The first international webinar series entitled ‘Natural Disaster Resilience for Built Infrastructure’ was held over five days in August this year, with over 500 participants from around the world. The virtual event examined the geotechnical aspects of disaster control, proving an opportunity to share ideas, research outcomes and real-life experiences between Australia, India and the UK.
Research collaborators from University of Technology Sydney (UTS) and UTS’s Key Technology Partner in India, the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras led the webinar series alongside colleagues from the University of Manchester (UK), IIT Mandi, IIT Roorkee, IIT Bhubaneshwar, and CSIR-Central Building Research Institute Roorkee. Another major collaborator was Technical Committee TC207 on ‘Soil-Structure Interaction and Retaining Walls’, under the auspices of the International Society for Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering (ISSMGE).
With expert talks delivered by participants of the flagship event, a wide range of natural disasters were discussed. Many of these are especially relevant to this tumultuous year – bushfires, earthquakes, floods, and more. Initial responses have been positive, with feedback citing the webinar as an excellent opportunity to re-engage the academic and industry sectors meaningfully after the disruption of COVID-19.
At the helm were Doctor Sanjay Nimbalkar (UTS) and Associate Professor Subhadeep Banerjee (IITM), curating the webinar series through the Zoom videoconferencing platform. Three UTS students – Naveen Meena, Piyush Punetha and Akshay Sakhare and four IITM students – Priya Sudevan, Ramon Varghese, Jyothsna V and B.R. Madhusudhan – actively contributed to the success of the event.
This forum enabled the international academic community, with complementary expertise to exchange ideas and jointly find impactful solutions. It is an encouraging example of the possibilities ahead to connect online and paves the way for more strategic partners to collaborate virtually.