Natural disasters making an impact on UC curriculum

Published by the Communications and Development Department

 

30 November 2004

Preventing deaths and reducing the economic and social impacts of natural disasters is the focus of new post-graduate hazard and disaster management programmes at the University of Canterbury.

UC will be just the second university in the country to offer such programmes, which will be available to diploma, honours, masters and PhD science students from next year.

 

Dr Tim Davies (Geological Sciences) says natural disasters of any kind demonstrate a country’s vulnerability.

 

“Recent natural disasters in New Zealand have demonstrated the need for professionals who understand the behaviours of both hazards and human beings in order to mitigate the effects of inevitable future disasters,” he says.

 

“These programmes are designed to equip students to contribute to reducing deaths and costs, at a range of levels from researching the underlying causes of disasters to improving recovery from a disaster on the ground.”

 

Dr Davies says society’s demand for adequate protection from natural disasters is a severe challenge to authorities, given that New Zealand has some of the most active landscapes in the world.

 

He says adequate hazard and disaster management is also an issue facing many of New Zealand’s neighbouring countries, where growth has led to development of areas which have little natural protection from hazards.

 

The new programmes at Canterbury University will involve local and international experts such as Professor Bill McGuire, of the Benfield Greig Hazard Research Centre in London, who will spend three months at the University’s Natural Hazards Research Centre next year.

 

 

For further information please contact:
Dr Tim Davies
03 364-2987 ext 7502
tim.davies@canterbury.ac.nz