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Notes on the 9th International Conference on Urban Earthquake Engineering at Tokyo Tech 9th CUEE and 4th ACEE Joint Conference
Hiroko Suzuki, Assistant Professor
The 9th annual International Conference on Urban Earthquake Engineering was held in early March this year in conjunction with the 4th Asia Conference on Earthquake Engineering. The event took place at Tokyo Institute of Technology from March 6th to 8th, comprising 465 participants from 31 countries (with a total of 173 overseas participants). A total of 283 papers were presented over the three days. Though nearly a year had passed since the Great East Japan Earthquake, which resulted in the death or disappearance of more than 20,000 persons, a full recovery still remains to be achieved. This disaster figured in both Keynote Lectures and Parallel Sessions, as well as in the Special Session devoted to the earthquake on the afternoon of Day 3 of the conference. The questions are “What happened on that day?” and “What should we do as specialists and researchers to reduce the seismic mega-risk of very large earthquakes?” In particular, the dedicated final session provided an opportunity for deep thought and reflection on these issues. A day-by-day summary of the conference and its events follows.
DAY 1
Professor Kohji Tokimatsu, Director of CUEE, gave the Opening Speech (Photo 1) and the audience observed a moment of silence in remembrance of the casualties caused by the Great East Japan Earthquake. After the opening, four Keynote Lectures were presented. These were: “Real-Time Hybrid Simulation and Application to Earthquake Engineering” by Prof. James Ricles, Lehigh University (Photo 2), “Damage of Bridges due to the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake” by Prof. Kazuhiko Kawashima, Tokyo Institute of Technology, and also President of the Japan Association for Earthquake Engineering (Photo 3), “Dynamic Characteristics of a Damaged 9-Story Building during the 2011 Pacific Coast Tohoku Earthquake” by Prof. Masato Motosaka, Tohoku University. (Photo 4), “The George E. Brown Jr. Network for Earthquake Simulation (NEES): Reducing the Impact of Earthquakes and Tsunamis on Society” by Prof. Julio Ramirez, Purdue University, and also Director of NEES (Photo 5).
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| Photo 1. Opening Speech by Professor Tokimatsu | Photo 2. Professor Ricles, Keynote Lecturer |
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| Photo 3. Professor Kawashima, Keynote Lecturer | Photo 4. Professor Motosaka, Keynote Lecturer |
In the afternoon, the first Parallel Sessions were held in each of two successive two-hour time slots. In the first: “Earthquake Engineering Practice”, “Socio-economic Issues”, “Advanced Technologies & Information and Computing Technology”, “Engineering Seismology 1”, “Structural Engineering/ Concrete 1”, and “Lessons Learnt/ Great East Japan Earthquake & Others 1”. In the second: “Structural Engineering/ Steel 1”, “Tsunami”, “Advanced Technologies”, “Engineering Seismology 2”, “Structural Engineering/ Concrete 2”, and “Lessons Learnt/ Great East Japan Earthquake & Others 2”. There were lively discussions in all sessions.
In the evening, a Welcome Party was held at Tokyo Tech Front (TTF). Associate Professor Jiro Takemura, Tokyo Tech, was in charge. After a toast proposed by Prof. Manos Maragakis, University of Nevada at Reno, all enjoyed the party and became better acquainted (Photos 6 and 7) on this first evening.
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| Photo 5. Professor Ramirez, Keynote Lecturer | Photo 6. Professor Maragakis at Welcome Party | |
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| Photo 7. Welcome Party | Photo 8. Young Researchers Session | |
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| Photo 9. Typical Parallel Session | Photo 10. Professor Takeuchi, Banquet MC |
Photo 11. Professor Mahin, Banquet Toast |
DAY 2
The day began with the Young Researchers Sessions (Photo 8). Each year, CUEE offers travel expenses for a number of younger colleagues from abroad in order to support these presentation sessions, commending the best presentations and research projects at the end of the conference. This year there were 99 presentations on the following eight themes, organized in six sessions: “Structural Engineering/ Steel and Others”, “Advanced Technologies”, “Information and Computing Technology, Earthquake Engineering Practice & New Design Criteria and Methods”, “Engineering Seismology”, “Structural Engineering/ Concrete, Bridge and Others”, “Geotechnical Engineering”, “Tsunami”, and “Human Behavior & Socio-economic Issues”. The chairmen and several other senior researchers in each session judged these presentations, assessing each one for research, content, presentation, Q&A, and so forth.
