Travel Support for the U.S. Participants to Attend the International Workshop on Prevention of Total Collapse of Existing Structures; held at the Istanbul Technical University

该奖项将资助受邀的6名美国研究人员出席将于2007年11月17-20日在土耳其伊斯坦布尔技术大学(ITU)举行的关于防止现有低层建筑完全倒塌的措施研讨会并发表演讲。研讨会由欧洲结构评估实验室(ELSA)和位于土耳其伊斯坦布尔的结构和地震工程实验室(STEL)组织。这次研讨会的目的是让来自几个县的主要研究人员讨论创新技术，并分享与减轻大城市地区强震潜在灾难性后果有关的知识和经验。来自美国的6名研究人员应邀参加了这次研讨会，并就研讨会主题发表了演讲。研讨会提供了开发新的创新想法的可能性，如果研究证实，这些想法可以改善现有结构在地震事件中的安全性。现有城市结构的完整性，特别是低层和中层钢筋混凝土建筑，是世界上许多老城市主要关注的问题。开发相对便宜的便捷抗震改造方法有可能大大减少大地震造成的生命损失和经济后果。

This award will support the travel of 6 invited US researchers to attend and present lectures at the workshop on Measures for the Prevention of Total Collapse of Existing Low-Rise Structures, to be held at the Istanbul Technical University (ITU) in Turkey, November 17-20, 2007. The workshop has been organized by the European Laboratory for Structural Assessment (ELSA) and the Structural and Earthquake Engineering Laboratory (STEEL) in Istanbul, Turkey. The purpose of this workshop is to have the leading researchers from several counties discuss innovative techniques and share knowledge and experience related to mitigating the potential catastrophic consequences of strong earthquakes in large urban areas. Six researchers from the US were invited to attend this workshop and present lectures on the workshop topic. The workshop offers the possibility that new, innovative ideas would be developed that could, if validated by research, result in improvements in the safety of existing structures during seismic events. The integrity of existing urban structures, especially low and mid-rise reinforced concrete buildings, is a major concern in many older cities in the world. The development of relatively inexpensive expedient methods of seismic retrofit has the potential to significantly reduce loss of life and economic consequences of major earthquakes.