The seismic response of structures is the main line of research currently being developed by Dr. Gabriel Candia, an academic from the School of Engineering at Universidad del Desarrollo. Recent earthquakes worldwide have caused major direct losses due to damaged infrastructure. The 2010 Maule earthquake alone generated losses over 30 billion USD, and costs skyrocketed for construction, labor, and insurance premiums; however, tunnels and buried pipelines built on stiff soils performed very well, and no major damages were reported.

It’s important to strike a balance between avoiding inertia and hitting change fatigue, says Lee Bakewell