Feature Stories Archive
2021
Visit NHERI Booth at 2021 AGU Fall Meeting(opens a new window)
posted 12-10-21 | Representatives from the NHERI RAPID and Oregon State facilities will be present at the 2021 AGU Fall Meeting in New Orleans, along with the NCO's Facility Scheduling and Operations Coordinator, Dan Zehner.
NHERI RAPID Graduate Student Scholars Program(opens a new window)
posted 12-09-21 | The NHERI RAPID experimental facility has created a program for graduate students to expand the pool of natural hazards and disaster researchers with the knowledge and experience with in the field data skills.
Nominations Now Open for 2022 DesignSafe Dataset Awards(opens a new window)
posted 12-01-21 | The second annual DesignSafe Dataset Awards are now accepting nomination until January 31, 2022 for datasets published in 2021. Selected datasets authors will be invited to give presentations about their work.
Learn the Fundamentals of Hybrid Simulation with MECHS(opens a new window)
posted 11-29-21 | The MECHS program has compiled a list of courses and topics for training the community in the core concepts of hybrid and real-time simulations (HS/RTHS).
Sinking After Earthquakes(opens a new window)
posted 11-23-21 | 2021 DesignSafe Dataset Awardee | Treasure-trove of 2010-2016 Canterbury earthquake liquefaction case histories shared.
NHERI@UTexas Facility Showcases New Fiber-Optic Sensing Capabilities(opens a new window)
posted 10-29-21 | NHERI@UTexas, in collaboration with UC Berkeley, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and the Engineer Research and Development Center hosted a workshop on Fiber Optic Distributed Acoustic Sensing (DAS).
NHERI at FIU Introduces Particle Image Velocimetry(opens a new window)
posted 10-29-21 | The NHERI FIU facility is now offering the community research opportunities for Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) and will be introducing these tools at their upcoming User Workshop in December.
StEER Engineers Flock into the Site of Natural Disasters to Support First Responders, and Learn from the Destruction(opens a new window)
posted 10-29-21 | The September issue of Hakai Magazine documents Tracy Kijewski-Correa's efforts as the inaugural director of the StEER Network in their mission to rapidly assess damage from natural hazards events.
NHERI Science Plan: Developing Transformative Mitigation Actions(opens a new window)
posted 10-29-21 | NHERI Science Plan key question #4 asks researchers to address effective and potentially transformative mitigation actions towards community resilience with their work.
Historic Shake Planned for NHERI Tallwood at UC San Diego(opens a new window)
posted 10-28-21 | In the summer of 2022, the Tallwood team will demonstrate and validate their design methodology using a full-scale, 10-story mass-timber building on the newly upgraded LHPOST6 shake table at NHERI at UC San Diego.
Best Practices for Extreme Events Research: NHERI CONVERGE Check Sheets(opens a new window)
posted 10-18-21 | The NHERI CONVERGE facility has launched a series of short, graphical sheets offering best practice guidelines for extreme events research.
NHERI Facilities Support Research in New NSF Climate Change Initiative(opens a new window)
posted 10-18-21 | NSF has released a Dear Colleague Letter uring researchers to study approaches to climate change, and the NHERI network of experimental facilities is positioned well to help the community meet this challenge.
Learning from Hurricane Michael(opens a new window)
posted 10-13-21 | 2021 DesignSafe Dataset Awardee | The Structural Extreme Events Reconnaissance (StEER) Network post-event reconnaissance helps assess building response to historic storm. Michaels 160-mph sustained winds helped make it the most powerful hurricane on record for the area.
NHERI User Forum Welcomes New Committee Members(opens a new window)
posted 09-27-21 | The results of the 2021 User Forum election are in! Three new members will be joining the committee this year.
NHERI Lehigh Experimental Facility Expands Capabilities for Cyber-Physical Testing(opens a new window)
posted 09-24-21 | The NHERI Lehigh University Experimental Facility unveiled expanded lab space and new equipment for conducting cyber-physical experiments to open the door wide for researchers to explore structural mitigation solutions for windstorms and earthquakes.
NHERI Science Plan: Identifying Vulnerabilities(opens a new window)
posted 09-24-21 | A key question of the NHERI Science Plan is, "What are the key physical responses, vulnerabilities, and factors influencing post-event recovery of civil infrastructure and communities?"
