9528495 Idriss This action is to support a US-Japan workshop to discuss the geotechnical issues and lessons to be learned from the Great Hanshin (Kobe) earthquake of January 17, 1995, and to establish a blueprint for cooperative research and a strategic plan for integrating the experiences of the Kobe and other recent major earthquakes into improved engineering and planning practices. The workshop is being held in Osaka, Japan, 22-24 January 1996. The objective is to highlight the key geotechnical issues involved and provide a mechanism for US-Japan cooperation in initiating, completing and finally evaluating the information gathered with the ultimate objective of improving understanding and in developing methodologies and procedures to mitigate the effects of future earthquakes. This workshop is being organized by three Principal Investigators at different institutions (the University of California at Davis, the University of Southern California, and Cornell University), thereby providing wider technical and geographic coverage within North America and the increased ability to coordinate and work with researchers in Japan. Several key researchers in Japan are cooperating in the planning of this workshop. It is also being coordinated with similar activities investigating structural engineering aspects of the Kobe earthquake. Emphasis is placed on including as large a participation of North American and Japanese participants as funding allows, in order to provide the depth and breadth of knowledge and experience necessary to accomplish the objectives of the workshop. These participants include those who have initiated and completed many research efforts as well as those who have put the results of such research into practice. ***
