Geological Survey Organizations (GSOs) play a critical role in understanding geo-hazards and risks as a required component for designing and implementing disaster risk management policies and programs. This forum will provide three virtual workshops to support the exchange of information among executives and senior managers on the role of GSOs in Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) at a National Level. The forum will provide a high level overview of the role of GSOs in disaster risk reduction, including strategies, awareness of and advocacy on hazards and risks, financial risk management, building codes, and early warning systems.

The forum will also provide an overview of the range of national interinstitutional governance structures within which GSOs function, in the context of national level DRR and climate change adaptation policy settings. Speakers will discuss the common challenges and opportunities for effective use of hazard and risk assessments in national DRR policies, investments, and programs, identify gaps and enablers for enhancing the role of GSOs in DRR, and evaluate how the focus and investments in climate adaptation can be a threat but also an opportunity for enhancing geo-risk awareness and resilience measures.

The forum will be hosted as a set of three regional sessions, with each regional forum featuring pre-recorded lectures from science policy experts and geoscientists and a live moderated discussion session with attendees.

All sessions will be conducted in English with live captioning in French, Spanish, Portuguese, Russian, Modern Chinese, and Arabic.

Please contact Sahar Safaie at sahar.safaie@sageonearth.ca with any questions about this forum.

Session Agenda

Download the session agenda

Download the speaker bios

Part I: The Enablers: Mechanisms that facilitate GSOs' role in disaster and climate risk management
06 February 2023  13.00 - 16.00 GMT

   View presentations and discussion session

13:00 GMT     Welcoming remarks from WCOGS- GSC (event sponsor)
Sonia Talwar, Director – Pacific Division, Geological Survey of Canada, Natural Resources Canada

13:05 GMT    Remarks from UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR)
Paola Albrito, Director, UNDRR

13:10 GMT    Setting the context: The role of GSOs in Disaster Risk Reduction & what we heard from GSOs around the world.
Sahar Safaie, Disaster and Climate Risk Management Specialist / Founder, Sage On Earth Consulting

Q/A

13:30 GMT    Panel 1: National governance mechanisms that enable GSO’s role in disaster risk reduction
John Schneider, Secretary General, Global Earthquake Model (GEM) Foundation (Chair)

Malaika Ulmi, Public Safety Geoscience Program Manager, Geological Survey of Canada, Natural Resources Canada   View Slides
Matt Godsoe, Director of the Resilience and Economics Integration Division, Public Safety Canada   View Slides
Mike Grimm, Assistant Administrator for the Risk Management Directorate within the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)

Q/A

14:40 GMT     Panel 2: Case studies on the importance of good governance for understanding hazards/risk and the use of information in disaster risk reduction
Sonia Talwar, Director – Pacific Division, Geological Survey of Canada, Natural Resources Canada (Chair)

Richard Robertson, Professor of Geology, The UWI Seismic Research Centre    View Slides
John Rees, Chief Scientist, British Geological Survey (BGS)
Daniela Di Bucci, Structural Geologist, International Relations and Activities Unit of the Italian Civil Protection Department (Presidency of the Council of Ministers)   View Slides
Jethro B. Capino, Geologist, Department of Environment and Natural Resources - Mines and Geosciences Bureau (DENR-MGB), the Philippines
Liza Socorro Manzano, Chief Geologist at DENR-MGB   View Slides

Q/A

15:55 GMT     Closing
Sonia Talwar, Director – Pacific Division, Geological Survey of Canada, Natural Resources Canada

Part II: The Science and Technology: Advancing methods, tools, and capabilities in hazard and risk assessment
13 February 2023  16.00 - 19.00 GMT

   View presentations and discussion session

16:00 GMT     Welcoming remarks from WCOGS- US Geological Survey (USGS)
William Cunningham, Director, Office of International Programs, USGS

16:05 GMT     Overview of the Global Earthquake Model and the lessons learned about partnerships at local, national, regional and global level
John Schneider, Secretary General, Global Earthquake Model (GEM) Foundation (Global)   View Slides

16:35 GMT     Panel 3: Advancing methodologies for Multi-hazard and systemic risk assessment
Phil Hill, Emeritus Geoscientist (Former Director of the Geological Survey of Canada Pacific Division) (Chair)

