CRSCAD Newsletter June 2013
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CRSCAD Celebrates Fifth Anniversary
 Dear partners, friends, and colleagues,
Established in 2008, CRSCAD has earned a reputation as a leading force in a field that is gaining momentum. In our inaugural year, we hosted a workshop for the U.S. Department of State with participants from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Uruguay,and Paraguay. Since then, CRSCAD has organized conferences on China, Haiti, Indonesia, Iraq, and Japan.
CRSCAD promotes collaborations, education, and knowledge sharing that enhance global post-disaster reconstruction through teaching, consultancy, community outreach, service activities, multidisciplinary and multisectoral research-based information generation, book publications, and national/international conference presentations-including one, in 2013, at the invitation of the U.S. National Council for Science and the Environment: "Disasters and the Environment: Science, Preparedness, and Resilience."
I invite you to learn more about the work that CRSCAD does by visiting our website, or by emailing us at [email protected].
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There is still time to register for CRSCAD's summer course
Graduate Certificate Program
This course will give you an overview of challenges faced by displaced migrant and refugee populations. We will engage the problem of displacement, primarily, from the vantage point of refugees. But we will also explore the ambiguities of the migrant/refugee distinction, and examine forms of displacement that are experienced by both populations. Some of the topics we will cover include: the experience of Haitian asylum seekers, Guatemalan migrants fleeing gang violence, Iraqi and Afghan refugees, and gender violence.
Instructor: Phil Kretsedemas. For more info about this course, email
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Registration for fall courses begins July 22
Graduate Certificate Program
Professional Development Program
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The Fifth Nation-Wide "Earthquake and Safety" Drill in
By
Yasamin Izadkhah
The Fifth nation-wide "Earthquake and Safety" drill was held on May 8, 2013, with the cooperation of the International Institute of Earthquake Engineering and Seismology (IIEES), State Welfare Organization and the Municipality in Tehran. Accordingly, since May 2000, these drills are practiced in most kindergartens in the country annually. The drill is a symbolic movement to expand the social safety culture in the society through children. Performed in three central parks (Ab-Atash, Besat and Laleh) in Tehran with a total number of 1,350 children participating, the kindergartners walked to identified places in the park while singing carrying boards with safety messages on them. Children gathered in a designated area and engaged in special programs such as singing earthquake and safety songs, competitions, workshops, and role plays related to safety and preparedness. Another form of indoor drill was also performed by children in Iranian kindergartens, which was guided by their teachers and parent representatives.
The main objectives of holding these "Earthquake and Safety" drills are to:
- Increase the knowledge of children and teachers about earthquakes
- Develop preparedness for timely and appropriate actions during earthquake impacts
- Reduce the disastrous consequences of earthquakes
- Expand the culture of safety regarding earthquakes.
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CRSCAD's Director Attends UN Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction in Geneva
The Fourth Session of the Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction, organized by the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR), took place in Geneva, Switzerland, from May 19−23, 2013. It brought together 4,800 global experts and officials, including delegates from 165 governments, 130 academic institutions, 209 NGOs, 67 private sector companies as well as local communities and other actors engaged in disaster risk reduction. The session's central aim was to develop a strategy on disaster risk reduction which would replace or revise the existing Hyogo Framework for Action, approved by all UN member states in 2005 following the Indian Ocean tsunami.
Considering that estimated economic losses from global disasters so far this century have surpassed US$2.5 trillion, the UN, for the first time, invited the private sector to be a partner in the global platform and their critical role was acknowledged by having a special session with private sector representatives deliberating on resilient societies.
Professor Adenrele Awotona participated in the event. In addition to presenting/discussing CRSCAD's capacity building activities with various delegates, he joined in several dialogues on progress in risk reduction and resilience building and created new partnerships and alliances for CRSCAD.
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2014 Conference: Disaster Mitigation, Preparedness, Response, and Sustainable Reconstruction
May 8−10, 2014
The conference will explore and examine how disaster mitigation, preparedness, response and sustainable reconstruction after disasters will be addressed in context of architectural, planning and engineering education. Through this international conference, discussions will be held on educational opportunities such as online short courses, continuing education options, curricular suggestions for schools in countries most vulnerable to catastrophic disasters, and joint degree programs for schools with appropriate expertise in the topic.
Representatives of regulatory agencies, professional associations, foundations supporting educational initiatives, and academic societies−as well as academic institutions−are encouraged to attend.
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Recent Global Disasters
Oklahoma Tornadoes, May 20
Cyclone in Bangladesh, May 16
Earthquake in Kashmir, May 1
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Editorial Committee
Contributions, suggestions, and feedback about the newsletter are welcome and should be sent to any of the following members of the Editorial Committee:
- Adenrele Awotona (Editor and Chair)
- Brandon P. Milby (Design and Distribution)
- Jennifer Clifford
- Victor Dzidzienyo
- Katharine Galaitsis
- Yasamin Izadkhah
- Amal Mohammed Hassan Jamal
- Olga Lauterbach
- Oluwatoyin Ilesanmi
Telephone: 617.287.7116
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CRSCAD's Book on Post-Disaster Reconstruction
Chosen as Critics' Choice
Cambridge Scholars Publishing, an academic publisher in England, has selected the edited collection by Adenrele Awotona, Rebuilding Sustainable Communities with Vulnerable Populations after the Cameras Have Gone, as their Critics' Choice title for their January Book of the Month newsletter.
According to Stephanie Cavanagh, an editor at the publishing house, Awotona's book was chosen "due to its strong sales and excellent reviews.
Praised as "a very much needed contribution to the analysis and procurement of resources needed when catastrophes occur," retired Professor of Architecture William Frank Hill who lives in Surrey, England is one of many international experts who endorses the 513-page scholarly volume for its expert advice and innovative research. Professor Gulsun Saglamer from Istanbul Technical University agrees adding that she "strongly recommend(s) this book to researchers, professionals, managers and everyone who are potential victims of disasters and who have to create awareness, understanding and actions in emergency planning and response."
Read More
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Stay connected with CRSCAD
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About CRSCAD:
We work in close collaboration with practitioners, academics, researchers, policy makers, and grassroots organizations on all the continents of the world in their search for the most appropriate and sustainable ways to rebuild their communities after disasters.
University of Massachusetts
McCormack Hall, 3rd floor, Room 612
Boston, Massachusetts 02125
Telephone: 617.287.7112
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