Dr. Hideki "Kit" Miyamoto (born 1963)[1] is a Japanese American structural engineer known for being the founder-CEO of Miyamoto International, a global structural engineering and disaster risk reduction organization.[4][5] He is also the chairman of California's Alfred E. Alquist Seismic Safety Commission, which investigates earthquakes and recommends policies for risk reduction.[6]
Dr. Hideki "Kit" Miyamoto | |
---|---|
Born | 1963 (age 60–61) Tokyo, Japan |
Nationality | American, Japanese |
Education | Ph.D from Tokyo Institute of Technology,[1] MS and BS from California State University[2] |
Occupation | Seismic safety professional[3] |
Known for | Miyamoto International, Earthquake disaster response |
Early life and education edit
Miyamoto was born and raised in Tokyo and studied earthquake engineering from the Tokyo Institute of Technology and California State University. He lives in Los Angeles.[7]
Career edit
Miyamoto started his career in structural engineering[2] and later focused on disaster resiliency, response and reconstruction.[8] He provides policy consultation to the World Bank, USAID, UN agencies, governments and private sector. He has led teams of professionals on response and reconstruction projects after the 2008 Sichuan earthquake,[1] 2010 Haiti earthquake,[9][10] 2011 Japan earthquake, 2015 Nepal earthquake,[11] 2020 Puerto Rico earthquakes[12] and other seismic risk reduction programs along with disaster risk mitigation policy work.[13]
Miyamoto was elected as a chair of the California Seismic Safety Commission in October 2020. He has formerly served as a seismic safety commissioner for eight years where he has advocated for increased resiliency in California.[14]
Innovations edit
Dr. Miyamoto was responsible for the seismic retrofit of the Theme Building, an iconic Space Age structure at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). The innovative retrofit consisted of adding a tuned mass damper (TMD) to the top of the building’s core. The TMD option was selected because it was less expensive, protected the building’s architectural features, and minimized building closure.[15] This was the first time this retrofit had been achieved in the United States.[16]
Awards and recognition edit
Year | Award | Institution or Publication |
---|---|---|
2022 | Most Admired CEO | Sacramento Business Journal |
2015 | Humanitarian Award | American Society of Civil Engineers of Sacramento |
2013 | G. Brooks Earnest (GBE) Award | American Society of Civil Engineers |
2013 | 1st Annual Business Innovation & Economic Development Award | Haiti Renewal Alliance |
2012 | Allied Professions Honor Award | American Institute of Architects California Council |
2012 | Distinguished Alumni | California State University, Sacramento |
2011 | Distinguished Alumni | California State University, Chico |
2011 | Fellow | American Society of Civil Engineers |
2011 | Frederik W. Panhorst Structural Engineering Award | American Society of Civil Engineers |
2011 | Top 25 Newsmakers | ENR |
2011 | Alfred E. Alquist California Seismic Safety Commissioner | Seismic Safety Commission |
2011 | Community Service Award | Sacramento Asian Pacific Chamber of Commerce |
2011 | Jerry Allen Courage in Leadership Award | ZweigWhite |
Publications edit
- Seismic Risk Assessment and Retrofit of School Buildings In Developing Countries Los Angeles, California, 2018.
- Seismic Collapse Probability of Structures with Viscous Dampers per ASCE 7–16: Effect of Large Earthquake Los Angeles, California, 2018.
- Damage Assessment and Seismic Retrofit of Heritage and Modern Buildings in the Aftermath of 2015 Nepal Earthquake Los Angeles, California, 2018.
- Design of Structures with Dampers per ASCE 7–16 and Performance for Large Earthquakes Houston, Texas, 2018.
- Cost-Effective Seismic Isolation Retrofit of Heritage Cathedrals in Haiti Santiago, Chile, 2017.
- Transparent Global Earthquake Risk And Loss Estimation Tokyo, Japan, 2013.
Media edit
Major media such as CNN,[17] LA Times,[18] NY Times[19] and Rolling Stone[20] have mentioned, represented, or interviewed him. He was also featured in the “Designing for Disaster” exhibit at the National Building Museum.[21]
References edit
- ^ a b c Emblin, Richard (August 14, 2017). "Miyamoto: Making Bogotá seismically more secure". The City Paper Bogotá.
- ^ a b van der Meer, Ben (December 5, 2014). "H. Kit Miyamoto: Quake expert picks up the pieces". Sacramento Business Journal.
- ^ Lin, Rong-Gong (October 4, 2017). "In this Mexican town broken by an earthquake, hope rises". Los Angeles Times.
- ^ Staff (July 17, 2017). "Miyamoto brings its earthquake expertise to seismic Colombia". The City Paper Bogotá.
- ^ Ashbrook, Tom (April 19, 2016). "Preparing For The Next Deadly Earthquake". www.wbur.org.
- ^ Berardi, Erica (October 29, 2020). "Kit Miyamoto Is Named Chair of California's Seismic Safety Commission". Engineering News-Record.
- ^ Fountain, Henry (March 25, 2011). "Extent of Damage to Japan's Infrastructure Still Unclear". The New York Times.
- ^ Pardo, Daniela (June 4, 2018). "How prepared is Sacramento to receive evacuees after a natural disaster?". American Broadcasting Company 10.
- ^ Reitman, Janet (August 4, 2011). "Beyond Relief: How the World Failed Haiti". Rolling Stone.
- ^ Kurczy, Stephen (November 4, 2010). "Haiti's tent cities to bear worst of potential hurricane Tomas". Christian Science Monitor.
- ^ Staff (November 30, 2015). "Miyamoto stresses on technology, change and modification". The Himalayan Times.
- ^ Florido, Adrian (January 17, 2020). "Earthquake-Stricken Puerto Ricans Seek Engineers To Inspect The Safety Of Their Homes". WFAE.
- ^ Malkin, Elisabeth (October 5, 2017). "In Mexico City, Pressure to Prepare for the Next Big Earthquake (Published 2017)". The New York Times.
- ^ Carothers, Luke (October 27, 2020). "Dr. Kit Miyamoto Elected as a Chair of California Seismic Safety Commission". Civil + Structural Engineer magazine.
- ^ (PDF) Seismic Retrofit of a Landmark Structure Using a Mass Damper: (PDF) Seismic Retrofit of a Landmark Structure Using a Mass Damper, accessdate: March 2, 2022
- ^ lawa.org/news-releases/2010/news-release-33: lawa.org/news-releases/2010/news-release-33, accessdate: March 2, 2022
- ^ CNN.com: Haiti trying to avoid past mistakes as rebuilding begins – CNN.com, accessdate: March 2, 2022
- ^ Los Angeles Times: Heading inside a quake-damaged hospital in Mexico – Los Angeles Times, accessdate: March 2, 2022
- ^ The New York Times: Japan’s Strict Codes and Drills Are Seen as Lifesavers – The New York Times, accessdate: March 2, 2022
- ^ Rolling Stone: Beyond Relief: How the World Failed Haiti – Rolling Stone, accessdate: March 2, 2022
- ^ Blog: Designing for Disaster – Blog, accessdate: March 2, 2022