about us

 

Shideh and Shawhin soaking up the sun in Istanbul, 2006 

A brief note about ourselves: we are a couple from Tehran, Iran who currently live in Berkeley, California.  Below, you can find a more serious description of what we do and where we see ourselves going.  On a more personal level, we are two students, two individuals who have been very fortunate to be involved in activities and are learning things that could potentially help improve the quality of life and safety, especially in developing countries.  As a good friend (http://nazykaviani.blogspot.com/) puts it, “we are citizens of this planet” and there is really no reason why we should limit our thoughts and solutions to a particular city.  But, we must start somewhere, and where is more special and more familiar than your hometown?  We care a great deal about Iran and its people, and hope to be involved in solving some of the problems it currently faces.  This is our passion and our responsibility in many levels.  If you share our passion, join us on this weblog and share your thoughts and ideas, and stay in touch. 

…Please note that this weblog is meant to remain non-political

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Shideh is currently a Ph.D. student in geotechnical earthquake engineering at UC Berkeley. She was born in Tehran in 1982 and lived there through 1999. She finished her B.S. in civil engineering at Cornell University (2004) and subsequently started her graduate studies at U.C. Berkeley. Shideh plans to be involved in an international seismic hazard reduction program (focusing more on the developing countries) and keep up with her other passions: cooking, dancing, political philosophy, politics, near eastern history and society. To learn more about her Ph.D. research: http://research.eerc.berkeley.edu/projects/liquefaction_effects/

Shawhin is an engineer working in infrastructure design and program management with an interest in public transit, urban planning, and architecture. He completed his bachelors degree in civil engineering at U.C. Berkeley and his masters degree in structural engineering at Cornell University in 2004. He hopes to start an architecture/engineering/planning group focusing on projects associated with improving quality of life, appreciation of vernacular architecture, sustainable design, etc. Shawhin’s into history, architecture, philosophy, music, sanshou, and nature.