Feature Stories Archive
2018
Spearheading Reconnaissance in Alaska(opens a new window)
posted 12-13-18 | The newly created Structural Extreme Events Reconnaissance (StEER) Network has collaborated with the Earthquake Engineering Research Institute (EERI) to release a report on the November 30, 2018 Alaska Earthquake.
AGU Talk: Subharmonic Edge Wave Excitation(opens a new window)
posted 12-12-18 | Researchers, including Pedro Lomonaco of the NHERI Experimental Facility at Oregon State University, will describe large scale laboratory experiments of subharmonic edge wave excitation during at talk at the Fall 2018 AGU Meeting.
AGU Talk: Physical Modeling for Tsunamis Generated by Submarine Volcanoes(opens a new window)
posted 12-12-18 | At a December 12 AGU talk, a team of Georgia Tech researchers will present a novel volcanic tsunami generator to simulate submarine volcanic eruptions with varying initial submergence and kinematic properties.
Smart Morphing Façades for Adaptive Buildings under Wind Events(opens a new window)
posted 12-10-18 | A multi-disciplinary team of researchers from Iowa State University (ISU) and Kansas State University (KSU) received funding from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to develop a solution to decrease the losses associated with buildings under extreme wind events.
Center for Geotechnical Modeling EF Connects with Facebook(opens a new window)
posted 12-10-18 | Creating a Facebook group for your experimental facility is a simple and valuable way to generate interest in your research and increase engagement, and the Center for Geotechnical Modeling at UC Davis is leading by example.
Tsunami Reconnaissance Revealed at Fall 2018 AGU Conference(opens a new window)
posted 12-04-18 | At team of tsunami researchers from Georgia Tech will present at the 2018 Fall AGU meeting their findings on the September 2018 earthquake-and-tsunami which struck the Indonesian island of Sulawesi, killing over 2000 people.
Peek to Present CONVERGE at Fall AGU Conference(opens a new window)
posted 12-04-18 | At the fall meeting of AGU, principal investigator Lori Peek of University of Colorado-Boulder will discuss the newly created CONVERGE center for solving the toughest challenges of multi-disciplinary natural hazards research.
NHERI RAPID: State-of-the-Art Natural Hazards Research Equipment(opens a new window)
posted 11-15-18 | The Natural Hazards Reconnaissance Experimental Facility (NHERI RAPID) recently launched as the first facility of its kind to offer hazards researchers state-of-the-art field equipment to quickly deploy and gather valuable, perishable disaster scene data.
NSF Creates $3M CONVERGE Center to Augment Natural Hazards Research(opens a new window)
posted 11-14-18 | To enhance the diversity of research underway in natural hazards, the National Science Foundation recently created CONVERGE, a $3 million research center at the University of Colorado Boulder. The center is a resource for the 11-member, NSF-funded Natural Hazards Engineering Research Infrastructure, known as NHERI.
In the News: FIU Experts Discuss Outdated Building Codes Post Hurricane Michael(opens a new window)
posted 11-09-18 | After Hurricane Michael, NBC Channel 6 reported on building code research underway at Florida International Universitys Wall of Wind. Reporter Ari Odzer spoke with FIU's Laboratory for Wind Engineering Manager Walter Conklin.
New DesignSafe Tools for First Responders(opens a new window)
posted 11-09-18 | Working with first responders on the front-lines of Hurricane Harvey inspired DesignSafe developers to create the Reconnaissance Portal, a new tool key to enabling post-storm reconnaissance.
World's Largest Shake Table Receives $16.3 Million from NSF for Upgrades(opens a new window)
posted 10-17-18 | The world's largest outdoor earthquake simulator, operated by structural engineers at the University of California San Diego, has received a $16.3 million grant from the National Science Foundation to upgrade the facility to expand its testing capabilities.
SimCenter Welcomes Dr. Gardner to the Development Team(opens a new window)
posted 10-15-18 | The NHERI SimCenter is pleased to announce the addition of Dr. Michael Gardner to the software development team. He will focus on developing tools to incorporate stochastic loading as well as spatial variability in site conditions.
University of Florida Presents a Report on Hurricane Florence(opens a new window)
posted 10-04-18 | David O. Prevatt and the University of Florida Wind Hazard Damage Assessment Group recently produced a preliminary damage report that focuses on the aftermath of Hurricane Florence.
MECHS Builds Hybrid Simulation Community Resource Library, Announces Special Issues(opens a new window)
posted 10-01-18 | The Multi-Hazard Engineering Collaboratory for Hybrid Simulations (MECHS) has been building a list of online resources for researchers at their website which includes a publication library, special journal issues, webinars, and other materials.
