PEER

1
PEERs Qualities Values toEducation, Research
ProfessionGreg Deierlein, Stanford
Universityand the PEER Research Committee
PEER Institutional Board Meeting Oct. 9, 2007
2
PEERs Identity, Mission and Uniqueness

• PEERs mission is to develop and disseminate
  performance-based earthquake engineering (PBEE)
  technology for design and evaluation of
  buildings, lifelines, and infrastructure to meet
  the diverse seismic performance objectives of
  individual stakeholders and society.
• Primary focus has been developing a
  performance-based framework methodology together
  with knowledge and enabling technologies to
  implement PBEE in engineering practice.
• Special focus on issues that are central to the
  western U.S., extended to the Pacific Rim through
  international collaborations, with lessons
  learned applied to other regions.
• Development, maintenance and dissemination of
  on-line information and simulation technologies
  (NGA-ground motion database, OpenSees, Column
  Database).
• Education fostered through research and
  activities for graduate, undergraduate and K-12
  students
• Values and promotes interdisciplinary
  collaboration among researchers, engineers and
  other stakeholders

3
Added value that PEER brings to research sponsors?

• Track record for successfully carrying out
  innovative and quality research spanning from
  fundamental knowledge to practical applications,
  including broad review (and consensus)
• Ability to engage and coordinate research
  participants from leading institutions and
  organizations
• Problem driven research for PEER sponsors (e.g.
  lifeline program) that capitalizes on fundamental
  research knowledge
• Working partners -- sponsor involvement in
  shaping research directions, and access to
  findings across PEER projects
• Management of grants and contracts to
  subcontractors from universities and industry
• Preparation and dissemination of information
  through reports, workshops, and on-line resources

4
Opportunities benefits to faculty PIs and
students?

• Opportunities for meaningful impacts on research
  and practice through large multi-disciplinary and
  collaborative teams
• Ability to form research teams comprising
  expertise not readily available for individual
  initiated proposals
• Ability to attract and manage funding for large
  (multi-institution) projects that would otherwise
  be unavailable to individual PIs
• Ability to attract California state funding
• Unique education and mentoring opportunities for
  student researchers to interact with faculty from
  other universities and leading industry
  professionals
• Access and training to research software tools
  and technologies (OpenSees, NGA database, etc.)
• Technology transfer resources, including reports
  series, internet resources, etc.

5
How does PEER differentiate itself from other
organizations and centers (e.g., CUREE, ATC,
EERI, SCEC, other centers)?

• PEER is unique by virtue of its well focused
  mission on research in support of
  performance-based engineering and design
• Focus on international collaboration with broad
  participation and relevance to Pacific Rim
  countries
• Focus on fundamental and applied research aimed
  at providing solutions to important engineering
  problems
• Strong ties and institutional support from the
  state of California
• Direct access to a select group of some of the
  top researchers in earthquake engineering, and
  established working relations among them.

6
Role and responsibilities of PEERs governing
board

• Representation of affiliated institutions so as
  to maintain strong institutional ties
  (multi-institutional research collaboration) and
  engender trust and support among affiliated
  institutions and individuals
• Develops, maintains, and implements policies for
  soliciting research funding and assembling
  research teams to conduct the projects
• Promotes the Center activities to the broader
  engineering community of users and research
  sponsors
• Advisory oversight functions not formal
  oversight, but important advisory role and
  conduit to campuses
• FORMAT AND MAKE UP OF FUTURE BOARD?
• Elected board of directors with advisory
  oversight
• Research executive group appointed by PEER
  director comprised of PIs or CoPIs on major PEER
  research activities small info sharing and
  coordinating group
• Brain Trust more or less ad hoc group appointed
  by PEER director as kitchen cabinet

7
Future directions for PEER 5 to 10 years out

• Opportunities to extend performance-based
  engineering and design concepts for other hazards
  and conditions
• Apply performance-based approaches to accelerate
  development and adoption of new structural
  materials, devices and systems
• Greater focus on infrastructure systems,
  including socio-economic and policy aspects
• Dramatically enhanced information simulation
  technologies open source, but developed and
  maintained by PEER