In less than three weeks after a deadly earthquake caused massive damage to life and property in Nepal, another powerful one jolted the country yesterday (13th May, 2015).

The destruction of infrastructure from these earthquakes raises fears for lives and, therefore, highlights the importance of geologists, seismologists and earthquake engineering specialists who can play a huge role in preventing deaths and minimizing damage by predicting such disasters.

Earthquake Engineering

“Geology, seismology, geotechnical engineering, and earthquake engineering are treated differently; wherein, the experts respectively are geologists, seismologists, geotechnical engineers, and earthquake engineers. There is a wide scope in India as well as abroad for students who study and conduct research in these areas. There are, however, varying degrees of opportunities available in government organisations, multinational companies, educational institutes, research organisations, and corporates,” says Vasant Matsagar, associate professor, department of civil engineering, Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi.

In India, there are many engineering colleges, including the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), Indian Institute of Science (IISc) and National Institutes of Technology (NITs) that provide training to students in earthquake engineering.

“Several research projects in the area of earthquake engineering have been completed which were funded mostly by the government departments such as Department of Science and Technology (DST). The technical contributions made in the form of patents, research articles published by the faculty members, researchers, and students in the area of earthquake engineering enormously contribute in advancement of the knowledge and its dissemination within stakeholders.

“This research over a period of years transpired in the building codes and standards, which is governed by the Bureau of Indian Standards. Several IIT faculty members, who are actively engaged in earthquake engineering research, are members of the BIS code drafting committees,” says Matsagar.
Apart from their studies and research, the IIT faculty members are engaged in outreach activities for capacity building, spreading awareness and knowledge enhancement of the technicians, stakeholders, and society at large on earthquake engineering; thereby, bridging the gap between theory and practice.

“The IIT faculty members are considered to be the competent authority for approval of design and drawings of civil engineering structures for their safety from earthquakes. Notably, no other peer group could measure up to IIT faculty members in terms of research-based knowledge in earthquake engineering which is required to understand the design philosophy of the standard codes of practice published by the BIS for correct interpretation and implementation of the design criteria,” he adds.

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