Pegaso University & Benecon Competence Center, Italy
As everybody knows, probably, in Italy after the tragedy of LʼAquila earthquake, scientists of Italyʼs Great Risk National Commission at Civil Protection Department were indicted not on their inability to forecast the magnitude-6.3 earthquake that struck LʼAquila in April 2009, but on their provision of “incomplete, imprecise and contradicting information”. At the end of the 3rd level of Justice, all the scientists were acquitted, and only one was sentenced as guilty. The case highlights, on my view, a central problem in Italy, but also in other Countries - the incestuous relationships between science and politics, as often the scientists prefer to go along with, and even to defend, political decisions, rather than to act independently. In addition to the tragic case of LʼAquila earthquake, other examples of this behaviour, include, e.g., the building of the largest civil hospital (known as the Ospedale del Mare) in southern Italy on the slope of the Vesuvius active volcano and plan to dispose radioactive waste near the southern town of Scanzano Jonico, plan which luckily at the end was cancelled. Iʼm strongly convinced that scientists should speak loudly and clearly when insane decisions, which put at risk human lives, are taken by politicians (under the coverage of friendly scientists), because the value to preserve and to protect primarily is human life, and dealing with nature, should be always privileged the precaution principle, abandoning arrogant attitudes and the blind faith in the infallible technology.
Biography:
Benedetto De Vivo is Full Prof. of Exploration and Environmental Geochemistry at Pegaso University & Benecon Competence Center, Napoli, Italy; retired from University of Napoli Federico II; Adjunct Professor at Virginia Tech, USA and Nanjing University, China; Chief Editor of GEEA (Geochemistry: Exploration, Environment, Analysis); Fellow of Mineralogical Society of America. Has published 300 papers (most of them on top internationally referred journals); 30 educational publications; 30 Monographs, 7 text books (in Italian); and has edited 36 special volumes on international peer review journals books (in Italian) in geochemical prospecting and environmental geochemistry.
National University of Singapore, Singapore
Conventional hazard maps are often based on probabilistic approaches that deviate from physical geological and engineering principles. A case study of the massive landslides following the 2009 Padang earthquake will be demonstrated in this presentation, adopting tools using 1) remote sensing for satellite imagery, terrain and rainfall estimates, 2) hydrological techniques to demarcate locations of soil subject to high water saturation, as well as 3) geomechanical analysis considering the equilibrium of forces, ground conditions as well as slope gradient. The outcome is a more robust analysis of susceptibility to landslides as compared to probabilistic based hazard maps.
Biography:
Dr. Darren Chian Siau Chen obtained his PhD from the University of Cambridge, UK. One of his core research interests is on earthquake engineering (geomechanics and engineering geology). He was funded by the UK Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) to carry out reconnaissance missions at the 2009 Padang, 2011 Tohoku and 2016 Muisne earthquakes. Dr. Chian has attended several international conferences as keynote and distinguished speaker in 14 cities. He was interviewed by the media from Singapore, USA, UK, Denmark and India. Dr. Chianʼs research work on catastrophe modelling at NUS led to his award of the prestigious Top 10 Innovators Under 35 in Asia by the MIT Technology Review in 2016.
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