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Two New Zealand students are the recipients of the inaugural Fulbright-EQC Award in Natural Disaster Research to carry out research at American universities.
Auckland University student Liam Wotherspoon will carry out research towards his PhD in Civil Engineering at Iowa State University. His work involves a combination of geotechnology and engineering. He will carry out testing of full scale reinforced concrete piles and use the data to develop a computer model which will accurately represent the characteristics of piles during earthquakes. The piles are constructed outdoors and embedded into natural soil. They are then tested with the use of hydraulic jacks connected to the top of the pile. The facilities to complete this testing are not currently available in New Zealand. Liam's work will be useful for both the geotechnology and the engineering sectors of the civil engineering profession. "Usually focus is limited to one facet of civil engineering but I am trying to combine both sides in this integrated structure and foundation model. "The structural engineering side of my work will look at the response of a three and 10 storey structure. The geotechnical side will focus on the foundations." The other award recipient is Ben Mackey who will carry out a PhD at the University of Oregon. His focus is on geomorphology and landscape evolution. He has a background in geology and law. Geomorphology and landscape evolution requires the study of the landscape, such as the shape of hills and the locations of streams. It also involves looking at the natural processes which shape landscapes such as landsliding, erosion and earthquake faulting. Combining these approaches in computer modelling allows predictions to be made of what the landscape in a given area will look like, for example, in a thousand years through to hundreds of thousands of years. This will enable the prediction of natural hazards and will lead to an identification of areas which may be at risk of hazards such as landslides, flooding and earthquakes. It will have implications for the location of infrastructure and towns, through to identifying potentially unstable land and hillslides after a large earthquake. "I am interested in influencing and improving law in the area of natural resources and land development. I hope that by studying earth science that I will eventually be able to contribute to developing law and policy which has a sound scientific basis, yet remains legally workable. "Some of the skills required to do this sort of research aren't available in New Zealand, despite much of the New Zealand landscape having attributes that make it ideal for numerical modelling. I hope to bring these skills back to New Zealand and apply them here." The award, valued at USD25,000, is offered annually to a promising New Zealand graduate wishing to study in the area of natural disaster research and complete a postgraduate degree in an American university. As with all Fulbright graduate awards, applicants will have to show academic excellence, leadership potential and the ability to be a cultural ambassador for New Zealand. Further details about the Fulbright-EQC Award in Natural Disaster Research and application forms are available. The deadline for applications for 2005 is 1 October. |
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