Alpine Valley & HazNETH PhD-Workshop on Natural Hazards

September 21, 2005 Saas Tal, Canton of Valais

Switzerland is exposed to a variety of natural hazards, especially in its mountainous regions. The assessment of the risks related to these hazards requires an interdisciplinary approach, as the processes involved typically fall into different research areas.

To foster interdisciplinary work on natural hazards at ETH, a PhD workshop was held in Saas Grund. Presentations were made by 16 different PhD students, covering a broad range of topics and approaches related to the understanding, modeling and assessment of natural hazards, as well as the optimal planning of mitigation actions.

The workshop was a success, mainly due to the high level of motivation among the participants. Discussions were initiated during the presentations, but even more so during the breaks as well as after the workshop; the very high quality of the presentations provided the basis for doing so. It is believed that the scientific curiosity and interest demonstrated by the participants, as well as the identified links between the different projects, will give rise to further communication and interaction beyond the workshop.

For some of the participants the workshop ended only the day after with the trip to the Britanniahütte on the top of the Kleinen Allalin.

Download the list of abstracts

Download the program of the workshop

Workshop chairmen:
Prof. Dr. H.E. Minor
Prof. Dr. M.H. Faber

Workshop organization:
Dr. Daniel Straub

More Photos( by Kazuyoshi Nishijima and Jochen Breschan)