NHERI SimCenter Awarded NSF Renewal to Facilitate Research and Improve the Understanding of Risks to Communities(opens a new window)
posted 09-17-21 | NSF has renewed the NHERI Computational Modeling and Simulation Center (SimCenter) with $12.75M over the next 4 years to develop and promote advanced modeling and simulation technologies for natural hazards engineering.
DesignSafe Academy 2021 Builds Technical Skills and Excitement(opens a new window)
posted 08-31-21 | The 2021 inaugural DesignSafe Academy (DSA) was held virtually July 26 - 30, 2021, where over seventy participants attended sessions on Jupyter, Python, data analytics, database access, machine learning, high-performance computing, and visualization.
NHERI CONVERGE Resources in the Classroom: The Training Module Assignment Bank(opens a new window)
posted 08-31-21 | The NHERI CONVERGE facility offers a bank of classroom assignments developed by instructors who have integrated the CONVERGE Training Modules into their courses.
StEER Team Collecting Damage Data from Haitian EQ(opens a new window)
posted 08-31-21 | Immediately following the devastating 7.2M earthquake in Haiti in August, the StEER Network activated its Virtual Assessment Structural Team (VAST) to begin compiling a Preliminary Virtual Reconnaissance Report (PVRR).
NHERI RAPID Supports Reconnaissance Mission in Surfside, Florida(opens a new window)
posted 08-31-21 | Aware of their capabilities and unique collection of field equipment thanks to NHERI outreach efforts, NIST was able to quipckly collaborate with the RAPID facility to deploy data gathering efforts to the site of the Champlain Towers collapse in Surfside, Florida.
NHERI's Frontiers in Built Environment Research Topic Now Available as E-book(opens a new window)
posted 08-30-21 | The Frontiers in Built Environment journal has published sixteen HHERI researcher articles in their latset volume. Combined these articles have generated over 40,000 views and 4,000 downloads.
NHERI Science Plan: Characterizing Transient and Variable Natural Hazards Loading(opens a new window)
posted 08-25-21 | The NHERI Science Plan has many suggestions for researchers looking into the loading actions of events like earthquakes, windstorms, storm surges, and other associated natural hazards.
Meet NHERI at UC Davis(opens a new window)
posted 08-25-21 | The University of California at Davis participates in the NHERI program through their Center for Geotechnical Modeling (CGM) where natural hazards engineers have access large centrifuges and many other impressive offerings.
NHERI REU Research Symposium 2021(opens a new window)
posted 08-25-21 | The 2021 cohort of NHERI REU students recently gathered at UTSA, the home of NHERI's Education and Community Outreach office, to present the outcomes of their ten week research experience and meet in-person after a summer of virtual meetings and collaborations.
NHERI Research at the 17WCEE(opens a new window)
posted 08-12-21 | At the upcoming 17WCEE in Sendai, Japan (Sept. 27 through Oct. 2), many NHERI researchers are presenting their work. Hats off to all those demonstrating the impact of our NSF-funded facilities.
NHERI RAPID Aids NIST in Champlain Towers Collapse Investigation(opens a new window)
posted 08-12-21 | Working with the NHERI RAPID, NIST has installed accelerometers to measure building vibrations and a seismometer to measure ground vibrations at the site of the tragic Champlain Towers collapse.
Latest NHERI CONVERGE Training Module: Collecting and Sharing Perishable Data(opens a new window)
posted 07-29-21 | The Natural Hazards Engineering Research Infrastructure (NHERI) CONVERGE facility announces the release of its eighth online training module: Collecting and Sharing Perishable Data.
NHERI at University of Florida Now Simulates Transient Wind Events(opens a new window)
posted 07-27-21 | NHERIs University of Florida experimental facility, wind engineers can now ask questions about structural behavior during transient wind events such as downbursts and gust fronts.
NHERI Science Plan: Resilience of Lifeline Systems(opens a new window)
posted 07-26-21 | The NHERI Science Plan includes several key research challenges that are important for natural hazards engineers to address, and one of these is the topic of lifeline systems reslience like the issues facing California water pipes.
Keeping Up with NHERI at UC San Diego(opens a new window)
posted 07-22-21 | Thanks to a $16.3 million NSF grant, the large outdoor shake table at the NHERI UC San Diego experimental facility is undergoing a major six degrees of freedom renovation project.
Julio Ramirez Named ASCE Distinguished Member(opens a new window)
posted 07-22-21 | Julio A. Ramirez, PhD, PE, the Karl H. Kettelhut professor in civil engineering at Purdue University, has been honored with inclusion by ASCE in its 2021 class of Distinguished Members for outstanding leadership in the civil infrastructure community..