U of Illinois Tornado Researcher Frank Lombardo Appears on DesignSafe Radio(opens a new window)
posted 10-01-18 | DesignSafe Radio host Dan Zehner spoke with UIUC professor Frank Lombardo just ahead of Hurricane Florence about studying extreme wind events and the planned deployment to Wilmington, North Carolina.
SimCenter Welcomes Dr. Zsarnóczay to the Development Team(opens a new window)
posted 09-25-18 | The NHERI SimCenter is pleased to announce the addition of Dr. Adam Zsarnóczay to the software development team through a postdoctoral position at Stanford University.
Report on the Mighty Super Typhoon Mangkhut(opens a new window)
posted 09-25-18 | Professor Ahsan Kareem of the University of Notre Dame provides a report on urban damage caused by Typhoon Mangkhut that ravaged the Philippines, Hong Kong, and China, at the same time Hurricane Florence was impacting the United States.
Hurricane Lane and the Hawaiian Islands(opens a new window)
posted 09-12-18 | Ian Robertson, professor of civil and environmental engineering and Arthur N.L. Chiu Distinguished Professor at the University of Hawaii, Manoa, prepared a summary of Hurricane Lanes effects on the Hawaiian Islands.
NSF-NHERI Experts on Hurricanes and Storm Surge Available to Comment on Hurricane Florence(opens a new window)
posted 09-10-18 | Experts from the NSF-supported Natural Hazards Engineering Research Infrastructure (NHERI) are available to discuss hurricane and storm-surge
New NHERI Facility: CONVERGE(opens a new window)
posted 08-31-18 | To extend the NHERI portfolio and more fully connect it with the social science hazards and disaster research community, NSF has created a CONVERGE Facility through the CMMI 1841338 award at the University of Colorado Boulder Natural Hazards Center.
NSF-Funded RAPID Facility Available for Natural Hazards Reconnaissance on Sept. 1, 2018(opens a new window)
posted 08-30-18 | The NHERI RAPID facility, headquartered at the University of Washington, will be officially available starting September 1 to help the research community quickly gather field data when disaster strikes.
NSF Award Supports StEER Network(opens a new window)
posted 08-27-18 | The National Science Foundation has awarded a 2-year EAGER grant (CMMI 1841667) to the Structural Extreme Events Reconnaissance (StEER) Network.
EAGER Award to Study Complex Topology and Wind(opens a new window)
posted 08-25-18 | Motivated by the extensive damage to Puerto Rico caused by Hurricane Maria's landfall in September 2017, researchers who recently received an EArly-concept Grant for Exploratory Research (EAGER) will study how complex topography can accelerate wind and, ultimately, exacerbate damage to buildings and other constructed civil infrastructure.
Alipour to enhance resiliency of electrical power networks using NHERI FIU Wall of Wind (opens a new window)
posted 08-23-18 | Alice Alipour, assistant professor of civil, construction, and environmental engineering at Iowa State University, recently received the 2018 National Science Foundation Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Award.
Preventing Natural Hazards from Becoming Societal Disasters(opens a new window)
posted 08-02-18 | We may not be able to prevent hurricanes from occurring, but we can improve our ability to predict them, move people out of harm's way, respond quickly to their aftermath and build our homes and infrastructure in a way that can survive the worst nature can throw at us. DesignSafe is helping to do so.
SimCenter Welcomes 2018 REU Students(opens a new window)
posted 07-18-18 | The NHERI SimCenter is hosting three REU students at UC Berkeley this summer to promote education and research through internships in active research. These three students give their impressions on the experience.
Notre Dame's Kareem Elected to Chinese Academy of Engineering(opens a new window)
posted 07-18-18 | Ahsan Kareem, the Robert Moran Professor of Civil & Environmental Engineering & Earth Sciences at the University of Notre Dame, has been elected as a foreign member of the Chinese Academy of Engineering (CAE).
June Summer Institute(opens a new window)
posted 07-11-18 | At the 2018 Summer Institute in San Antonio, 21 funded participants and 71 total attendees enjoyed workshops on preparing NSF proposals and using NHERI facilities.
REU Students Posting EF Photos on Facebook(opens a new window)
posted 07-11-18 | Students participating in this summer's REU program are posting photos of daily life at their NHERI experimental facilities to the NHERI Facebook page for the whole community to enjoy.
Data From Recent Hurricane Seasons Available in the Data Depot(opens a new window)
posted 07-05-18 | Eight datasets have been published in the Data Depot documenting the coastal impacts from recent hurricane seasons. These datasets include field surveys of wind and flood damage to structures, coastal impacts to geotechnical systems, ADCIRC storm surge simulations, and measured wind loads on buildings.
