Let's know better about Waseda : At the Frontline of Research: Saving lives in Earthquakes and Other Disasters!
The establishment of the NPO “Engineers without Borders”

In recent years, many large-scale natural disasters have happened again and again. In order to minimize the damage caused by such disasters, the construction industry has been fully occupied with their brainstorming about new earthquake-proof construction designs. Much of this has involved a trial-and-error approach. At the same time, late last year, there was much social concern about the discovery that fake earthquake-proof buildings had been built and the true nature of their structure covered up.

Against this background, a new NPO was born and named “Engineers without Borders.” It is an organization that provides support for developing countries that are hit by catastrophes such as earthquakes and tsunamis. Dr. Masanori Hamada, a Professor in Waseda's Faculty of Science and Engineering with particular expertise in earthquake engineering, contributed to the establishment of this NPO. During the process of its formation, we were able to speak with Professor Hamada regarding the engineers who are to carry the twenty first century on their shoulders.

Dr. Masanori Hamada is a Professor in the Faculty of Science and Engineering at Waseda University. He holds a Doctor of Engineering degree. Born in 1943, he graduated from Waseda University Faculty of Science and Engineering in 1966. Dr. Hamada obtained a Master's degree in Engineering from the School of Engineering at Tokyo University. His main work experience has been with a major construction company where he was in charge of earthquake proofing underwater tunnels and nuclear power facilities. After teaching as an Associate Professor since 1983, he took up his current position in 1994. Dr. Hamada was awarded the 2005 Ministry of Economy Award for his service to the advancement of gas safety. In 2006, he became Chairman of the Japan Society of Civil Engineers. He is the author of many books, including one entitled Geotechnical/Basic Construction in Structural Earthquake Prevention Design

Current position in Sumatra. Most of the disaster area has not yet been reconstructed, so many residents live in tents erected on the land where their house used to be.

“Tears in the Great Hanshin Earthquake: 11 years of thinking about saving human life”

There was a pier which had supported the expressway right in front of him. Dr. Hamada could not utter a single word about the event without crying. The pain of the experience of the earthquake remains in his mind.

It is said that people were saved if their houses did not fall down. So, according to Dr. Hamada, “thinking about this disaster afterwards has led to constructions which are earthquake-resistant as a means of reducing the number of affected victims in future disasters.” Moreover, “this experience has made us aware of the need for constructing buildings that have a great capacity to preserve life when they do fall down rather than constructing exceedingly strong buildings that ultimately collapse fully when their standard of resistance is exceeded.” Revision of the earthquake resistance design code relating to civil engineering structures and the earthquake strengthening of existing buildings has been given priority. For 11 years now, Dr. Hamada has been pondering how to resolve every single problem that was made evident by the previous earthquake. His concern is especially with how to minimize damage in future disasters of this kind.

“Technical support is united with medical support: the Foundation of ‘Doctors Without Borders’”

Along with his general studies, Dr. Hamada has visited and stringently investigated disaster areas such as those in Taiwan, Turkey, India, Indonesia, and Niigata. In these areas, temporary housing and toilets were most immediately needed. Also imperative was the rapid checking, repair, and reconstruction of the social infrastructure, including lifelines such as roads and railways. That is, in the aftermath of disasters, the technical support required for civil engineering tasks and construction in general was as acutely required as the medical support provided by established organizations.

As Dr. Hamada observed, “more than 20 people have died from the stress of living inside their cars after the Niigata Prefecture Chuetsu Earthquake occurred. As a researcher, I have to make a long-term effort to alleviate the effects of the damage caused by natural disasters.” He continued by emphasizing that “the readily available support of engineers is essential for the rapid reconstruction required in disaster areas.” It has been such feelings as these that have led to the foundation of the Non-Profit Organization called “Doctors Without Borders.” This organization sends a group of civil engineers and architectural engineers to domestic and international disaster areas to ensure the minimization of the impact of damage caused by any natural calamity.

As expressed by Dr. Hamada, “when we give support in a disaster area, we should conduct functional activities together with other relevant organizations and NPOs. I am going to make this organization one that everyone can join as an individual independently of whether they are researchers, building workers, or students.” He goes on to state that it is also “important to get support from local NPOs, not just from the government, to ensure that all work can be underway quickly and that detailed assistance can be provided.” According to Dr. Hamada, “the Japanese Government should not just cast funds as ODA. It should financially back the NPOs so that they can do an effective job in dealing with natural disasters. I will be considering ways to ensure that the coordination with the Government is effective.”