StEER Renewed and Expanded through New NSF Award(opens a new window)
posted 07-21-21 | NSF has announced a three year renewal of the StEER Network (CMMI 2103550) to investigates the impact of natural hazards (hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes and tsunamis) on the built infrastructure.
NHERI Researchers Recognized with Western States Seismic Policy Council 2021 Award in Excellence(opens a new window)
posted 07-21-21 | Portland State University researchers in civil and environmental engineering were recently recognized with the 2021 Award in Excellence by the Western States Seismic Policy Council for research on mitigating soil liquefaction.
Annotated Bibliographies Now Complement CONVERGE Training Modules(opens a new window)
posted 07-18-21 | The Natural Hazards Engineering Research Infrastructure CONVERGE facility headquartered at the Natural Hazards Center now offers free annotated bibliographies as an additional resource complementing the CONVERGE Training Modules.
DesignSafe Radio: Professor Jennifer Bridge on the University of Florida Wind Tunnel Facility(opens a new window)
posted 06-29-21 | The next series of episodes from DesignSafe Radio feature interviews with Jennifer Bridge, NHERI at UF facility director and principal investigator, about the research it makes possible.
NHERI Summer Institute 2021(opens a new window)
posted 06-29-21 | NHERI ECO hosted the Summer Institute for 2021 in San Antonio, Texas, June 16 and 17. Each year early career faculty are invited to attend the workshop, both in person and virtually, to learn about researching within NHERI.
Learning Natural Hazards Simulations at NHERI Lehigh(opens a new window)
posted 06-25-21 | This summer, three NHERI REU students are spending ten weeks as virtual researchers at Lehigh Universitys Real-Time Multi-Directional Experimental Facility.
Making Waves at Oregon State University(opens a new window)
posted 06-25-21 | This summer, three NHERI REU students are spending ten weeks as virtual and physical researchers at Oregon State Universitys experimental facility at the O.H. Hinsdale Wave Research Laboratory.
Machine Learning Aids Earthquake Risk Prediction(opens a new window)
posted 06-25-21 | NHERI's Designsafe Cyberinfrastructure team at the Texas Advanced Computing Center (TACC) have been providing resources and expertise towards analyzing the risks that help predict earthquake events.
A Burning Need: NHERI RAPID Enables Researchers to Understand, Mitigate Post-Wildfire Landslide Hazards(opens a new window)
posted 06-25-21 | The 2020 megafires that turned more than seven million acres into rubble left behind valuable and perishable data for researchers like those utilizing the NHERI RAPID facility.
NHERI Facility Experiments, July 2021(opens a new window)
posted 06-25-21 | The Oregon State University, Lehigh University, University of Florida, and University of Texas at Austin experimental facilities in the NHERI network are all planning some exciting research for July.
NSF-Funded DesignSafe Secures Instruments for Community Resilience Studies(opens a new window)
posted 06-23-21 | A joint team of NHERI members and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has been conducting long-term studies of the community effects of 2016 Hurricane Matthew flooding in Lumberton, North Carolina.
NCO Welcomes New Members to the Network Independent Advisory Council(opens a new window)
posted 06-21-21 | NHERI's Network Independent Advisory Council, a governance group composed of respected natural hazards engineering community members, is welcoming two new members and extending gratitude to two members who are leaving.
Christchurch Earthquake Damage Mystery Spurs Research(opens a new window)
posted 06-18-21 | 2021 DesignSafe Dataset Awardee | Concrete wall seismic test data using DesignSafe-CI portal helps revise New Zealand and U.S. building code.
Shaking It Up at the University of Texas(opens a new window)
posted 06-14-21 | This summer, three NHERI REU students are spending ten weeks as virtual researchers at the University of Texas at Mobile Shaker facility, where they will explore the capabilities of NHERIs mobile shaker equipment.
Learning Natural Hazards Simulations at the NHERI SimCenter(opens a new window)
posted 06-14-21 | A trip of undergraduate students are spending ten weeks this summer as virtual researchers for the NHERI SimCenter, exploring the programming tools that the SimCenter has developed for studying natural hazards.
Learning Best Practices in Disaster Research at NHERI CONVERGE(opens a new window)
posted 06-14-21 | Two REU students will spend this summer virtually with the CONVERGE facility leanring best practices in social sciences research applied to natural hazards and data collection techniques for working with human subjects.
