Vancouver Institute

EARTHQUAKE ENGINEERING AND THE FUTURE OF REINFORCED CONCRETE STRUCTURES

When: Where: P.A. Woodward Instructional Resources Centre, UBC’s Point Grey Campus, 2194 Health Sciences Mall, Vancouver.

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Dr. Lisa Tobber

Assistant Professor, Civil, School of Engineering, UBC-Okanagan

Dr. Tobber specializes in sustainable structural design and seismic resilience, developing systems for mid-rise and high-rise buildings that enable low-damage responses to major natural disasters and the climate crisis. Dr. Tobber leads the Build Better Cluster (BBC) research group, dedicated to advancing innovative construction materials and methods, particularly in precast concrete systems, to improve building safety and seismic performance. As the Principal’s Research Chair in Resilient Buildings, Dr. Tobber collaborates closely with industry and government agencies to generate practical, evidence-based solutions that enhance the sustainability and resilience of urban infrastructure. Her work is helping to set new standards in engineering practices in Canada and internationally. Dr. Tobber is also a champion for female engineers as the Principal’s Research Chair in Women in Engineering.

Previous lecture

CHASING SHADOWS: CYBER ESPIONAGE, SUBVERSION AND THE GLOBAL FIGHT FOR DEMOCRACY

Ronald Deibert is a global expert in digital technology, security, and human rights, known for his groundbreaking work on cyber security. His latest book, Reset: Reclaiming the Internet for Civil Society (2020), based on his Massey lectures, won the 2021 Shaughnessy Cohen Prize for Political Writing. He is also the author of Black Code: Surveillance, Privacy, and the Dark Side of The Internet (2013), along with numerous influential articles, chapters, and reports on internet censorship, surveillance, and cybersecurity. Dr. Diebert’s work has earned prestigious honours, including the University of Toronto’s President’s Impact Award (2017), Foreign Policy’s Global Thinker Award (2017), the Electronic Frontier Foundation Pioneer Award (2015), the Neil Postman Award for Career Achievement in Public Intellectual Activity (2014), and the Advancement of Intellectual Freedom in Canada Award from the Canadian Library Association (2014). He co-founded and was a principal investigator of the OpenNet Initiative and Information Warfare Monitor projects.

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HOW DOES DISINFORMATION AFFECT DEMOCRACY?

Dr. Heidi Tworek’s research examines the history and policy of communications, focusing on how new media technologies impact democracy. Her interest in democracy was spurred by writing her prize-winning book, News from Germany: The Competition to Control World Communications, 1900-1945 (2019). Dr. Tworek’s insights have been featured in major outlets including The New York Times, Foreign Affairs, Washington Post, The Atlantic, Politico, The Globe & Mail, The Financial Times, and CNN. She also contributes a monthly column for the Centre for International Governance Innovation, where she is a senior fellow. Additionally, she is a non-resident fellow at both the German Marshall Fund of the United States and the Canadian Global Affairs Institute. Dr. Tworek co-edits the Journal of Global History and is a member of the Royal Society of Canada’s New College of Scholars, Artists and Scientists.