Héctor Pérez, Seismic Risk Engineer & Assistant Professor of Structural Engineering, Colombia Geological Survey
David Wald, Supervisory Research Geophysicist, USGS
Mark Edwards, Director, the Vulnerability, Resilience and Mitigation Section, Geoscience Australia   View Slides
Chesley Williams, Senior Director, Product Management, Risk Management Solutions, USA

Q/A

17:45 GMT     Panel 4: Partnerships and good governance for advancing hazard and risk assessments
John Schneider, Secretary General, Global Earthquake Model (GEM) Foundation (Chair)

Susan Loughlin, Volcanology Team Leader, British Geological Survey (BGS)
Masyhur Irsyam, Professor of Geotechnical Engineering, Bandung Institute of Technology, Indonesia
Yoshihiro Ishizuka, Volcanologist, Japan Geological Survey   View Slides
Helen Crowley, Seismic Risk Consultant, EUCENTRE, Italy

Q/A

18:55 GMT     Closing
William Cunningham, Director, Office of International Programs, US Geological Survey

Part III: The Risk Management Goal: How GSOs can support awareness and advocacy, enhancing building codes, early warning systems, and local level resilience planning
20 February 2023  03.00 - 06.00 GMT

   View presentations and discussion session

3:00 GMT     Welcoming remarks from WCOGS- GNS Science
Gill Jolly, Natural Hazards and Risks Theme Leader, GNS Science, New Zealand

3:05 GMT     Global tsunami early warning program and its cross-jurisdiction approach
Denis Chang Seng, Programme Specialist Ocean Science, Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) of UNESCO

3:15 GMT     The evolution of earthquake building codes and recommended approaches for advancing building codes
Tuna Onur, Earthquake Hazard and Risk Consultant, Onur Seemann Consulting

Q/A

3:35 GMT     Panel 5: Sharing experiences supporting development of DRR strategies, policies, and programs
(Awareness and information sharing, Building codes, Risk financing, DRR planning)
Steve Hill, Chief Scientist, Geoscience Australia (Chair)

Nick Horspool, Senior Risk Scientist at GNS Science, New Zealand
Iswandi Imran, Professor in the Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Bandung Institut Teknologi, Indonesia
Jorge Crempien, Assistant Professor at Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile
Leigh Wolfrom, Policy analyst, Directorate for Financial and Enterprise Affairs, OECD   View Slides

Q/A

4:45 GMT     Panel 6: Sharing experiences supporting development of DRR strategies, policies, and programs
(Advancing Building codes, Land use planning, and early warning systems)
Kate Moran, President, Oceans Network Canada (Chair)

Maria Przyłucka, Chief specialist in geohazards and engineering geology, Polish Geological Institute – National Research Institute
John Londoño, Technical Director of Geohazards, Colombia Geological Survey
Atalay Ayele, Professor and Director of Institute of Geophysics, Space Sciences and Astronomy (IGSSA), Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia
Andrew Tupper, Principal Consultant, Natural Hazards Consulting, Australia   View Slides

Q/A

5:55 GMT     Closing
Gill Jolly, Natural Hazards and Risks Theme Leader, GNS Science, New Zealand

Register for the forum

The webinar is organized through an informal partnership between the World Community of Geological Surveys (WCOGS), the Global Earthquake Model Foundation, the Geological Survey of Canada, and GNS Science (New Zealand).

Sage On Earth Consulting supports the organizing team with the background research and design of the sessions. The American Geosciences Institute is providing the online hosting platform and support for the webinar.

In this webinar, Mónica Ramírez-Andreotta will describe participatory research methods to advance exposure science and communication strategies to visualize and translate environmental health research to action. She will present co-generated environmental monitoring and exposure assessment data (e.g., arsenic and heavy metal concentrations in water, soil, locally grown food, dust) from community science projects, Gardenroots and Project Harvest.

Our speaker is Mónica Ramírez-Andreotta, M.P.A., Ph.D. who is an Associate Professor of Environmental Science and Public Health at the University of Arizona. Using an environmental justice framework and participatory research methods, she investigates exposure pathways and communication strategies to translate environmental health research to action and achieve structural change.

