9603028 Idriss This award supports the participation of American scientists in a U.S.-Japan seminar on Soil Behavior and Ground Response for Hazard Assessment During Earthquakes to be held in Hokkaido, Japan from July 1-2, 1997. The co-organizers are Professors I. M. Idriss of the University of California at Davis and Kenji Ishihara of the Science University of Tokyo in Japan. This seminar will provide a forum for bringing together up-to-date information on 1) liquefaction in cohesionless soils, 2) the failure of cohesive soils, and 3) the response of soil sites underlain by layers of soft cohesive soils or layers that tend to liquefy when subjected to shaking. Ground failure during earthquakes, as caused by liquefaction in cohesionless soils and over-stressing of cohesive soils, results in major damage to ports and harbors, buildings, bridges, and other civil infrastructure facilities. Gaining an understanding of liquefaction in sandy soils and failure in cohesive soils subjected to earthquakes is an important first step in developing design guidelines to mitigate the damages of earthquakes. Natural disaster reduction is a priority area for U.S.-Japan Cooperation. The exchange of ideas and data with Japanese experts in this field will enable U.S. participants to advance their own work, and will set the stage for future collaborative projects. ***