Learning Post-Disaster Reconnaissance at the University of Washington(opens a new window)
posted 06-14-21 | After this summer spent virtually with the NHERI RAPID facility, two REU students will have a fundamental understanding of natural hazards reconnaissance, from data collection through analysis.
Order from Chaos: A Statistical Approach to Predicting Tsunami Debris Flow(opens a new window)
posted 06-11-21 | A University of Washington research team is building a numerical approach for understanding and predicting the highly nonlinear, chaotic nature of tsunami debris fields in the NHERI wave flume at OSU.
DesignSafe Radio: Introducing the Nation's Largest Shake Table - LHPOST6(opens a new window)
posted 06-01-21 | In June 2021, DesignSafe Radio features Koorosh Lotfizadeh, PhD, operations manager at the UC San Diego facility. In three episodes, Lotfizadeh discusses the evolution and the research capabilities of LHPOST6.
CONVERGE Training Modules Now Offer Continuing Education Credits(opens a new window)
posted 05-27-21 | The NHERI CONVERGE facility has partnered with the International Association of Emergency Manageres (IAEM) to create establish education credits for the CONVERGE Training Modules.
On the Level with Hurricane Matthew(opens a new window)
posted 05-25-21 | 2021 DesignSafe Dataset Awardee | Data assimilation using DesignSafe-CI portal improves coastal water level models of storm surge
Envisioning Safe Cities with Artificial Intelligence(opens a new window)
posted 05-20-21 | NHERI SimCenter researchers are using crowdsourced data, neural networks, and supercomputers to simulate risks to cities and regions with new developments in artificial intelligence.
DesignSafe Radio: Training Engineers to Program Natural Hazards Simulations, with SimCener's Peter Mackenzie-Heinwein(opens a new window)
posted 05-10-21 | During the month of May, DesignSafe Radio will feature an interview with the Peter Mackenzie-Helnwein about the NHERI SimCenter's expertise and resources for training NHERI community programmers in how to create effective natural hazards simulations.
Gathering Hurricane Data for Wind Engineering Experiments(opens a new window)
posted 05-05-21 | Since 1999, University of Florida wind engineers and their colleagues have deployed portable weather towers in the path of almost every U.S. landfalling hurricane. Forrest Masters of the Powell Lab has been leading these missions since 2004.
Lori Peek Receives Fred Buttel Distinguished Contribution Award for Environmental Sociology(opens a new window)
posted 05-05-21 | The American Sociological Association Section on Environmental Sociology has selected Lori Peek, Natural Hazards Center Director and Professor of Sociology, as the 2021 recipient of the prestigious Fred Buttel Distinguished Contribution Award.
Long-Term NIST Community Resilience Study Releases Second Report(opens a new window)
posted 04-26-21 | The NIST Center for Risk-Based Community Resilience Planning has released their second report on the significant 2016 flooding of Lumberton, North Carolina. This report documents the recovery efforts and highlights community resilience in the aftermath of disaster.
NHERI Facilities Offer Virtual Office Hours(opens a new window)
posted 04-22-21 | The NHERI facilities are now holding regular office hours for researchers and prospective users to schedule virtual meetings for discussion of collaboration opportunities.
PBS Terra Channel Features Sutley, Lessons from Linwood Tornado(opens a new window)
posted 04-21-21 | NHERI research engineer Elaina Sutley, assistant professor at the University of Kansas, recently appeared on the PBS Terra channel to discuss the EF4 tornado that hit Linwood, Kansas in May of 2019.
Wall of Wind Competition Inspires High School Students to Become Engineers, Tackle Real-World Problems(opens a new window)
posted 04-21-21 | Teams of local high school students competing in the 2021 NHERI Wall of Wind Mitigation Challenge were tasked with developing innovative wind mitigation concepts and solutions within guidelines set by FIU wind engineers.
DesignSafe Radio: Using Models to Protect our Coasts from Storm Surge, with Clint Dawson(opens a new window)
posted 04-12-21 | In April and May, the DesignSafe Radio podcast features a series of interviews with Clint Dawson of UT Austin, the Computation Hydraulics Group lead and a key member of the ADCIRC model development team..
NHERI CONVERGE Releases 7th Training Module: Broader Ethical Considerations for Hazards and Disaster Researchers(opens a new window)
posted 04-08-21 | The Natural Hazards Engineering Research Infrastructure (NHERI) CONVERGE facility announces the release of its latest online training module which discusses important ethical considrations for conducting research in a disaster setting.