This is the final webinar in our Fall webinar series that is highlighting best practices and adaptations to pandemic-related impacts. In this webinar, we will hear from geoscience employers on how their organizations have navigated pandemic-related challenges to maintain operational continuity, including how work environments and hiring and onboarding of new employees have changed, and if what employers are looking for in new hires has changed as a result of the pandemic.

Our speakers are:

• Gale C. Blackmer, Ph.D., PG, State Geologist and Bureau Director, Dept of Conservation & Natural Resources, Pennsylvania Geological Survey
• Michael D. Lawless, PG, CPG, Principal / Regional Growth Leader, TRC Companies, Inc.
• Marie C. Peppler, Bureau Emergency Management Coordinator, Hazards Mission Area, U.S. Geological Survey
• Raymond Talkington, Ph.D., PG, CPG, Principal Hydrogeologist/President, Geosphere Environmental Management, Inc.

Funding for this project is provided by the National Science Foundation (Award #2029570). The results and interpretation of the study are the views of the American Geosciences Institute and not those of the National Science Foundation.

The AGU/AGI Heads and Chairs webinar series is pleased to offer a free online webinar and discussion about the diversity initiatives within the geoscience societies.

Our presenters include:

• Stephen K. Boss, Professor, Department of Geosciences, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, Principal Investigator, GSA’s Geosciences ASCEND
• Erika Marin-Spiotta, Professor, Department of Geography, University of Wisconsin – Madison, Lead Principal Investigator, ADVANCEGeo
• Margaret Fraiser, Director of Diversity and Inclusion, AGU, representing AGU LANDInG
• Brielle Bennett, Senior Program Specialist, AGU, representing the AGU LANDInG Community of Practice
• Pranoti Asher, Assistant Director, Grants and Education Programs, AGU, representing the AGU Bridge Program
• Susan Sullivan, Director of Diversity and Inclusion, CIRES, University of Colorado, Boulder, representing AGI's Intersociety Diversity Committee

Additional Resources

• Presentation Slides - Stephen Boss
• Presentation Slides - Margaret Fraiser and Brielle Bennett
• Presentation Slides - Erika Marin-Spiotta
• Presentation Slides - Pranoti Asher
• Presentation Slides - Susan Sullivan

This is the second of our Fall webinar series on best practices and adaptations to pandemic-related impacts. In this webinar, we hear from academic faculty at 4-year and 2-year institutions about the strategies they used to overcome pandemic-related restrictions and impacts to their work, research, and teaching activities. Our panelists also delve into the temporary and lasting impacts of the pandemic, new opportunities that have arisen as a result of the pandemic and provide insights on how to navigate restrictions and setbacks.

Our speakers are:

• Andrew Rindsberg, Professor, Department of Biological & Environmental Sciences, University of West Alabama
• Kaatje van der Hoeven Kraft, Professor, Department of Sciences and Engineering, Whatcom Community College
• Sarah Sheffield, Assistant Professor, Department of Geosciences, University of South Florida
• Alyssa Abbey, Assistant Professor, Department of Geological Sciences, California State University Long Beach

Funding for this project is provided by the National Science Foundation (Award #2029570). The results and interpretation of the survey are the views of the American Geosciences Institute and not those of the National Science Foundation.

This is the final webinar in the 2022 Earth Science Week webinar series that highlights the importance of maintaining soil quality and how to do so sustainably, such as by incorporating organisms into the soil food web to enhance soil quality. The speakers also showcase the use of GIS in mapping soils, with a case study on a project in Kansas that focuses on the Keith soil series.

Browse the Earth Science Week 2022 webinar series.

About our speakers

Dr. Tiffany Carter, Research Soil Scientist, USDA-NRCS National Soil Survey Center

Dr. Carter is a native of Kansas City, MO. She holds a BS in Biology from Lincoln University (MO), a MS in Grain Science from Kansas State University, and a PhD in Agronomy from Kansas State University. She is a research soil scientist at the USDA-NRCS National Soil Survey Center. Her research focuses on soil biology, and her current research interests include soil biodiversity, soil ecology, dynamic soil properties, genomics, and linking soil health to biological indicators. She is also interested in soil biological method development and improving diversity, equity, and inclusion in agriculture.

