Outline
Preface
There is a great risk (denoted as seismic mega risk) of huge damage by large earthquakes centered underneath major cities of Japan, since vulnerability to natural disasters has been increased due to complicated urban functions that have resulted from excessive concentration of population, economic activities that include infrastructure and other major developments. Not only are the large cities in Japan, but also many other cities in the world are currently (or will be) confronted by the same risk, which constitutes a real threat to the sustainable urban life at global level. Moreover, the recent earthquakes that occurred in Japan have revealed new problems of damage characteristics caused by long period shaking or consequential impacts of functional disorder of critical facilities such as the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant, which had not been properly taken into account as discovered by the research activities of the "21st century COE (21COE) Program on Evolution of Urban Earthquake Engineering". Such mega-scale damages caused by an earthquake may bring the Japanese economy to ruin as well as impact the world economies at the same time. In order to avoid these catastrophes and build a safe environment for society, advanced research activities on Urban Earthquake Engineering that integrate earthquake-resistant technologies on urban development, regeneration, and reconstruction into a single framework, have to be urgently and strongly encouraged. Further these activities shall include fostering of researchers and academic staff and disaster management engineers who will be able to develop new strategies and practices for implementing appropriate technologies for mitigating these mega-risks in a global field.
Thus, this Global COE (G-COE) Program, targeting reduction of globally increasing seismic mega risks, aims at fostering leading researchers and specialized engineers at higher level in the field of Earthquake Engineering, who can take an initiative in the international society, through enriching the educational program implemented in the 21COE Program. This would provide the most advanced educational environment with the worldwide top-class educational staff preparing financial support to students and young researchers, and establishing international collaboration system in education and research activities in Urban Earthquake Engineering.
The G-COE Program also intends to establish an original and unique international center for the education and research on Urban Earthquake Engineering, through intensive activities involving organization of international conferences, student and young researcher workshops, academic exchange meetings, and dissemination of academic information, human resources, intellectual properties and advanced technologies to the global society. The current Center for Urban Earthquake Engineering (CUEE) aims to function as its driving force.
We would like to invite all who are interested in our program to become involved in our education and/or research programs. We would appreciate your profound involvement as well as creative advice and kind cooperation. We strategize making the global research basis as a key step towards realization of our university's objective of attaining the status of "World-leading University in Science and Technology".
Kohji Tokimatsu
Director and Professor, Center for Urban Earthquake Engineering
and Program Leader, Global COE program entitled
"International Urban Earthquake
Engineering Center for Mitigating Mega Seismic Risk"
