The writer attended a short course entitled "Advances in Earthquake Engineering" from 16 to 20 June 1980 at the University of Californis, Berkeley. The course was organised by "Continuing Education in Engineering, University Extension, and the College of Engineering" UC Berkeley. The course is run every few years, and as the title implies is an attempt to bring together in the form of
a series of lectures all recent developments in the fields of engineering seismology, seismic resistant design of civil and building structures, and seismic analysis. Approximately 250 attended this course, the majority being from the USA and in particular California, but with several participants from Canada, Central and South America, a few from Japan, Europe, Australia and two from New Zealand.