XI’AN, CHINA — Leading experts from the Institute of Risk and Reliability at Leibniz University Hannover, along with their counterparts at Northwestern Polytechnical University, gathered in Xi’an from April 22-24, 2024, for the third edition of the Sino-German Workshop on Reliability of Complex Systems (SGWRCS 2024).
Under the theme "Bayesian inference and updating for reliability analysis of complex systems under incomplete knowledge," this year's workshop focused on enhancing the resilience and reliability of critical infrastructures facing natural disasters and other unpredictable challenges. Prof. Michael Beer and Assoc. Prof. Pengfei Wei chaired the event, which drew specialists in the fields of reliability engineering, risk management, and resilience of complex engineering systems.
The workshop highlighted the importance of these fields in safeguarding society against the increasing frequency of 'black swan' events, such as severe floods, earthquakes, and snowstorms. Over the past two decades, these threats have underscored the need for improved protective measures for key infrastructures essential to human safety and economic stability.
Discussions at SGWRCS 2024 covered a broad range of topics, including uncertainty quantification, sensitivity analysis, model updating, and design under uncertainties. The interdisciplinary approach facilitated a comprehensive exploration of challenges arising from infrastructure complexities and the inherent uncertainties of natural variability.
Organized under the auspices of several prestigious entities, including the Sino-German Mobility Programme and the Belt and Road Aerospace Innovation Alliance, the workshop has become a cornerstone for collaboration and advancement in mathematical statistics and probability applied to physical sciences.
As the workshop wrapped up, the co-chairs highlighted the productive discussions and the collaborative environment, noting that the insights gained would help guide ongoing and future projects aimed at improving the reliability of key infrastructures. The outcomes from SGWRCS 2024 are set to influence further academic study and practical applications within the field of reliability engineering, continuing to build on the foundations laid by previous workshops.
