Mechanical Engineering at Maryland Hosts Tsunami Science Forum

The Mechanical Engineering Department at the University of Maryland hosted a Tsunami Science & Tech Forum from 9:30 to 11:00 am on Thursday, February 10 as part of a campus-wide Tsunami Relief Day at the College Park Campus. The forum was held at the Memorial Chapel (Bldg. 009) main chapel (Rm. 1100) area on Regents and Chapel Drive.

Professor James Duncan, Mechanical Engineering faculty member and the Director of the College Park Scholars Program in Science, Technology and Society at the University of Maryland, and Mechanical Engineering Department Chair Avram Bar-Cohen coordinated the forum which will address scientific issues in tsunami generation and behavior as well as current efforts in early warning, mitigation and disaster relief. The forum featured the following specialists and topics:

Roberta Rudnick, Professor of Geology, University of Maryland

Subject: Plate Tectonics Overview

(Presentation - PowerPoint 4,453KB)

David Simpson, President, Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology

Subject: The Sumatra Andaman Island Earthquakes

(Presentation - PowerPoint 26,920KB; Movie - QuickTime Movie 5,940KB)

James Duncan, Professor of Mechanical Engineering, University of Maryland

Subject: The Physics of Tsunamis

(Presentation - PowerPoint 3,761KB)

Scott Kiser, Tropical Cyclone Program Manager, at NOAA’s National Weather Service

Subject: Tsunami Warning and Mitigation Systems

(Presentation - PowerPoint 2,099KB; Movie - Windows Media 94,558KB)

Prof. John R. Harrald, Director, Institute for Crisis, Disaster and Risk Management, The George Washington University

Subject: Preparing for and Managing Extreme Events: An International Imperative

(Presentation - PowerPoint 712KB)

The forum was be followed by quiet reflection and remembrance in the Memorial Chapel from 1pm to 5pm.

Published February 10, 2005