SimCenter Welcomes Dr. Wang to the Development Team(opens a new window)
posted 06-25-18 | The NHERI SimCenter is pleased to announce Dr. Chaofeng ("Charles") Wang from Clemson University is joining their development team to work on uncertainty quantification and artificial intelligence.
DesignSafe Radio: True Calling as a Wind Engineer with Jennifer Bridge(opens a new window)
posted 06-22-18 | Dan Zehner interviews Jennifer Bridge about her career as a research engineer at the University of Florida and as the deputy director of the UF NHERI experimental facility. She discusses her past and current projects as well as other projects at the UF NHERI wind tunnel.
NHERI Hurricane Wind, Storm Surge Experts Available for Comment(opens a new window)
posted 06-21-18 | For the 2018 hurricane season, experts from NHERI are available to the media to discuss hurricane-related damage, hurricane damage mitigation, storm surge and coastal damage.
Wall of Wind Challenge Attracts Next Generation of Engineers(opens a new window)
posted 06-19-18 | The NHERI Wall of Wind facility at FIU hosted their annual challenge for local high school students. This year six schools participated to build aerodynamic models that could withstand winds of 50 mph.
DesignSafe Radio: Cold-Formed Steel and Shake Tables(opens a new window)
posted 06-14-18 | Earthquake engineer Kara Peterman talks about her love of applied science and how shake table facilities like the NHERI LH POST at UC San Diego build real world engineering experience for tackling natural disasters.
DesignSafe Radio: RPI Wind Engineers Study How Buildings Fail(opens a new window)
posted 06-08-18 | Dan Lander and Dan Moore talk to NHERI's Dan Zehner about their current interdisciplinary project at the NHERI Wall of Wind facility studying how buildings fail along their leading edges and give their advice to propsective wind engineers.
FIU and UW Organize Joint Workshop for Prospective Users(opens a new window)
posted 06-05-18 | Florida International University and the University of Washington hosted an NSF NHERI Users Workshop at the FIU Wall of Wind in May to provide prospective users with useful information about resources and services available at the NHERI WOW and RAPID EFs.
Zehner Honored at Large Facilities Workshop(opens a new window)
posted 05-31-18 | At the 2018 NSF Large Facilities Workshop, the NCO's Dan Zehner was honored for his contributions to the development of a National Academy of Public Administration (NAPA) recommended Lessons Learned Model.
Another NSF Career Award at the NHERI-FIU Wall of Wind Experimental Facility(opens a new window)
posted 05-24-18 | Catherine Gorlé, assistant professor of civil and environment engineering at Stanford, has won an NSF CAREER Award to study wind hazards on buildings in urban environments at the NHERI Wall of Wind.
NHERI SimCenter Programming Bootcamp, July 30 August 3(opens a new window)
posted 05-18-18 | The NHERI SimCenter will be hosting a bootcamp at the UC Berkeley Richmond Field Station for training researchers in civil engineering programming paradigms not covered in traditional civil engineering courses.
NHERI Leaders Present at 2018 ASCE-SEI Structures Congress(opens a new window)
posted 05-07-18 | A contingent of researchers from the NHERI NCO and several experimental facilities presented at the 2018 Structures Congress in Fort Worth, Texas, April 19-21, 2018.
Remembering Mete Sözen, 1930-2018(opens a new window)
posted 04-27-18 | Mete A. Sözen, Karl H. Kettelhut Distinguished Professor, Emeritus of Civil Engineering, Purdue University, died unexpectedly on April 5, 2018.
SimCenter Welcomes Nikhil Padhye to the Development Team(opens a new window)
posted 04-27-18 | The NHERI SimCenter is pleased to announce that Nikhil Padhye, PhD, has joined the software development team to work on optimizing and expanding their software capabilities.
Episode 37 | Society and Wind Engineering with David O. Prevatt(opens a new window)
posted 04-26-18 | Associate professor of civil and coastal engineering David O. Prevatt from the University of Florida discusses the social and practical problems disaster-prone communities face.
5th American Association for Wind Engineering (AAWE) Workshop Announced(opens a new window)
posted 04-24-18 | The American Association for Wind Engineering (AAWE) will be holding their 5th annual workshop August 12-14 at the Rosentiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science on the University of Miami campus in the heart of Key Biscayne.
NSF CAREER Award to Improve Rotor Blade Performance at the NHERI Wall of Wind Facility(opens a new window)
posted 04-12-18 | With an NSF CAREER Award, UTSA assistant professor Victor Maldonaldo is studying rotor blade performance and how to improve the NHERI Wall of Wind facility at FIU.
