London Bridge is Falling Down: The Importance of Earthquake Engineering

Mustafa Mashal has studied earthquakes for many years. Now living in Christchurch, New Zealand, site of a destructive quake in early 2011, he sees first hand the importance of designing structurally-sound bridges that can sustain damage yet remain functional in the event of an earthquake. Mustafa spoke with Anacapa students about the lessons he has learned, including the role of geology in the design of bridge foundations, as well as recent advances in bridge design, such as rapid assembly bridges and isolators to absorb quake energy. Ultimately, he concluded that its important to prepare for earthquakes, especially in seismically-active places such as California, and encouraged students to consider the rewarding field of civil engineering. He reminded them that if a doctor makes a mistake then one person could be affected, but if an engineer makes a mistake, it can impact many people’s lives. The responsibilities are huge and make the career very satisfying.