthquake engineering through interchange of knowledge, research and practical experience. Its members include scientists, engineers and other professionals and the conference has attracted international registrants.

Since the major Christchurch earthquakes more than 170 earthquake-related research projects have been initiated at the University of Canterbury. They cover the natural, built and social environment and include quick-fire rapid response, comparative, statistical and longitudinal studies as well as commissioned research regarding earthquake effects on land, infrastructure and the community.

This Earthquake Research Portfolio is part of the university’s commitment to apply its strengths to the recovery and rebuild of Canterbury.

Detailed information on the event can be found at http://conference.nzsee.org.nz/.

ENDS

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