NSF Funds Three Earthquake Research Centers

The National Science Foundation (NSF) has selected three centers to conduct and coordinate earthquake engineering research for the nation. The contracts call for NSF to invest $2 million a year for five years in each of the three centers for a total of $30 million.

NSF selected the three centers for their individual and complementary strengths. The University of California at Berkeley's Pacific Earthquake Engineering Research Center will develop technologies to reduce urban earthquake losses.

The second center, the University of Illinois Mid-America Earthquake Center at the Urbana-Champaign campus, will emphasize reducing potential earthquake losses in the central and eastern U.S. by concentrating on problems associated with low-frequency seismic events.

Finally, the State University of New York at Buffalo's Center for Advanced Technologies in Earthquake Loss-Reduction will focus on the application of advanced and emerging technologies to reduce earthquake losses. Improved performance loss assessment of buildings and civil infrastructure will be explored, as well as rehabilitation of critical facilities, and emergency response and recovery.

Each of the centers will form a consortium of public and private institutions committed to integrated research and education activities. To date, 22 other institutions have been designated to be involved with the centers.

For more information on the three NSF funded Earthquake Engineering Research Centers, contact the following public affairs officers:

Jesus Mena, UC Berkeley: jmj@pio.urel.berkeley.edu

James Kloeppel, University of Illinois: kloeppel@uiuc.edu

Donald Goralski, SUNY Buffalo: goralski@acsu.buffalo.edu