Reliable, effective functioning of structures and infrastructure systems during and following hazard events, like earthquakes, hurricanes, and floods, is essential to public safety, economic vitality and quality of life. Risk-informed decisions that promote resilience (or the ability of infrastructure to withstand, adapt to and recover from such stressors) require confident predictions of structure-to-system performance now and into the future. However, this future brings uncertainties regarding dynamic, evolving conditions; challenges with respect to a legacy of disparate impacts of natural hazards and infrastructure (under)investment; and opportunities related to smart systems and emerging data and algorithms.
This lecture proposes a paradigm shift toward Equitable and Smart Multi-Hazard Resilience Modeling, highlighting the characteristics and dimensions of such a modeling framework intended to infuse intelligence and promote equity considerations in both algorithms and outcomes of infrastructure resilience pursuits. Three case studies across hazards, systems and scales are leveraged to highlight recent advances in risk and resilience modeling: 1) Multi-hazard risk assessment and mitigation of a coastal industrial complex exposed to hurricanes; 2) Situational awareness of critical facility access during inland flood events; 3) Resilience modeling of aging transportation networks in seismic zones. These case studies further highlight lessons learned and opportunities to advance the pursuit of smart and equitable resilience modeling for structures and systems.
Jamie E. Padgett is the Stanley C. Moore Professor and Department Chair of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Rice University. Padgett is a structural engineer whose research is focused on multi-hazard risk and resilience modeling of structures and infrastructure systems, while understanding their impacts on communities.
Dr. Padgett has received such honors as the TAMEST Edith and Peter O’Donnell Award, the EMI Objective Resilience Distinguished Lecturer, and the Walter L. Huber Civil Engineering Research Prize. She is a Fellow of ASCE’s Structural Engineering Institute (SEI), an NSF BRITE Fellow, and a member of the IASSAR Executive Committee. Padgett serves in leadership roles within several large national research efforts including the NIST funded Center of Excellence for Risk-based Resilience Planning, the NSF funded Natural Hazards Engineering Research Infrastructure (NHERI) Cyberinfrastructure “DesignSafe,” and the Severe Storm Prediction Education and Evacuation from Disasters (SSPEED) Center. She is the Faculty Director of the inaugural Gulf Scholars Program at Rice University funded by NASEM’s Gulf Research Program.