JEDDAH — Dr. Hamad Al Ayed delivered an incisive lecture on the need for strong structures that could resist earthquakes. He was speaking at the Indian Engineers Forum, Jeddah chapter, that organized a seminar on earthquake engineering here. The seminar was the quarterly event that's organized by IEF Jeddah chapter. Building structures that are quake-resistant was the core message of Dr. Hamad's lecture. He explained how the earthquakes, which are not predicable, occur, and then stressed on the need and the purpose of designing building structures in such a way to minimize the damages — mainly to human life and property. He also explained, providing pictorial examples of previous earthquakes, the behavior of structures under earthquake excitation and precautions that need to be taken while designing structures to protect them from seismic shocks. The program started with recitation of verses from the Holy Qur'an by Muazzam Sayeed, chairman IT subcommittee. Mir Ateequr Rahman, vice president (executive), welcomed all the guests and members. Mustafa Khan, vice president (admin), highlighted the aims and objectives of the forum and invited new engineers to join the forum to improve their talents and skills through interaction. Faiyaz Ahmed, senior executive of Maytas, appreciated the activities of IEF and described Dr. Hamad's lecture as thought-provoking and instructive. He added that engineers will benefit from this lecture that is sure to enhance their skills. President of the forum Mohammed Sayeeduddin too appreciated the presentation of Dr. Hamad. “The lecture on such a useful topic must be beneficial to all,” he said, adding all attendees need to sharpen their skills by attending such seminars and get certified according to the requirement of the current era. He announced the commencement of PMP and primavera courses in the first week of April and requested engineers to register their names for these courses by sending their names to email id: [email protected] Nayeem Qureshi, chairman of civil subcommittee, introduced the guest, while Syed Nasir Khursheed, general secretary of the forum, anchored the program. Syed Fazal Ul Haq, vice president PR, proposed the vote of thanks. On behalf of IEF, he expressed deep sense of appreciation to Dr. Hamad for his excellent lecture on the topic. — SG
