Event Report

Event

The 3rd International Alumni Online Seminar on Disaster Prevention and Environment was held on March 23, 2024. NEW

The 3rd International Alumni Online Seminar on Disaster Prevention and Environment was held online on March 23rd, 2024 (Organizer: Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Group (DPMG), Research Center for Local Resilience, Yamaguchi University, Co-organizers: Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Yamaguchi University, and Glocal Environmental and Disaster Prevention Research Group, Yamaguchi University), and was attended by 50 people from eight countries: Bangladesh, Canada, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Philippines, Timor-Leste and Vietnam. The seminar aims to share the recent activities of alumni, and to provide a place for interaction among alumni from various countries and students at Yamaguchi University. It also focuses on sharing local disasters and environmental problems and creating opportunities for international research cooperation.

The seminar consisted of three parts: an invited lecture, a special session on recovery status after the heavy rain disaster in Timor-Leste in April 2021, and an oral presentation session by Yamaguchi University students and graduates. In the invited lecture, Prof. Masahiko Sekine, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Yamaguchi University, gave a lecture on the support project of the National University of Timor-Leste, which the faculty members of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Yamaguchi University have been involved in for many years, and the challenges facing the establishment of a master's degree program.

At the special session on recovery status after the heavy rain disaster in Timor-Leste in April 2021, (chaired by Prof. Masahiko Sekine), following an introduction by Prof. Koichi Yamamoto (Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Yamaguchi University) on Yamaguchi University's response to the Timor-Leste flood disaster, Mr. Kesuke Ujike and Ms. Fonseca Patricia from JICA Timor-Leste Office spoke about the damage caused by the Timor-Leste flood disaster and efforts undertaken by JICA for the recovery from the damage. Next, Dr. Benjamim Hopffer Martins and Mr. Hugo Ximenes, Lecturers, Universidae Nacional Timor Lorosa’e, made presentations via pre-recorded videos. Dr. Benjamim Hopffer Martins introduced the serious situation where river channels are blocked due to mass movement and proposed improvements, while Mr. Hugo Ximenes talked about the poor state of road construction and maintenance in Timor-Leste due to lack of funds, leading to slope failure, etc. Finally, Mr. Leandro Madeira Blanco, currently a doctoral student at the Graduate School of Sciences and Technology for Innovation, Yamaguchi University and a lecturer at Universidae Nacional Timor Lorosa’e, presented on the challenge of reusing sediment deposits generated by floods as local construction materials. After the presentations, a lively question-and-answer session was held with questions from participants from Timor-Leste, Indonesia, and Bangladesh, moderated by Professor Masahiko Sekine.

In the oral presentation session by Yamaguchi University students and graduates (chaired by Assoc. Prof. Shinichiro Nakashima, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Yamaguchi University, and Prof. Takahiro Osawa, Organization for Research Initiatives, Yamaguchi University), five international students, two graduates who are active in their own country, and two students of Politeknik Negeri Bengkalis, Indonesia, who came to Yamaguchi University and received training under the JST Sarura Science Program from February 26th to March 6th, 2024, made presentations related to disaster prevention and the environment, and there was a lively question-and-answer session with the participants.

It was a meaningful seminar where graduates, current students, faculty members, and other participants who are active in the fields of disaster prevention and the environment in each country could share their problems with each other.

See below the program of the seminar.
https://ds0n.cc.yamaguchi-u.ac.jp/~cldpm/pdf/20240323program.pdf

YU-UCL Symposium "Earth Observations for Disaster Prevention” was held on March 3, 2023.

YU-UCL Symposium “Earth Observations for Disaster Prevention” was held online on March 3, 2023 as a part of the exchange program between UCL and Yamaguchi University same as last year (Organizers: Institute for Risk and Disaster Reduction (IRDR), University College London (UCL), Center for Local Disaster Prevention and Mitigation, Yamaguchi University, and Center for Research and Application of Satellite Remote Sensing). Forty-seven people participated in the symposium.

Starting from opening remarks by Prof. Joanna Faure Walker, Head of UCL IRDR, and Prof. Yuri Ishii, Vice-President for International Cooperation, Yamaguchi University, 4 speakers from UK, mainly from UCL, and 3 speakers from Yamaguchi University gave lectures. The symposium ended with closing remarks by Prof. Motoyuki Suzuki, Director, Center for Local Disaster Prevention and Mitigation, Yamaguchi University. In the lectures, it was introduced that earth observation using various methods such as remote sensing is conducted for disaster prevention and mitigation.

【Presenters and Presentation Titles】 Click HERE for the program PDF.