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| (a) Professor Midorikawa | (b) Professor S. Takahashi | (c) Professor Yeh , Cochair |
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| (d) Professor Tokimatsu | (e) Assoc. Professor A. Takahashi | (f) Professor Boulanger , Cochair |
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| (g) Assoc. Professor Kuwata | (h) Professor Mahin , Cochair | (i) Professor Takeuchi |
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| (j) Professor Niwa | (k) Assoc. Professor Murakami | (l) Professor Kaji |
| Photo 12. Speakers and Cochairs at the Great East Japan Earthquake Special Session | ||
In the afternoon, seven Parallel Sessions were offered during the first time slot, namely: “Structural Engineering/ Steel 2”, “Non-Structural Components and Contents”, “New Design Criteria and Methods”, “Engineering Seismology 3”, “Structural Engineering/Concrete 3”, “Geotechnical Engineering 1”, and “Human Behavior 1”. Six Parallel Sessions were held during the second time slot: “Structural Engineering/ Others”, “Earthquake Loss Estimation”, the “Blind Analysis Contest”, “Structural Engineering/ Concrete 4”, “Geotechnical Engineering 2”, and “Human Behavior 2” (see Photo 9).
In the evening, the Annual Banquet was held at the Shinagawa Prince Hotel. Professor Toru Takeuchi emceed the party (Photo 10). Beginning with a toast offered by Prof. Stephen Mahin, University of California at Berkeley (Photo 11), participants at each of the round tables enjoyed an animated good time. Speeches by Emeritus Prof. Akira Wada and Emeritus Prof. Tatsuo Ohmachi, both having retired from Tokyo Institute of Technology in 2010, marked the party’s closing.
DAY 3
In the morning, four Parallel Sessions were held: “Structural Engineering/ Bridge”, “Response Records”, “Structural Engineering/Concrete & Others”, and “Geotechnical Engineering 3”.
In the afternoon, a Special Session commemorated the Great East Japan Earthquake with nine lectures by Japanese specialists and researchers. They were “Strong Ground Motion during the 2011 Pacific Coast Tohoku Earthquake” by Prof. Saburoh Midorikawa, Tokyo Institute of Technology, “Tohoku Earthquake Tsunami Disaster— Urgent Survey of Ports and Coasts” by Prof. Shigeo Takahashi, Tokyo Institute of Technology, and also Chairman of the Port and Airport Research Institute, “Geotechnical Problems in the 2011 Tohoku Pacific Earthquake” by Prof. Kohji Tokimatsu, Tokyo Institute of Technology, “Effects of Horizontal Drainage Layer for Seepage Control on Mitigation of Liquefaction of Levee Body” by Associate Prof. Akihiro Takahashi, Tokyo Institute of Technology, “Analysis of the Impact of Water-supply Outrage due to Multiple Factors Caused by the 2011 Tohoku Earthquake” by Associate Prof. Yasuko Kuwata, Kobe University, “Damages to School Facilities in the Great East Japan Earthquake” by Prof. Toru Takeuchi, Tokyo Institute of Technology, “Disasters and Lessons of Civil Engineering Structures by the Great East Japan Earthquake” by Prof. Junichiro Niwa, Tokyo Institute of Technology, “A Field Study on Conditions and Roles of Tsunami Evacuation Buildings in the 2011 Tohoku Pacific Earthquake and Tsunami” by Associate Prof. Hitomi Murakami, Yamaguchi University, and “Reconstruction of the Tohoku Pacific Ocean Earthquake” by Prof. Hideki Kaji, Tokyo Institute of Technology (Photo 12). Inspired by the valuable and important results, records, and research made available in this Special Session, the audience in lively fashion posed a variety of questions to the presenters.
Following the Special Session came the Closing Session and Awards Ceremony for young researchers. Professors Tokimatsu and Boulanger made a total of fifteen awards.
After the Awards Ceremony, the three-day conference was officially brought to a close with an address by Prof. Saburoh Midorikawa, who promised a reunion at the 10th International Conference on Urban Earthquake Engineering scheduled to be held on March 1st and 2nd, 2013, at Tokyo Tech.
Photo 13. Group Photo: 9th CUEE and 4th ACEE Joint Conference