NHERI's Annual User Satisfaction Survey(opens a new window)
posted 04-11-18 | The User Forum committee is conducting their annual survey of user satisfaction with the NHERI program and are asking everyone to participate by the deadline of Friday, April 20th.
What's New: Weekly News Service for Natural Hazards Engineering(opens a new window)
posted 04-02-18 | As a leading NSF-funded research organization, NHERI now provides a weekly email news service with the latest news and research in natural hazards every Monday.
Shaking Up the Classroom(opens a new window)
posted 03-20-18 | Graduate students at Purdue University have created a lesson plan for earthquake preparedness that engages the community with puzzles and challenges while delivering educational material.
SimCenter Programming Bootcamp(opens a new window)
posted 03-20-18 | This summer, the NHERI Center for Computational Modeling and Simulation (the SimCenter) presents a unique opportunity for learning programming tools tailored for the natural hazards engineering at UC Berkeley's Richmond Field Station.
Wall of Wind Receives 2018 Charles Pankow Award for Innovation(opens a new window)
posted 03-06-18 | The American Society for Civil Engineering (ASCE) has awarded the Wall of Wind at FIU the 2018 Charles Pankow Award as an outstanding organization for practicing innovative design, materials, and construction-related research and development.
NHERI SimCenter Leadership Transition(opens a new window)
posted 02-22-18 | With Professor Mahins recent passing, NSF has announced Professor Sanjay Govindjee from UC Berkeley as the SimCenters new PI.
Stephen A. Mahin passes away, February 10, 2018(opens a new window)
posted 02-21-18 | The SimCenter is saddened to learn of the passing of Stephen A. Mahin on February 10, 2018.
Register Now for NHERI's Annual Summer Institute(opens a new window)
posted 02-15-18 | The Summer Institute program at UTSA gives an introduction to natural hazards engineering and NHERI.
MSU Engineers Teach STEM Concepts with Legos(opens a new window)
posted 02-15-18 | Kids will get a hands-on lesson about wind engineering at this year's USA Science and Engineering Festival.
Hybrid Simulation Goes Multi-Hazard(opens a new window)
posted 02-15-18 | The first MECHS workshop for hybrid simulation was held at the UCSD experimental facility in December 2017.
Episode 27 | Oldie But A Goodie - Commander Justin Kibbey Rebroadcast(opens a new window)
posted 02-09-18 | Do you ever wonder how meteorologists get their hurricane data? On todays show, host Dan Zehner gets the answers from Commander Justin Kibbey, one of NOAAs hurricane hunter pilots.
NHERI Experimental Facilities Collaborate on Steel Collector Research(opens a new window)
posted 02-07-18 | An award-winning team of researchers at the University of Arizona and partnering universities is working to develop buildings that will not collapse under the force of major earthquakes.
Collaboration Between NHERI Facilities: SimCenter and UC San Diego Implement Hybrid Shake Table Tests(opens a new window)
posted 02-05-18 | Hybrid simulations involving experimental substructures on the largest shake table in the U.S. were successfully completed through the collaborative effort of hybrid simulation experts from the NHERI SimCenter and UC San Diego Experimental Facility.
Episode 26 | Natural Climate Solutions Make A Difference(opens a new window)
posted 02-02-18 | Today, DesignSafe Radio host Dan Zehner talks with Joe Fargione, science director with The Nature Conservancy. The largest non-governmental organization in the world, The Nature Conservancy is also one of the first land trusts.
UTSA Study Examines Causes, Consequences of 2015 Wimberley, Texas Floods (opens a new window)
posted 01-31-18 | A new study by Chad Furl, postdoctoral research associate, and Hatim Sharif, professor of civil and environmental engineering at The University of Texas at San Antonio, delves into the 2015 Wimberley, Texas floods that destroyed 350 homes and claimed 13 lives.
Episode 25 | World's Worst Weather On Mount Washington(opens a new window)
posted 01-26-18 | Today, DesignSafe Radio host Dan Zehner talks with Brian Fitzgerald, Director Of Education at the Mount Washington Observatory and scientist Mike Carman.
Morgan State University Introduces Baltimore Youth to Engineering (opens a new window)
posted 01-22-18 | On November 4, 2017, engineering student ambassadors from Morgan State University participated in the 2017 STEM Expo held at Morgan State, an historically black college and outreach partner with NHERI, which supports the ambassadors educational efforts.
Texas Tech Art Exhibit Based on Atmospheric Science(opens a new window)
posted 01-16-18 | Marcando el relámpago is a collaborative exhibition at the Museum of Texas Tech University. Running through January 28, the exhibit marks exchanges between an atmospheric scientist, Eric Bruning, and a visual artist, Tina Fuentes.