Join experts from around the world in educational
programs on seismic hazard risk reduction

SAN FRANCISCO - As many as 30 scholarships will be awarded to land use planners, social service providers, emergency managers, risk managers, business resumption specialists, building and public works officials, and those in related occupations to assist attendance for the 100 th Anniversary Earthquake Conference Commemorating the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake.

Established by the Earthquake Engineering Research Institute (EERI) in an agreement with the Public Entity Risk Institute (PERI), the scholarships offer each recipient $1,000 in direct financial assistance which can be applied to any conference cost, including travel, lodging, and registration fee. Recipients within the Bay Area, who do not require air transportation, will receive awards of $600.

The conference will be held at the Moscone Convention Center in San Francisco, California, April 18 – 21, 2006. The conference includes EERI’s 8 th National Conference on Earthquake Engineering, the 100 th Annual Meeting of the Seismological Society of America and the ’06 Disaster Resistant California Conference of the California Governor's Office of Emergency Services. It will provide an invaluable educational experience in all facets of earthquake risk reduction, from the latest thinking by the nation’s leading scientists and engineers to current programs and policies in emergency management. The conference offers a unique opportunity for participants to compare experience and knowledge with attendees from cities throughout the U.S. and numerous other countries.

The four-day conference will include multidisciplinary plenary sessions at the beginning of each day, where leading earthquake professionals will talk about a centennial perspective on the 1906 earthquake, lessons from recent major earthquakes, a scenario of a modern-day repeat of the 1906 earthquake and visions for the next century of earthquake risk reduction.

There will be more than 100 technical sessions covering issues critical to earth scientists, building owners, planners, building officials, emergency responders, earthquake engineers, policy makers, and disaster mitigation professionals. Additionally, there will be 35 tutorials for professionals in related fields, including teachers and members of the business community; 25 field trips that bring home the realities and science of earthquakes; the semi-annual General Assembly of the Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG) ; social events in historic San Francisco venues; scores of exhibits and displays; and hundreds of poster presentations.

To be eligible for a scholarship applicants should have key responsibility within their organization or agency for an area of risk or emergency management, loss reduction planning, hazards insurance, business resumption planning, social services, municipal development, land use planning, or building code enforcement. Applicants should come from municipal jurisdictions or non-profit institutions or organizations where they have responsibility for one or more of the above areas. Interested applicants must complete the PERI Scholarship application on the 100 th Anniversary Conference website (www.1906eqconf.org). Completed applications must be received by mail at EERI, 499 14 th Street, Suite 320, Oakland, CA 94612 or by fax at: 510 451 5411 no later than Wednesday, March 1, 2006. EERI will announce the awards by March 17, 2006.

The 100th Anniversary Earthquake Conference is hosted jointly by the Earthquake Engineering Research Institute, Disaster Relief Resistant California (California’s Office of Emergency Services) and the Seismological Society of America.

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