Prof. Gretchen Kalonji, Dean of Sichuan University-Hong Kong Polytechnic University Institute for Disaster Management and Reconstruction (IDMR), China

Gretchen Kalonji is an American scientist and academic administrator. She is Dean of Sichuan University-Hong Kong Polytechnic University Institute for Disaster Management and Reconstruction. Kalonji was previously the assistant Director-General for Natural Sciences at UNESCO. She is a graduate of Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), USA and obtained her D.Phil. on Materials Science and Engineering. Link

Lecture title: Innovations in Undergraduate Education: Design of a New Major in Integrated Disaster Sciences and Management addressed the following topics:

• Why was this topic chosen and how is it related to the strategic development of our Institute for Disaster Management and Reconstruction (IDMR)?
• Comparison of the emerging field of "disaster sciences" with the historical evolution of the field of "materials science" - lessons and ongoing challenges; and details of the design for a new undergraduate major in "Integrated Disaster Sciences and Management"
• Prospects for international collaboration in a research-based, interdisciplinary undergraduate program