Blume Center 50th Anniversary Celebration

Attendees, including alumni from the past 50 years, gathered at the Blume Center to kick off the 50th Anniversary Celebration and to reminisce about their time in the building.

The opening session explored the rich history of earthquake engineering at Stanford, highlighting the creation of the Blume Earthquake Engineering Center and the pioneering contributions of visionaries such as Lydik Jacobsen, John Blume, Jack Benjamin, and others. The session culminated in a conversation with Professor Emeritus Haresh Shah, a founding co-director of the Blume Center and an early leader in earthquake engineering, risk analysis, and loss assessment, offering unique insights into the field’s evolution and Stanford’s enduring impact.

Welcome Remarks and Overview

• Gregory Deierlein
  Professor, Stanford University
• Jennifer Widom
  Dean, School of Engineering, Stanford University
   

History of Earthquake Engineering at Stanford University

• Eduardo Miranda 
  Professor, Stanford University 
   

Founding Vision and Launch of the Blume Center: A Conversation with Haresh Shah

• Haresh Shah 
  Professor Emeritus, Stanford University
• Thalia Anagnos 
  Professor Emerita, San Jose State University 

Highlighting groundbreaking research that has driven transformative advancements in earthquake engineering, this session featured pivotal studies in seismic hazard and loss analysis, the development of performance-based earthquake engineering, and innovative approaches to seismic design and structural retrofitting. These contributions have had a profound and lasting impact on professional practice, reshaping how engineers approach structural design and earthquake risk mitigation across the globe.

Seismic Hazard and Risk Modeling, Assessment and Applications

• Anne Kiremidjian 
  Professor, Stanford University

A few milestones in the development of Performance-Based Engineering

• Gregory Deierlein
  Professor, Stanford University 

HAZUS/Seismic Evaluation and Retrofit

• William Holmes
  Senior Consultant, Rutherford + Chekene

Innovative Seismic Design

• Greg Luth
  Senior Structural Engineer, The Renaissance Design Group of California

Exploring the evolving application of seismic risk assessment and performance-based engineering to enhance resilience in communities facing earthquakes and other natural hazards, this session addressed critical post-earthquake recovery challenges, incorporating socio-economic and human factors. Topics included recent advancements in the functional recovery of buildings and key considerations for assessing and mitigating community-wide impacts on housing and other essential services.

Stanford Urban Resilience Initiative

• Jack Baker
  Professor, Stanford University 

Engineering Functional Recovery

• Abbie Liel
  Professor, University of Colorado Boulder 

Earthquake Resilience of Transportation Systems

• Henry Burton
  Associate Professor, University of California, Los Angeles 

Performance-Based Earthquake Engineering on a Regional Scale

• Pablo Heresi 
  Assistant Professor, Universidad de Chile

Engineering research and practice continue to evolve through innovative ideas and emerging technologies. This session highlighted recent breakthroughs in three key areas: (1) advancements in vibration sensing and data processing for structural assessment and health monitoring, including novel methods that treat structures themselves as sensors; (2) the design and development of structural systems with a focus on seismic resilience and sustainability; and (3) the integration of data and human-centered insights in natural hazards engineering, risk mitigation, and disaster recovery. These forward-looking topics are helping to reshape the future of engineering in the context of natural hazards.

Structural Health Monitoring

• Haeyoung Noh 
  Associate Professor, Stanford University

Leveraging the "newness" of mass timber: fostering creativity in structural design

• Barb Simpson 
  Assistant Professor, Stanford University 

Prioritizing Context of Place and Use in Disaster Risk Modeling

• Sabine Loos 
  Assistant Professor, University of Michigan

Thirty nine student-led posters were presented in this session, highlighting additional emerging areas of study within the Center, as well as the broad range of topics that were not as closely aligned with the specific areas covered in the earlier oral presentations.

Attendees joined us for a dinner at the Alumni Center to spend time with fellow alums and colleagues. The evening featured heartfelt remarks from Chris Poland, Jack Moehle, and Sarah Billington. A special highlight was the tribute to Anne Kiremidjian, who delivered remarks introduced by her former students, Thalia Anagnos and Haeyoung Noh. The program was expertly guided by Greg Deierlein, who served as the moderator for the evening.