Travel Grant for 1st US Italy Seismic Design of Bridges Workshop

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This proposal is to request funds from the National Science Foundation to support US researchers to attend the 1st US Italy Seismic Bridge Design Workshop, in Pavia, Italy, in April 19-21st, 2007. The symposium is a great opportunity to bring together world experts in bridge design, analysis, and retrofit from Italy and the United States. Both the US and Italy are at the forefront in international developments in seismic design and retrofit of bridges. Earthquake events in recent decades have illustrated the potential vulnerability of highway bridges and their importance as critical components of the transportation network. These lifelines are essential for emergency response efforts and recovery following a natural disaster. In addition to these indirect effects, the damage to bridges can result in significant repair or replacement costs. This workshop is critical in providing a forum for exchanging ideas on the latest advances in the area of seismic design, retrofit, and analysis of bridges. The workshop will have participation from over 20 Italians, and 14 Americans. Professor Reginald DesRoches and Dr. Phil Yen will serve as co-Chairmen of the US team, and Profs Calvi and Pinto serve as co-Chairmen of the Italian Team. The intellectual merit of the proposed workshop is that this forum will bring together leading researchers and practicing engineers to discuss the most recent advances in the area of seismic bridge design, further advancing the knowledge in this field. The broader impacts of the workshop are that it brings together a diverse group of researchers with a healthy mix of experienced practicing engineers and researchers with those that are at the early stages of their career. In addition, the group that is assembled is diverse in gender and race. This is particularly important in a field that has a history of being male-dominant and not particularly diverse.