CCEE Ph.D. student Cristina Lorenzo-Velázquez received an honorable mention for the 2023-2024 Earthquake Engineering Research Institute (EERI)/Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program (NEHRP) Graduate Fellowship. She will receive a registration grant to attend the 2024 EERI Annual Meeting.

“Our committee reviewed an extraordinary field of highly qualified applicants this year and was very impressed with your academic record, research accomplishments, alignment of your work with the mission of EERI, leadership potential, extracurricular activities that contribute to reducing earthquake risks, and your planned path forward in the field of earthquake risk reduction,” wrote Trevor Carey, an assistant professor for the Department of Civil Engineering at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver.  

Lorenzo-Velázquez is advised by Assistant Professor Ashly Cabas. Her research is focused on integrating the effects of local soil conditions into probabilistic seismic hazard assessments of water supply distribution systems — specifically, when the damage concentration in areas prone to ground motion amplification is variable within a region because local soil conditions vary between different locations, which has been seen in past earthquakes. 

“We could not be more proud of Cristina’s efforts to advance the field of earthquake engineering while building community everywhere she goes,” Cabas said. “I feel very fortunate to learn from her everyday.”