Dr. Skye Wills, National Leader for Soil Science Research, National Soil Survey Center, USDA-NRCS

Dr. Wills is the National Leader for Soil Research at the National Soil Survey Center. The NSSC provides national leadership to NRCS's soils program and the National Cooperative Soil Survey (NCSS) Program. The research branch is working to develop new techniques in dynamic soil survey including soil health, soil moisture, and other properties and interpretations that change over time. Her previous work includes the Rapid Carbon Assessment project (a national soil carbon inventory) and the Dynamic Soil Properties for Soil Health project (cooperators using soil survey and ecological sites to organize soil health measurements). She’s a proponent of reproducibility and open science to maximize the impact and accessibility of soil data. She holds degrees from Kansas State University in Agronomy and Iowa State University in Soil Morphology and Genesis.

This is the second webinar of Earth Science Week 2022 webinar series that features two Geoscientists without Borders® (GWB) projects. The first project, presented by Dr. Kirsten Nicholson focuses on high mountain aquifers in the Sagarmatha National Park, Mt Everest region, Nepal. Dr. Nicholson discusses sourcing potable drinking water for local communities and how people’s behavior (both local residents and tourists) and climate change are impacting access to potable water in the region.

The second presentation, by Mr. Gabriel do Nasciemento Cardasco, is focused on utilizing five geophysical methodologies to study the geohazard risk from mining practices in Ouro Preto, Brazil. He discusses the background and landslide risk of this region, shares how his research has helped measure the scope of the issue, and discusses strategies for engaging with the local community.

Browse the Earth Science Week 2022 webinar series.

About our speakers

Dr. Kirsten Nicholson, Professor, Department of Geosciences, Ball State University

Dr. Nicholson’s research includes work on petrology, tectonics and heat flow in the Pacific, and water resources in the Nepali Himalayas. Kirsten has more than 25 years of research experience in petrology and tectonics but has only been working in water resources for the past ten years. Her BSc is in Geological Sciences is from the University of British Columbia, Canada, her MSc is from the University of Auckland, New Zealand, and her PhD is a cotutelle from the University of Auckland and the Universite Joseph Fourier, France.

Gabriel do Nascimento Cardoso, Undergraduate student, Department of Geological Engineering, Federal University of Ouro Preto

Gabriel currently works as an intern at an ornamental rocks mining company. He is an active participant in the student chapter Society of Applied Geophysics (SGA), where he explores the utilization of geophysics to solve problems and develop new applications. Besides being an SGA representative, Gabriel’s research is also affiliated with Geoscientists Without Borders (GWB) and the American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG).

This is the first webinar of the 2022 Earth Science Week webinar series in which our speakers present six case studies that illustrate how the geosciences intersect with the UNESCO Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including Zero Hunger (SDG 2), Clean Water and Sanitation (SDG 6), Affordable and Clean Energy (SDG 7), Responsible Consumption and Production (SDG 12), Climate Action (SDG 13), and Life on Land (SDG 15).

Our speakers are:

• Carlos Martinez, Director, NYC Parks GreenThumb
• Renee Mazurek, Resilient Communities Manager, River Network
• Max Brouwers, Chief Business Development Officer, Getech
• Dr. Sahle-Demessie, Chemical Engineer, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
• Dr. Futoshi Nakamura, Professor, Department of Forest Science, Hokkaido University
• Dr. Matthew Hansen, Professor, Department of Geography, University of Maryland – College Park

Browse the Earth Science Week 2022 webinar series.

This third webinar of Earth Science Week 2022 webinar series explores the circular economy of raw materials, including production, use, reuse, recycling, and waste streams. The speakers discuss the roles of different stakeholders within this lifecycle and explore ways to re-capture raw materials through the different stages within the circular economy, such as is done with urban mining. The speakers also provide a discussion about the differences in designing approaches to raw materials development from the perspective of a producer vs. a provider.

Our speakers are: 

• Dr. Federico Magalini, Director Sustainability Services UK and Italy, dss+  
• Dr. Luis Tercero Espinoza, Coordinator of Business Unit Raw Materials, Fraunhofer  
• Dr. Ola Isaksson, Professor in Systems Engineering and Engineering Design, Department of Industrial and Materials Science, Chalmers University of Technology  

Browse the Earth Science Week 2022 webinar series.

This webinar is generously sponsored by: 

https://intraw.eu/