A ConsortiumLevel Perspective

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A Consortium-Level Perspective

• Clifford J. Roblee, Ph.D., P.E.
• NEESinc Executive Director
• NEES 4th Annual Meeting
• Washington, D.C.
• June 22, 2006

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NEES Experimental Infrastructure
3
Organization of NEES Pieces
4
Earthquakes Affect Our Homes, Work, Commerce,
Economy, Social Fabric, National Prestige
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Earthquake Risk Mitigation

• Engineering/Construction of Resilient
  Infrastructure is Best Mitigation Strategy
• Complements Land Use, (Potential) Early Warning,
  and Emergency Response
• 100 Effectiveness May Be Technically Feasible
  Issues Surround Cost-Effectiveness
• Success Requires
• Effective Design Tools for Hazard Identification
  (Applied Earth Science)
• Cost-Effective Engineering Solutions for Varied
• Performance Objectives (Life Safety, Post-EQ
  Functionality, Life-Cycle Costs, etc.)
• Hazard Types (Shaking, Fault Offset,
  Liquefaction, Landslide, Tsunami) Levels of
  Hazard
• Infrastructure Types (Buildings, Bridges,
  Lifelines, Dams, etc.)
• Construction Materials (Steel, Concrete, Timber,
  Soil, etc.)
• Construction Methods Systems (Cast-in-Place,
  Pre-Fabricated Components, etc.)
• Political Skill Will
• Public-Interest Policies Decisions (Market
  Alone Insufficient)
• Smart Codes Design Practices Applied by
  Knowledgeable Workforce
• Good Construction Maintenance Practices

NEES Partner
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NEESinc Roles 1 Consortium Leadership
of 3

• Broadly Representative Governance
• Fair/Equitable Policies and Procedures
• National and International Partnerships
• Connections with Engineering Practice and Risk
  Stakeholders
• Connections to Broader Expertise within Other
  Communities

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NEESinc Roles 2 Resource Management

• Professional Financial Practices Business
  Management
• Thorough, Fair Subawardee Performance Tracking
  Budget Review
• Uniform Standards, Procedures, and Best Practices
  for Site Ops
• Integrated Reporting to Sponsor

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NEESinc Roles 3 Researcher Support

• Fair Open Access To NEES Infrastructure
• Convenient Access to IT Tools Data Archives
• Training on Safe Effective Use of Equipment
  Cyber-Tools
• Centralized Coordination of Dispersed EOT
  Initiatives

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The NEES Community Cliffs Sailing Analogy
Rigging NEES IT
Crew Researchers
Wind NEESR Sponsors
THE WATER
NEESinc
Taken for Granted, But Always There Keeps ALL
Boats Afloat Connection to Rest of the World
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NEES Consortium HQ Open for Business