National Institute of Building Sciences Recognizes William Holmes for Public Safety Leadership(opens a new window)
posted 03-24-21 | NHERI's tech-transfer lead, William Holmes, has been honored with the Building Seismic Safety Council Leadership Award from the National Institute of Building Sciences (NIBS).
When Social Media Makes Sense(opens a new window)
posted 03-12-21 | Katerina Ziotopoulou, assistant professor of engineering at UC Davis, has social media tips for those seeking to successfully engage the community online.
Understanding and Ending Gender-based Violence in Fieldwork(opens a new window)
posted 03-11-21 | The NHERI CONVERGE facility is announcing the release of a new educational tool for natural hazards researchers to identify and help eliminate sources of gender-basd violence in fieldwork.
DesignSafe Dataset Awards 2021(opens a new window)
posted 03-09-21 | The NHERI DesignSafe team is pleased to announce the winners of the 2021 Dataset Awards. This year we recognize four outstanding datasets for their diverse contributions to natural hazards research. The datasets represent four different categories of data, including earthquake/geotechnical engineering, earthquake/structural engineering, hurricane reconnaissance, and hurricane simulation.
SimCenter Releases Updated "State of the Art..." Report(opens a new window)
posted 03-04-21 | SimCenters second report on the "State of the Art in Computational Simulation for Natural Hazards Engineering" provides an updated overview and review of the available methods, simulation approaches, and software tools for natural hazards engineering.
Kara Peterman Receives Early Career Award from American Institute of Steel Construction(opens a new window)
posted 02-18-21 | Kara Peterman, assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering at the University of Massachusetts, has been recognized by the American Institute of Steel Construction for her contributions to structural steel engineering.
Malley Elected to the National Academy of Engineering(opens a new window)
posted 02-18-21 | James O. Malley, senior principal of Degenkolb Engineers and an active participant in the governance of NHERI, has been elected to the prestigious National Academy of Engineering.
Winter Bootcamp Fills Growing Need for Natural Hazards Engineering Programming Skills(opens a new window)
posted 02-06-21 | The NHERI SimCenter has found success filling a growing community need for natural hazards related programming skills with their annual, weeklong Winter Bootcamp series of seminars and training sessions.
NHERI REU, Summer Institute Deadlines Extended(opens a new window)
posted 02-03-21 | The NHERI ECO has extended deadlines for applying to both the 2021 Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) internship program and the 2021 Summer Institute for Early Career Faculty travel assistance.
StEER Releases Details on Recent Earthquakes in Croatia and Indonesia(opens a new window)
posted 02-03-21 | The Structural Extreme Events Reconnaissance (StEER) network has released their findings on two recent major earthquakes in Croatia and Indonesia.
NSF Renews Grants for Multiple NHERI Facilities(opens a new window)
posted 02-03-21 | As NHERI experimental facilities are nearing the end of their first 5-year funding grants, NSF has began to accept and grant renewal proposals from them.
Recon Report on M7 Samos Island (Aegean Sea) Earthquake, October 30, 2020(opens a new window)
posted 01-28-21 | An international collaboration of disaster reconnaissance teams responded to the October 2020 earthquake at Samos Island and have prepared reports on their natural hazards findings.
Ahsan Kareem Receives International Award of Merit in Structural Engineering(opens a new window)
posted 01-22-21 | Ahsan Kareem, the Robert Moran Professor of Engineering, has received the 2020 International Award of Merit in Structural Engineering from the International Association for Bridge and Structural Engineering (IABSE).
Built Environment Exacerbates COVID-19 Pandemic, Researchers Say(opens a new window)
posted 01-20-21 | As communities across the United States struggle to manage a wave of COVID-19 infections, a multidisciplinary team of researchers argue that the pandemic has revealed the ways in which engineered structures and services have contributed to societys challenges.
International Honors for SimCenter's Kareem(opens a new window)
posted 01-20-21 | In 2020, SimCenter co-PI and Notre Dame Professor Ahsan Kareem was awarded two prestigious honors from international engineering associations for his contributions to the domain of natural hazards research.
Major Upgrade Underway at World's Largest Outdoor Shake Table(opens a new window)
posted 01-08-21 | The world's largest outdoor shake table located at the UC San Diego NHERI experimental facility has begun construction on a $16.3M upgrade to add full 6 degrees of freedom movement capabilities.