“Disasters Avoided – Earth Observations and the Greater Whole”
Gareth Byatt, Independent Consultant in Risk and Resilience and Ilan Kelman, University College London, UK

“Observational Study on Precipitation Mechanisms by Particle Imaging Radiosonde”
Kenji Suzuki, Yamaguchi University, Japan

“Micro Observations Over Time, Ways of Seeing with Community Knowledge Holders”
Victoria Pratt, Invisible Flock, UK

“Various Means for Space-Based Monitoring of Atmospheric Water Vapour”
Kenji Imaoka, Yamaguchi University, Japan

“Post-Disaster Damage and Recovery Monitoring using Remote Sensing”
Saman Ghaffarian, University College London, UK

“Development of the Method to Detect Landslide Areas using Single Optical Sensor Imagery”
Tsuyoshi Eguchi, Yamaguchi University, Japan

The 4th International Seminar on Disaster Prevention and Environment was held on March 2, 2023. NEW

On Thursday, March 2, the Center for Local Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (CLDPM), Yamaguchi University hosted “The 4th International Seminar on Disaster Prevention and Environment” incorporation with the Glocal Environmental and Disaster Prevention Research Group, Yamaguchi University. The seminar was held in a hybrid format that combined face-to-face venue at the Faculty of Engineering, Yamaguchi University and web distribution. Fifteen faculty members and students from Yamaguchi University participated in the face-to-face venue, and 37 people from universities, private companies, and the general public participated online.

At the seminar, Professor David Alexander of University College London (UCL), a world authority on disaster prevention studies, gave a lecture titled "Managing Today's Complex Crises: Lessons from the Past." While introducing examples of the Turkey-Syria earthquake in February this year, he mentioned that future disasters will never be exactly the same as the past, but that we need to learn and use the lessons of past disasters to prepare for increasingly complex disasters and develop better strategies for a safer future. It was a very meaningful seminar full of suggestions for thinking about preparing for future disasters.

YU-UCL Symposium “Health and the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami” was held on March 11, 2022.

YU-UCL Symposium “Health and the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami - Risk, Disaster and Resilience, and Working as a Risk Assessment, Health and Environment” was held online on March 11th, 2022 as a part of the exchange program between UCL and Yamaguchi University (Organizers: Institute for Risk and Disaster Reduction (IRDR), University College London (UCL), Center for Local Disaster Prevention and Mitigation, Yamaguchi University, and Center for Research and Application of Satellite Remote Sensing). There were 51 participants (registrations) from Japan, the United Kingdom, Indonesia, Timor-Leste, the United States, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the Philippines.

At the symposium held 11 years after the Great East Japan Earthquake, 4 people from UCL and 3 people from Yamaguchi University gave lectures. Various themes related to the earthquake were introduced, such as the impact of the earthquake and tsunami on hospitals, the mental aspects of disaster victims, the impact of the living environment at evacuation centers on health, and the role of Disaster Medical Assistance Team (DMAT).

【Presenters and Presentation Titles】 Click HERE for the program PDF.

“Mental Health after the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami”
Ilan KelmanProfessor, Institute for Risk & Disaster Reduction and Institute for Global Health, University College London, UK

“Contributions of Nursing Colleges to Disaster: - The Experience of Hanshin-Awaji and Great East Japan Earthquake”
Yuko Ushio, Professor, Community/Public Health Nursing, Yamaguchi University, Japan

“Post Disaster Shelter and Housing - Needs and Choices”
Joanna Faure Walker, Associate Professor, Institute for Risk & Disaster Reduction, Faculty of Maths & Physical Sciences, University College London, UK

“Shelter Environment and Health Problems in Japan, Fundamental Nursing”
Amiki Masae, Lecturer, Yamaguchi University, Japan

“Tsunami Risk Index for Hospitals”
Tiziana Rossetto, Professor of Earthquake Engineering, University College London, UK

“Disaster Medical Assistance Team in Japan - A Case Study in Kumamoto”
Motoki Fujita, Associate Professor, Acute and General Medicine, Yamaguchi University, Japan

“Understanding Individual Radiation Risk - Personal Dosimetry Systems and the Fukushima Nuclear Disaster”
Louise Elstow, PhD Researcher, Lancaster University, UK, and Emergency Management Consultant

The 2nd International Alumni Online Seminar on Disaster Prevention and Environment was held on March 7, 2022.

The 2nd International Alumni Online Seminar on Disaster Prevention and Environment was held online on March 7th, 2022 (Organizer: Center for Local Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (CLDPM), Yamaguchi University, Co-organizers: Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Yamaguchi University, and Glocal Environmental and Disaster Prevention Research Group, Yamaguchi University), and was attended by 64 people from seven countries: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, China, Indonesia, Japan, Timor-Leste (East Timor) and Vietnam. The seminar aims to share the recent activities of alumni, and to provide a place for interaction among alumni from various countries and students at Yamaguchi University. It also focuses on sharing local disasters and environmental problems and creating opportunities for international research cooperation. It was held for the second time following March last year.

