VSU civil eng faculty reaps best presenter award in int’l disaster management confab

Engr. John Christian L. Gaviola, a faculty member of the VSU Department of Civil Engineering, is accorded the Best Presenter Award during the 4th International Conference on Disaster Management (ICDM) 2024 at Universitas Andalas in Indonesia.

He left a strong impression after presenting his paper at the ICDM, a conference that gathers disaster management experts and scholars to share research, exchange ideas, and build professional networks.

Engr. Gaviola presented his paper on the “Evaluation of Critical Factors for Typhoon-Triggered Landslides and Subsequent Debris Flow in the Philippines Using Physically Based Models,” which impressed the audience with its comprehensive approach to examining dynamic processes leading to landslides. 

This paper is co-authored by Dr. Geoff Chao, the Head of the Department of Civil and Infrastructure Engineering at the Asian Institute of Technology (AIT), and Dr. Jannet C. Bencure, the Dean of the College of Engineering and Technology at VSU.

His research focused on the Kantagnos Landslide in Baybay City, Leyte, caused by Typhoon Megi in 2022, employing advanced physically-based models to assess how prolonged rainfall affected slope stability and triggered debris flow. The study’s innovative approach led to more accurate hazard zone mapping in landslide-prone areas, which is crucial for disaster preparedness.

He shared that it was the second output of the landslide research project presented at an international conference.

“This is already the second conference paper presented at an international conference as part of our collaborative landslide research project. The first one was authored and presented by our colleague, Mr. Charlino S. Torrion, at the Japan Geoscience Union (JpGU) Meeting 2024 early this year in Chiba, Japan. I’m excited for what lies ahead and confident that this is just the beginning of many more efforts as we strive to make a lasting impact on the disaster resilience of our region,” Engr. Gaviola said.

The project is funded by VSU’s Internationalization Program, which aims to advance geotechnical research and improve disaster risk management in Eastern Visayas.

Engr. Gaviola highlighted that the findings from this research can contribute to disaster risk reduction and management by providing a foundation to develop more accurate hazard maps, early warning systems, land-use policies, and disaster preparedness strategies for typhoon-vulnerable regions like Leyte.

The study was a collaborative effort between VSU and the AIT, with part of the research conducted in Thailand and the rest at VSU. 

According to Engr. Gaviola, the research serves as one of the benchmark studies of the research project titled "Development of a Coupled Geotechnical-Hydrometeorological Framework in the Analysis and Risk Management of Soil Slope and Embankment Failures in Leyte, Philippines," which is part of the ongoing collaboration between VSU and AIT. 

“The success of this initiative underscores the importance of international collaboration in addressing the growing impacts of climate-related hazards,” he remarked.

[This article aligns with Sustainable Development Goals No: 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities), 13 (Climate Action), and 17 (Partnership for the Goals).]

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