°×С½ãÂÛ̳

Chile is subject to multiple natural hazards driven by geological processes in the Andean mountain chain, from earthquakes and volcanic eruptions to floods and draughts.

The resilience of the Andean people against such hazards, and the role that resilience plays in their day-to-day lives and culture, was the focus of a series of recent joint workshops hosted by °×С½ãÂÛ̳ and PUC.

The first two-day workshop, held on 24 and 25 November 2020, explored building resilience in the Andean mountain chain and Atacama Desert, as well as a multi-disciplinary approach to disaster risk reduction and supporting student resilience.

In the next two-day workshop, held on 26 and 27 May 2021, speakers discussed pandemic resilience, joint °×С½ãÂÛ̳-PUC research on Andean hazards and interdisciplinary approaches to hazards and resilience.

Speakers across the sessions included a variety of leaders in the fields of Engineering, Education and Earth Sciences, as well as °×С½ãÂÛ̳ and PUC post-graduate students. The British Embassy in Chile and °×С½ãÂÛ̳ Pro-Vice-Provost (International) Professor Deenan Pillay gave opening remarks.

The workshops were supported by °×С½ãÂÛ̳ Global Engagement and Escuela de Ingeniría (Faculty of Engineering) at PUC. They were co-hosted by Professor Stephen Hart (°×С½ãÂÛ̳ Pro-Vice-Provost for Latin America) and Professor Juan Carlos de la Llera (PUC Dean of Engineering).

Professor Hart said: "The °×С½ãÂÛ̳-PUC resilience project is an exciting and dynamic new research venture which is cross-faculty, cross-institutional and cross-continental. It brings together, under one intellectual roof, researchers from a variety of disciplines including Engineering, Earth Sciences, Hazard and Risk, Life Sciences, Education and the Humanities.

“These world-leading researchers are pooling their knowledge, expertise and resources to solve global problems that are affecting the world today, such as COVID-19, climate change, and natural and human-made disasters. I'm looking forward to our next workshop in November, in which we will be consolidating our ideas in the form of a white paper."

The third resilience workshop in the series will be held on the 9 and 10 November 2021 (registration to open soon) and will further explore creating an interdisciplinary approach to today’s urgent and global problems.

The workshops build on the ongoing partnership between °×С½ãÂÛ̳ and PUC, in which they explore the phenomenon of resilience through the six lenses of Earth Sciences, Risk Management, Engineering, Education, Humanities and Life Sciences.

A new dual PhD degree on Resilience in Engineering was recently agreed between PUC and °×С½ãÂÛ̳, and is the first dual degree to be approved by the °×С½ãÂÛ̳ Doctoral School in 10 years.

More information

• °×С½ãÂÛ̳-PUC Resilience project
• Professor Stephen Hart academic profile
• °×С½ãÂÛ̳ Latin America regional network

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