DISASTER OF TURKEY
10TH Anniversary Commemoration of the 1999 Marmara Earthquakes
INTERNATIONAL EARTHQUAKE SYMPOSIUM16-19 August 2009, Dr. Baki Komsuoglu Culture and Congress Center,
Umuttepe Campus, Kocaeli University, Kocaeli, Turkey
Theme: Reflections from the Past, Mobilization for the Future
EMI joins Turkey in commemorating the 1999 Marmara Earthquakes. Dubbed as the most devastating disaster that ever hit Turkey in recent history, the Marmara Earthquakes killed 18,000 people and caused around 15 billion dollars worth of economic losses.
After a decade, the Kocaeli University in cooperation with the Turkish Red Crescent Society and the General Directorate of Disaster Affairs in Turkey will hold the International Earthquake Symposium 2009 in Kocaeli, Turkey to revisit the past, learn from the experiences of those who dealt with the disaster, and generate valuable lessons that the present generations can use to move forward in a safer and disaster-resilient future.
The symposium with a theme “Reflections from the Past, Mobilization for the Future” will gather various stakeholders from different sectors including national and local government officials, private sector representatives, community leaders and organizers, non-governmental organizations, professional and trade organizations, students, researchers and academic personnel, and the media.
Symposium Objectives
The main goal of the International Earthquake Symposium 2009 is to bring together scientists and other stakeholders working on subjects related to earthquakes to understand better earthquake phenomena, earthquake risk, disaster management, and the variety of options in reducing social and economic impacts of disaster through mitigation, emergency preparedness and new methods in health and other sciences. Specifically, the symposium will:
- Focus on recent research on earthquakes;
- Bring all participants from local and national government institutions, private sectors, and NGOs with relevant work and experiences to earthquakes; and
- Create a platform in which participants from all countries can share scientific information, social and academic knowledge, and their suggestions.
Symposium Program
There will be parallel sessions, panel discussions, workshops and poster presentations on broad disciplines like architecture, disaster risk management, earth science, engineering, law, social science, and health. Participants will also get a chance to visit sites that feature retrofitted structures and earthquake design technologies.
You may download the tentative schedule of activities here.
How to Participate
There are different ways to participate:
- Paper or Poster Presenter. Abstracts must be submitted to the Executive Committee Secretaries no later than June 15, 2009. The authors may choose either Oral or Poster presentations. The scientific committee will take the author’s preference into consideration for the final decision.
To submit an abstract, please go to the symposium main page at http://kocaeli2009.kocaeli.edu.tr
- Participant. To register, download and fill-out the registration form and make the payment for the registration fees to the Symposium Executive Committee Secretary. Registrations will not be processed unless full payment is received. Registration forms and modes of payment are available at http://kocaeli2009.kocaeli.edu.tr/.
- Volunteer and Donor. Volunteers who would like to extend support to the organizing committee are very much welcome. Donors are also greatly appreciated. Any excess in the funds will be used for developing education program for handicapped people and for community preparedness. You may wish to email the Executive Secretary of the Organizing Committee at sbaris@kocaeli.edu.tr.
Contact the Organizing Committee
Şerif BARIŞ
Kocaeli University
Earth and Space Sciences Research Center, Izmit – 41380
Kocaeli - Turkey
e-mail: sbaris@kocaeli.edu.tr
Fax: (+90 262) 303 3003
Phone: (+90 262) 303 3121