“The Student-group ‘WASEND’ is to put ‘disaster prevention education’ into practice in Indonesia”

Disaster prevention education is one of the main activities of “Doctors Without Borders.” Teaching materials required for such education to proceed have been in use in Japan's schools in accordance with “the disaster power” program. People in developing countries do not have the knowledge and understanding of natural disasters required to relieve their fears or to take steps to help prevent the damage caused by natural disasters.

Dr. Hamada was made keenly aware of the need for education when he visited the disaster area of the Sumatra earthquake that occurred a year ago. He spoke to students about this need and soon thereafter, the student volunteer organization called the “Waseda University Disaster Prevention Educational Support Meeting,” abbreviated as WASEND, was formed. Its members are mainly students in the Department of Social and Environmental Engineering in the Faculty of Science and Engineering. Last September they visited schools in Banda-Ache in Sumatra with Dr. Hamada and students from Kyoto University. Disaster prevention education was thus made available to some 3,000 children using teaching materials such as original picture-books, translated into Indonesian, and appropriately designed quizzes.

After that, WASEND presented its program at elementary and junior high schools in Tokyo. And then, last March, they visited Indonesia again to continue providing disaster prevention education. Dr. Hamada has said of their efforts that “to continue acting locally on site is important for disaster prevention education. Activities of WASEND are really effective for two reasons. One is that they can understand what local children feel because they were children themselves not long ago. The other reason is that they as future engineers, they are moved to contribute to society in ways that broaden their outlook.”

“Being an engineer who makes things by the sweat of one's brow for the advancement of society”

Dr. Hamada has applied technologies at the cutting edge of a commercial company's work. Therefore, he wants students to experience the practical application of their studies. As Dr. Hamada has said, “engineers and researchers of the future always have to consider how they can contribute to the advancement of society. I offer opportunities to students that enable them to study living technologies applied in the real world.” In particular, he goes on to say, “civil engineers who are going to play a leading role in the future should have not only specialized knowledge, but also, among other things, a wide knowledge of nature, the environment, and the economy. Civil engineering and construction are technologies that relate to human lives. Thus, I want students to acquire a positive attitude towards contributing to their society and making things by the sweat of their brows while they are students.”

[Diagram 1] Activities of “Engineers without Borders” Supporting the Recovery of Areas Destroyed by Natural Disasters “Engineers without Borders” will provide support that will help the rapid recovery of areas damaged or destroyed by natural disasters. In doing this, they will give advice concerning damaged housing, buildings, bridges, and harbor facilities. They will assess the safety of continuing to use certain structures that are damaged and prepare proposals for repairing damaged buildings. Furthermore, they will provide suggestions to civilians and governments concerning the general reconstruction of damaged areas. Disseminating Techniques to Assist in Reducing Damage Brought on by Natural Disasters “Engineers without Borders” will arrange teaching sessions and draw up pamphlets that educate people about ways to reinforce and diagnose the security and integrity of the structures required for housing, buildings, and various infrastructures on which societies depend, such as industrial and medical facilities. Disaster Prevention Education “Engineers without Borders” will prepare educational materials concerned with learning about disaster prevention and translate existing educational materials into all the relevant languages. In addition, they will increase the number of activities that provide training for teachers on the subject of disaster prevention. Advocating International Disaster Prevention Research Natural disasters, such as earthquakes, storms, and floods cause damage that presents problems that are common to many countries. With the participation of universities, as well as public and private research organizations, and with academic society as a whole at the core of its activities, “Engineers without Borders” will advocate and campaign for a more internationalized research program on disaster prevention. For this purpose, mutual exchange between overseas students and researchers will be organized through international meetings. [Diagram 2] Engineers without Borders and Other Cooperating Organizations

Participating in Disaster Prevention at Banda Aceh Master of Science and Engineering Second-year student Sachiko Tsukasawa A WASEND Representative, The education using the poster of disaster prevention Exchanges between children and Ms. Tsukasawa (She is in the right of the back row ) Even nine months after the tsunami, there is relatively little reconstruction going on. The prevailing attitude has become such that it now seems normal for debris to be lying all around, with the majority of people forced to live in tents. When we showed a Japanese animation film concerned with the effects of tsunamis, several children with tears in their eyes asked: “How come you did not teach us about this sooner?” Such remarks made us see clearly how deeply hurt these people were about the neglect they had suffered. We tried to teach them the most basic things a person could do in order to prevent disaster. But, as things turned out, we were also taught by the children that we must learn how to comprehend and think the way they do about the prospects of natural disasters.