Press Release
Contact: Jerome O’Connor | 716-645-3391 ext 107
Release Date: June 26, 2006
Download pdf version:
Early-bird registrations are being accepted at http://mceer.buffalo.edu/meetings/5nsc for
the
5th National Seismic Conference on Bridges & Highways. The
period for receiving a discounted registration fee has been extended until
July 15, 2006.
The event will be held September 18-20, 2006 near the San Francisco airport (San Mateo, California). The key organizers are the Federal Highway Administration, the Transportation Research Board, and California Department of Transportation and MCEER at the University at Buffalo. Platinum corporate sponsors have demonstrated strong support for the conference; they are Parsons Brinkerhoff Inc., T.Y. Lin International, and the University Transportation Center at the University of Missouri-Rolla, Washington Group International, and HNTB.
The 5NSC is the fifth in a series of biennial workshops sponsored by the Federal Highway Administration focusing on the highway infrastructure. With the theme of “Innovations in Earthquake Engineering for Highway Structures,” the conference’s purpose is to increase awareness of seismic and geological hazards and to enhance the technical expertise of engineering professionals so they can have the latest tools to mitigate the risk of failure or damage to our bridges and highways. Past conferences have been held in San Diego (December 1995), Sacramento (July 1997), Portland (April 2002), and Memphis (February 2004).
Myint Lwin, Director of Federal Highway Administration’s Office of Bridge Technology has been quoted as saying “If you are involved in seismic risk mitigation, this conference is for you! Experts in seismic engineering and risk assessment will be sharing global lessons learned from recent earthquakes, and results of earthquake research, deployment and education…. a great opportunity for networking”. Attention will be given to areas of low to moderate seismicity as well as high. FHWA expects to provide travel support to state DOT’s who are need to put a renewed emphasis on natural hazards.
Caltrans’ Chief Engineer Rick Land welcomes all: "In this commemorative year of San Francisco’s Great Earthquake of 1906, it is fitting that the 5th National Seismic Conference on Bridges and Highways be held in the Bay area. Come enjoy San Francisco's current state of recovery while getting the latest information on the state of seismic research and practice around the world."
The conference will feature a technical exhibition of the latest technologies and earthquake related services. As many as 30 companies are expected to have a technical exhibit on hand.
In conjunction with the conference, FHWA is also delivering a workshop on the seismic retrofitting of existing bridges. This will be based on the new Seismic Retrofitting Manual which is being released this year. A special discussion panel, chaired by Frieder Seible, UCSD, will address the topic of multiple hazards. On the last day of the conference, there will be a boat tour of several major bridges in the area including the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge construction project.
Corporate support from engineering firms, institutions, and companies who provide products and services for use in the field have joined forces to make this conference possible. Additional sponsorships remain available. Space at the concurrent conference technical exhibit is also available on a first come, first served basis.
For more information, go to: http://mceer.buffalo.edu/meetings/5nsc