The seminar consisted of three parts: an invited lecture, a special session on flood and geological disaster in Timor-Leste in April 2021, and an oral presentation session by Yamaguchi University students and graduates. In the invited lecture (chaired by Assoc. Prof. Koichi Yamamoto, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Engineering / CLDPM), Prof. Masato Shinji, Vice-President for International Cooperation, Yamaguchi University, gave a lecture on the current state of international cooperation at Yamaguchi University and the future prospects under the coexistence of COVID-19. Prof. Ikufumi Tomimoto, Deputy Director, Office for International Affairs Strategy, Yamaguchi University, gave a lecture on the relationship between SDGs and disaster prevention targets and indicators, introducing that the damage caused by natural disasters and the destruction of the environment is more serious for vulnerable groups.

At the special session on flood and geological disaster in Timor-Leste in April 2021 (chaired by Prof. Masahiko Sekine, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Engineering), Dr. Benjamim Hopffer Martins and Mr. Hugo Ximenes, Lecturers, Universidae Nacional Timor Lorosa’e, and Mr. Oktoviano Viegas Tilman, Vice-president, Institute of Petroleum and Geology (IPG), gave lectures on the damage last April, the response after that, and the damage caused by the heavy rain after that.

In the oral presentation session by Yamaguchi University students and graduates (chaired by Assoc. Prof. Koichi Yamamoto and Mr. Taichi Ishimaru, Ph. D. Student, Graduate School of Sciences and Engineering for Innovation), two current students including an international student who could not come to Japan due to the influence of the COVID-19 and 5 graduates who are active in their own country made presentations related to disaster prevention and the environment, and there was a lively question and answer session with the participants.

Presenters and presentation titles (Click HERE for the program PDF.)

【Invited Lecture】

1．Prof. Masato Shinji, Vice-President for International Cooperation, Yamaguchi University
“Future vision of international collaboration at Yamaguchi University”

2．Prof. Ikufumi Tomimoto, Deputy Director, Office for International Affairs Strategy, Yamaguchi University
“SDGs and natural disaster; poverty and income gap”

【Special Session on Floods and Geological Disasters in Timor-Leste in April 2021】
※The materials for the special session are open to the public.A password is required to view the material. Please contact the secretariat for the password.

1．Dr. Benjamim Hopffer Martins, Lecturer, Universidae Nacional Timor Lorosa’e, Timor-Leste
“Disaster risk reduction challenges in Timor-Leste” PDF（2.3MB）

2．Mr. Hugo Ximenes, Lecturer, Universidae Nacional Timor Lorosa’e, Timor-Leste
“Flood damage in the middle reach of the Manleuana river in Dili, Timor-Leste” PDF（1.5MB）F

3．Mr. Oktoviano Viegas Tilman, Vice-president, Institute of Petroleum and Geology (IPG), Timor-Leste
“Geological hazard and its implication for the sustainability development in Timor-Leste” PDF（11.4MB）

【Oral Presentation Session】

1．Dr. I Nyoman Sudi Parwata (Udayana University, Indonesia)
“Surface Deformation Monitoring Induced by Volcanic Activity of Mount Agung, Indonesia, by PS-InSAR Using Sentinel-1 SAR from 2014-2021”

2．Dr. Ni Made Pertiwi Jaya (Udayana University, Indonesia)
“Application of GIS and Remote Sensing in Water-Related Hazard Management”

3．Mr. Muhammad Haidar (Geospatial Information Agency of Indonesia & The University of Tokyo)
“Automated Building Footprint Segmentation using Deep Learning for Disaster Rapid Mapping”

4．Ms. Mengqi Huang (Yamaguchi University)
“Reflection of Zhengzhou Flooding”

5．Ｄr. Rafiani Hasyim (Plantation Agency of Bengkalis Regency, Indonesia)
“The Role, Strategy and Policy of Plantation Development in Bengkalis Regency”

6．Mr. Shiro Jimbo (Tokyo Engineering Consultants Co., LTD.)
“Differences between Countries in Disaster Prevention for Water Supply System”

7．Mr. Kabir A. H. M. Enamul (Yamaguchi University)
“Microplastic Pollution in the Marine and Riverine Environments in Yamaguchi: Abundances and Distributions, Sources-to-Sinks, and Ecological Risks”

The 2nd International Seminar on Disaster Prevention and Environment was held on September 28.

On Tuesday, September 28, the Center for Local Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (CLDPM), Yamaguchi University hosted "The 2nd International Seminar on Disaster Prevention and Environment" online incorporation with the Glocal Environmental and Disaster Prevention Research Group, Yamaguchi University. A total of 66 people from Indonesia, East Timor, United States of America, Malaysia and Japan attended online. At the seminar, Prof. Nur Islami of University of Riau, Indonesia, gave a lecture on "The Use of Integrated Geophysical Methods for Groundwater Exploration". He introduced case studies using the integrated geophysical methods, such as mapping of heavy metal zone in aquifer system, hydrothermal investigation as the renewable energy resources, and investigation of the fate of nitrate in shallow soil. It was an interesting seminar that showed a single method could be applied in various fields.

※Click HERE for the presentation material. A password is required to view the material. Please contact to the secretariat for the password.