On Saturday, March 1, 2025, the 4th International Alumni Online Seminar on Disaster Prevention and Environment was held, organized by the Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Group (DPMG) of  the Research Center for Local Resilience and co-hosted by the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering,  Faculty of Engineering,  Yamaguchi University.  A total of 58 participants from seven countries- Japan, Indonesia, Timor-Leste, Vietnam, Portugal, USA, and Laos-joined the seminar. The seminar serves as a platform for interaction between current students and alumni who studied at Yamaguchi University and are now active in various countries, particularly in the field of disaster prevention and environmental protection. It also aims to promote the sharing of local-level issues related to disasters  and the environment, and to strengthen international research collaboration toward their solutions.

The seminar consisted of two main sessions: a special session and an oral presentation session by current students and alumni.

The Special Session titled “International Collaboration on Disaster Resilience and Environmental Conservation in Tropical Coastal Peatlands” (Chair: Prof. Takahiro Osawa, Organization for Research Initiatives), featured the following presentations:

･Dr. Sigit Sutikno, Center for Peatland and Disaster Studies (CPDS), University of Riau, Indonesia, introduced the relationship between the groundwater levels and peatland deterioration in Eastern Sumatra.
･Prof. Koichi Yamamoto, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Yamaguchi University, presented on an international collaborative study on coastal peatland disasters and carbon export in Bengkalis Island, Indonesia.
･Prof. Osamu Kozan, the Center for Southeast Asian Studies, Kyoto University, gave a talk on the formation of tidal flats in the northern coastal areas of Riau Province, Indonesia.
･Asst. Prof. Mariko Ogawa, also from the Center for Southeast Asian Studies, Kyoto University, discussed atmospheric and hydro-meteorological observations in tropical peatlands in Indonesia and its practical application to fire prevention.

Following the four presentations, a lively Q&A session was held.

In the oral presentation session by current students and alumni (Chairs: Prof. Shinichiro Nakashima and Prof. Koichi Yamamoto, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Yamaguchi University), a total of eight speakers gave presentations on disaster prevention and environmental topics. These included five international students currently enrolled at Yamaguchi University, two alumni who are actively contributing  in their home countries, and Professor Emeritus Masahiko Sekine, who is currently serving as an advisor for graduate program development at the National University of Timor-Leste. Each presentation was followed by active discussions and Q&A with the participants.

This seminar provided a valuable opportunity for alumni, current students, faculty members, and related professionals working in the fields of disaster prevention and environment protection to come together and share challenges across national borders. Moving forward,  Yamaguchi University will continue to provide opportunities for interaction between alumni and current students while further strengthening international research collaboration.

The program for the seminar is available at the following link:.

https://ds0n.cc.yamaguchi-u.ac.jp/~cldpm/pdf/20250301program.pdf

Website of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Group (DPMG), Research  Center for Local Resilience, Yamaguchi University

https://ds0n.cc.yamaguchi-u.ac.jp/~cldpm/index_eng.html