Start of operation of the Institute of Natural Hazards Engineering of the Ionian University in Lixouri
The Institute of Natural Hazards Engineering of the Ionian University of Kefalonia officially began operating on February 22, 2023. Its seat is Lixouri, the physical academic seat of this new research structure which is part of the University Research and Innovation Center of the Foundation.
The Ionian University, taking into account the high exposure of the Ionian Islands to multiple forms of natural hazards, such as earthquakes and extreme weather events and combining the scientific action and expertise already possessed by members of its Teaching and Research Staff and the synergies they have developed at the national level with agencies with competence in the field of civil protection and natural disasters, proceeded as early as March 2022 in the preparation and approval of the foundation plan of the new Institute. He also allocated resources for the staffing of the new structure and their accommodation in the premises of the Valliani Vocational School in Lixouri.
Due to its special nature, the establishment of the Institute is the result of many months of effort and the interdisciplinary cooperation of Laboratories and Professors of the Ionian University with different but complementary fields of research interest. The Institute of Natural Hazards Engineering has as its main mission the development of infrastructures for the systematic monitoring of critical parameters and quantities associated with the creation of natural hazards and the resulting disasters. The goal is to make it possible, on the one hand, to predict the intensity of the manifestation of dangerous natural phenomena, and on the other hand, to help their management based on modern scientific methodologies. The individual objectives of the Institute include the development of basic and applied research and the transfer of know-how and technology in the field of infrastructure development for forecasting and management of natural hazards, the utilization of research results with priority in the Region of the Ionian Islands, and the contribution to the social, economic, energy and environmental policy primarily of the region, but also of the country.
By decision of the Senate, Associate Professor of the Informatics Department of the Ionian University Markos Avlonitis has been appointed Director of the Institute.
At the start of the relevant press conference in Lixouri, the Rector of the Ionian University, Professor Andreas Floros, referred to the course of the plan and the official establishment of the Institute in March 2022, to the practical support of its operation by the Ionian University with the provision of potential and building infrastructure, and in the general context of its research and operational function, with an emphasis on the benefits in the field of further shielding the Ionian Islands Region from natural hazards and disasters. During his installation, the Rector also commented on the choice of the city of Lixouri as the seat of the Institute, stating that «Lixouri is often the epicenter of natural disasters. The Ionian University, with the establishment of the Institute of Natural Hazards Engineering, makes it the center for the prevention and treatment of the consequences of dangerous natural phenomena in purely scientific terms, as well as the point of contact with national bodies and an institutional role in the field of disaster forecasting and management ». Lixouri will be a strong research pole, with a permanent academic presence and research activity, which will include, in addition to purely research activities, the operation of postgraduate study programs, the organization of conferences and summer schools, but also the education of citizens on issues protection from natural disasters.
Afterwards, the President of the Board of Directors of the University Research and Innovation Center of the Ionian University, Professor Panagiotis Vlamos, spoke about the three axes around which the development of the University Research Center revolves: the interdisciplinary nature of the research carried out by each institute, the employment of new notable researchers coming from the Ionian University and above all the sustainability that must be ensured by the application of the results of each institute.
In turn, the Director of the new Institute, Assoc. Professor Markos Avlonitis noted that “the new Institute is expected to attract a significant number of scientists and young researchers from all over the world. There are already important collaborations with National Bodies, such as the Geodynamic Institute of Athens, ELKETHE, OASP, the National Meteorological Service, but also national and international universities in matters concerning Natural Hazards, such as earthquakes, landslides, floods and fires».
Finally, the Institutional Coordinator of Digital Transformation of the Ionian University, Professor Konstantinos Oikonomou, referred to the use of new technologies both for research activities and for the support of training activities, seminars and communication with the Greek and international scientific community.As he said “on the one hand artificial intelligence that offers opportunities to enrich research and on the other hand modern remote access technologies will give the necessary impetus to the initial steps of this important effort and will support the continuation of the course of the Institute that is established today’.
The press conference was also attended by the Professors of the Foundation who contributed decisively to the planning and establishment of the new Institute, Mr. Dionysis Katerelos and Nikolaos Aravantinos-Zafiris, who then guided the attendees through the facilities of the research structure and the equipment that has already been developed and will immediately be used for the preparation of the first seismic studies.
