2025 NHERI Graduate Student Council Mini-Conference: In the Books
Nearly 100 attendees convened to present and learn about new multidisciplinary research
Published on May 21, 2025
Nearly 100 people attended the virtual GSC mini-conference.
On May 16, 96 attendees gathered for the Third Annual NHERI Graduate Student Council Mini-Conference. The virtual event brought together early career researchers from around the world, all conducting studies in natural hazards.
Jamie Padgett, Rice University researcher and structural engineer, kicked off the day with a fact-filled keynote encouraging young researchers to join “the quest for resilience.” Her talk was entitled: “Opportunities and Lessons Learned When Modeling Risk and Resilience Across Scales and Hazards.”
A number of conference presenters took part in the 2025 NHERI GSC Natural Hazard Data Challenge, in which GSC members, working with faculty mentors, formed cross-disciplinary teams and explored hazard-related questions using publicly available datasets from the NHERI DesignSafe Data Depot.
The day’s agenda included 7 papers, by 15 presenters, introducing original research on the following topics —
- Broad Risk-Based Approaches for Natural Hazard Mitigation
- Earthquakes in Focus: Seismic Resilience in a Changing World
- Disaster Risk in Context: Social Science Perspectives and Structural Approaches to Hazard Mitigation
In addition, 7 posters, by 24 participants, illustrated original research on the following topics —
- A Unified Multi-Event Windstorm Performance Testbed for Single-Family Residential Buildings
- Other DesignSafe Data Sets
Read the detailed list of papers, posters, and presenters in the 2025 GCS Mini Conference program. (PDF)
Many thanks to the 2025 NSF NHERI GSC Mini-Conference Organizing Committee for coordinating and hosting this valuable event.
Pooria Mazaheri, Chair of Research
Parisa Toofani Movaghar, Chair of Data Challenge
Harman Singh, President
Richard Campos, Vice President
Rajendra Gautam, Chair of Workshops and Mentoring
In addition, the GSC program organizers are grateful to Data Challenge faculty mentors Rachel Davidson, University of Delaware; Gloria Faraone, San Diego State; Ertugrul Taciroglu, UCLA; and Maha Kenawy, Oklahoma State University.
Learn more about the NHERI Graduate Student Council, including how to become a member on the official GSC website.
Below: Professor Jamie Padgett’s keynote, “Opportunities and Lessons Learned When Modeling Risk and Resilience Across Scales and Hazards,” encouraged early career researchers to join “the quest for resilience.”
