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International SSPEED Conference
Urban and Coastal Flooding: Building a Resilient Future
October 12 & 13, 2023

Day 1            Thursday, October 12, 2023

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8:00 - 8:30           REGISTRATION & COFFEE (THE COMMONS)

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INTRO                  Welcome and Overview

8:30 - 8:45           Philip Bedient, Director, SSPEED Center & Professor, Rice University

8:45 - 9:00           Luay Nakhleh, Dean of Engineering, Rice University

9:00 - 9:15           Reginald DesRoches, President, Rice University

 

SESSION I.           How Do We Build a Flood Resilient Future

9:15 - 9:35            A Resilient Future in the Time of Climate Change

                              Philip Bedient, Director, SSPEED Center & Professor, Rice University

9:35 - 9:55            Challenges and Opportunities for the Implementation of Flood Resilience: Reflections from England

                              Sally Priest, Professor, Flood Hazard Research Centre, Middlesex University

9:55 - 10:15          Harnessing Nature for a Flood Resilient Future

                               Mary Anne Piacentini, President and Chief Executive Officer, Coastal Prairie Conservancy

 

10:15 - 10:35       BREAK (THE COMMONS)

 

KEYNOTE             Towards a Resilient Future with Nature-Based Solutions. Examples from the Netherlands and Beyond

10:35 – 11:00      Petra Dankers, Leading Professional Nature-based solutions, Royal HaskoningDHV

 

SESSION II.           Coastal Protection for Galveston Bay

11:00 – 11:20        Infrastructure for Our Next Century

                               Rob Rogers, FAIA, ROGERS PARTNERS Architects+Urban Designers

11:20 - 11:40        Modeling the Galveston Bay Park Plan for Storm Surge Mitigation

                               Clint Dawson, J.J. McKetta Centennial Energy Chair in Engineering, University of Texas

11:40 – 12:00        Houston Ship Channel Gate Design

                               Charles Penland, Managing Principal, Walter P. Moore and Associates, Inc.

 

12:00 – 1:00          LUNCH (THE COMMONS)

 

KEYNOTE               International Experiences of Megaprojects as Inspiration for Houston-Galveston Bay Area

1:00 – 1:25            Marcel Hertogh, Chair Infrastructure Design and Management, Delft University of Technology

 

SESSION III.          Impact on Future Storms

1:25 - 1:45            Weather Extremes along the Gulf Coast in a Changing Climate

                              Sylvia Dee, Assistant Professor, Rice University

1:45 – 2:05           Tropical Cyclones in a Changing Climate: Climatology, Hazards, and Impacts

                              Avantika Gori, Postdoctoral Researcher, Princeton University

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KEYNOTE             Flood Protection in the Dutch Delta – A Matter of Organization    

2:05 – 2:30          Pieter Janssen, Chief Executive Officer, Water Authority (Hoogheemraadschap) of Delfland

 

2:30 - 2:50           BREAK (THE COMMONS)

 

SESSION IV.         CONCURRENT SESSIONS

                             A.  International Approach to Flood Mitigation (Auditorium)

                                  2:50 – 3:15        International Approach to Flood Risk: The Netherlands

                                                             Baukje “Bee” Kothuis, Chief Representative, NBSO Texas

                                  3:15 – 3:40        Integrated Urban Barrier Design – Opportunities for the Galveston Ring Barrier

                                                             AnneLoes Nillesen, Professor, Delft University of Technology & Founder, Defacto Urbanism

                                  3:40 – 4:00        International Research Education for the Next Generation

                                                             Yoonjeong Lee, Associate Research Scientist, IDRT, TAMUG

                             B.  Meteorology and Climate Change (ACC 108)

                                   2:50 – 3:15        Communicating weather forecasts in an era of frequent extremes

                                                              Matt Lanza, Managing Editor, Space City Weather

                                   3:15 – 3:40         Forecasts of a Warming Climate

                                                               Daniel Cohan, Associate Professor, Rice University

                                   3:40 – 4:00         Development of Design Storms for Large Watersheds in Texas

                                                               David Curtis, Senior Technical Advisor, WEST Consultants, Inc.

 

RECEPTION            Please Join Us for Appetizers & Drinks

4:00 – 5:30             Generously sponsored by AECOM, DEC, Institute for a Disaster Resilient Texas and Walter P. Moore.

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