This award supports the participation of American scientists in a U.S.-Cambodia joint workshop for scientists and engineers on the structural deformations at the historic site of Angkor in Cambodia to be held in Phnom Penh, Cambodia in December 2005. The co-organizers are Professor Gautam Dasgupta at Columbia University in New York and Professor Abhay Pattinaik, at the Build Bright University in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. The purpose of the workshop is to explore some unconventional challenges in civil engineering relative to issues of sustainable development at the World Heritage Site of Angkor in Cambodia. This would include mechanics of materials, stochastic computation, computer graphics and animation for CAD. Designing a methodology that uses remote sensing, geographic information systems, and distributed computing technologies will be based on knowledge of the theories and principles underlying urban development, cultural dynamics and environmental forces. The quantitative system will allow for better analysis and management of the evolving social and environmental systems.
The co-organizers have complementary scientific expertise in the field. This enables them to evaluate and attract the best science and engineering researchers to participate. This project should lead to other areas of possible support such as field research with ground penetrating radar and software engineering for Geographical Information Systems to initiate infrastructure development for research and education. The seminar organizers have made a special effort to involve postdocs, graduate and undergraduate students as both participants and observers. The exchange of ideas and data with Cambodian experts in the field will enable U.S. participants to advance their own work, and will set the stage for future collaborative projects. Following the seminar the organizers plan to establish a workshop web page. Conference proceedings will be published on this web site.
