The John A. Blume Distinguished Lecture: The Last Mile - Earthquake Risk Mitigation Assistance in Developing Countries

Stanford Professor Emeritus Haresh Shah will present the 2004 John A. Blume Distinguished Lecture. This year's lecture, "THE LAST MILE - Earthquake Risk Mitigation Assistance in Developing Countries", will focus on whether the needs of developing countries, in regard to earthquake risk mitigation, have been achieved and what still needs to be done to bridge "the last mile" between those who need help and those who can offer help.

Professor Haresh Shah has been a pioneer in the fields of risk analysis, earthquake engineering, and probabilistic methods for over 35 years. He has served Stanford University in many capacities, including Chairman of the Department of Civil Engineering and Founding Director of the John A. Blume Earthquake Engineering Center.

Professor Shah is the Founding Director of Risk Management Solutions, Inc., Chairman of the Board of buildfolio.com, Inc., Director of OYO RMS Inc., and ERS Inc.. He is currently the Chairman of the Board of World Seismic Safety Initiative. He is also on the Board of Trustees of GeoHazards International. He is the recipient of many awards, including the most recent John S. Bickley Gold Medal for Excellence Award from the International Insurance Society. He has authored & co-authored more than 250 technical papers and reports. He has been a consultant to private organizations and to local, state, and national government agencies and has also worked with UNESCO and several countries around the world to develop building codes and earthquake design criteria.

This will be the fouth lecture in an annual event to honor of Dr. John A. Blume. Dr. Blume was a world-renowned structural engineer who dedicated his professional life to the advancement of structural engineering. His extraordinary career spanned more than fifty years, and in recognition of his pioneering contributions to research and professional achievements, he received numerous medals and awards. He received his Bachelor's, Master's and Ph.D. degrees from Stanford University and in 1976 helped launch The John A. Blume Earthquake Engineering Center with the objective to promote earthquake engineering research in the tradition that he had established.