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Special Sessions

InfluEnCInG ouTCoME of DISASTERS SPECIAl SESSIon RESEARCH VISIon BY fEDERAl AGEnCIES SPECIAl SESSIon
Thursday, october 29, 2015 Thursday, october 29, 2015
Elijah Pierce B 10:00am–12:00pm Elijah Pierce B 1:30pm–3:30pm

Speaker Speakers
Amit Ghosh Jordan M. Berg and Alex leonessa
City of Columbus, Ohio National Science Foundation
“The NSF CMMI Dynamics, Control and System Diagnostics Program”
Abstract
Abstract
What did the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, the fires in the large garment
factories in Bangladesh and the spread of Ebola in West Africa have in Several NSF programs support fundamental research in dynamic systems
common? In all cases, the people impacted did not believe or find that the and control, each with a distinct mission. Understanding the goals and
authorities, whether public or private, were capable of meeting their resources of these different programs will help find the best match for a
immediate or longer-term needs. Consequently, such perceptions and proposed project. This talk will describe the Dynamics, Control and
biases led to collective behavior or ‘herding’ with devastating outcomes. System Diagnostics (DCSD) program in the Division of Civil, Mechanical
When a large number of people have a high commitment either to activity and Manufacturing Innovation. We will review the topics of interest to the
or to inactivity, it becomes important that an equilibrium or pareto-frontier DCSD program, the types of grants that are available, opportunities to
solution is adopted and the resources are allocated accordingly. Recent serve on review panels, and alternatives to DCSD within NSF. A question
advances in the analysis and modelling of movement of people especially and answer session will follow the presentation.
in building fires have established the decision-making process that an
individual or a group undergoes before reacting to an imminent danger.
Like any dynamic system, emergency management for any disaster,
evolves with time in terms of scale, needed inputs and desired outputs.
Engineers today have the capability to influence the outputs by
establishing protocols for sharing of information among the stakeholders.
Since many disasters such as Hurricanes, Floods, Tornadoes and the
outbreak of a Disease are preceded by warnings; engineers can model
and influence the possible outcomes of such an event and assist the
authorities in taking timely and proportionate actions.
Biography

Amit Ghosh has recently become the Chief Building Official for the City of
Columbus, Ohio. Amit and a staff of 73 are responsible to ensure that more
than $1 Billion worth of construction per year in the City of Columbus is
completed in accordance with the Building and Fire Codes. In 2008, Amit
became the Chief Building Official and Floodplain Administrator for the
City of Cincinnati. He has training in Multi-Agency Disaster Management
and Continuity of Operations (Co-Op) procedures. He also has incident
management experience in a major flood event. Amit was a member of
the Drafting Committee for the International Code Council Performance
Code for Buildings and Facilities; first published in 2001 by the
International Code Council (ICC) and now in its fourth edition. He was also
in the group of authors for The Code Official’s Guide to Performance-
Based Design Review; published in 2004 by the Society of Fire Protection
Engineers (SFPE). Amit received his Bachelor’s degree from the Indian
Institute of Technology (IIT), Kharagpur, in 1977 and MSc from the
University of Cincinnati 1983. He has been a Registered Professional
Engineer in Ohio since 1988.

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