event
Wednesday 10 Jun 2015: While Waiting For The Next Flood
Prof Slobodan Djordjevic - University of Exeter
Frank Oliver Recital Hall, Kay House Duryard 17:30-20:30
Part of the Inspiring Science series.
Recent flood events have caused deaths, displacement of people and have had enormous (mostly adverse) direct and indirect impacts. Projections of climate change and of urban growth indicate that the frequency and intensity of floods will increase in many regions, especially in big cities. The complexities of natural, technological and socio-economic aspects of flooding make it a fascinating and essential research subject. How do we simulate the flow in drainage networks and between buildings? If we forecast rainfall over the next three hours or next three decades, what can we predict based on such forecasts? What's the probability that a child playing in flood water mixed with raw sewage will catch a diarrhoeal disease? How can deterministic and probabilistic modelsbe merged intelligently? How can resilience to extreme weather events of different kind be evaluated in an integrated manner? How should we educate students, politicians and the public? The challenges to answering the above questions will be discussed in this talk.Research on flooding and playing music both require imaginative and technical skills. Disasters bring misery and stress, whereas art makes our lives rich. After the inaugural lecture, Professor Djordjevi? will perform some of his favourite jazz, classical and film music.
Professor Slobodan Djordjevic joined University of Exeter in 2002 and was appointed as Professor of Hydraulic Engineering at CEMPS in 2012. He graduated from University of Belgrade with degrees in Civil Engineering and his interests are in the development and application of advanced tools for simulation, design and management of water systems and all aspects of urban flooding. Slobodan was the coordinator of the FP7 CORFU consortium and he organised and co-chaired the ICFR conference. He is currently working on five RCUK projects, two KTPs, two EU consortia and several international collaboration schemes
