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][7]
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
editMiyamoto was born and raised in Tokyo and studied earthquake engineering at the Tokyo Institute of Technology and California State University. He lives in Los Angeles.[8]
Career
editMiyamoto started his career in structural engineering[2] and later focused on disaster resiliency, response, and reconstruction.[9] 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,[10][11] 2011 Japan earthquake, 2015 Nepal earthquake,[12] 2020 Puerto Rico earthquakes[13] and other seismic risk reduction programs along with disaster risk mitigation policy work.[14]
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.[15]
Innovations
editDr. 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.[16] This was the first time this retrofit had been achieved in the United States.[17]
Awards and recognitions
edit| Year | Award | Institution or Publication | Distinction |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Award of Excellence[18] | Engineering News Record | Recognition of trajectory in engineering, disaster risk reduction, and post-disaster and post-conflict response across the globa. |
| 2022 | Most Admired CEO[19] | Sacramento Business Journal | Honorees for this award program were nominated by Business Journal readers and staff and chosen through a vote of their peers. |
| 2015 | Humanitarian Award[20] | 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[21] | American Institute of Architects California Council | The award celebrates a member of an allied profession who is committed to enhancing and contributing to the field of architecture and architectural design. |
| 2012 | Distinguished Alumni | California State University, Sacramento | |
| 2011 | Distinguished Alumni | California State University, Chico | |
| 2011 | Fellow | American Society of Civil Engineers | |
| 2011 | Frederick W. Panhorst Structural Engineering Award | American Society of Civil Engineers | |
| 2011 | Top 25 Newsmakers | Engineering News Record | |
| 2011 | Alfred E. Alquist California Seismic Safety Commissioner | Seismic Safety Commission | |
| 2011 | Community Service Award[22] | Sacramento Asian Pacific Chamber of Commerce | |
| 2011 | Jerry Allen Courage in Leadership Award | ZweigWhite |
Earthquake Travels
editDr. Kit Miyamoto provides aid in major earthquake emergencies.
Publications
edit- Haiti earthquake 2021: Findings from the repair and damage assessment of 179,800 buildings, International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction, 2024[23]
- 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
editMajor media such as CNN,[24] LA Times,[25] NY Times[26] and Rolling Stone[27] have mentioned, represented, or interviewed him. He was also featured in the “Designing for Disaster” exhibit at the National Building Museum.[28]
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.
- ^ "Appointed Commissioners & Staff | Seismic Safety Commission". Retrieved June 6, 2024.
- ^ 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
- ^ "Award of Excellence Winner Kit Miyamoto Travels the Globe to Help Countries Rebuild From Disaster | Engineering News-Record". www.enr.com. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
- ^ www.bizjournals.com https://www.bizjournals.com/sacramento/news/2022/01/28/kit-miyamoto-most-admired-ceo-2022-intro.html. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ^ "American Society of Civil Engineers - Sacramento Section - Photo Gallery". asce-sacto.org. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
- ^ "Kit Miyamoto wins AIA Honor Award - Civil + Structural Engineer magazine". https://csengineermag.com/. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
{{cite web}}: External link in|website= - ^ Mike Alvarez (February 3, 2012). Sacramento Asian Pacific Chamber of Commerce 2012 Installation & Awards Banquet Highlights. Retrieved June 18, 2024 – via YouTube.
- ^ Miyamoto, Kit H.; Sechi, Giulia Jole; Victor, Guilaine; St Come, Beverly; Broughton, Mark; Gilani, Amir S. J. (April 17, 2023), Haiti Earthquake 2021: Findings from the Repair and Damage Assessment of 179,800 Buildings (SSRN Scholarly Paper), Rochester, NY, doi:10.2139/ssrn.4421106, SSRN 4421106, retrieved June 6, 2024
{{citation}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ 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