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NSF PR 00-57 - September 5, 2000
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NSF Funds First Phase of Earthquake Network
The National Science Foundation (NSF) has awarded
$300,000 to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
to design a national online network that will transform
earthquake engineering research.
The award is the first step in implementing NSF's
Network for Earthquake Engineering Simulation (NEES)
program, which will provide real-time remote access
to a complete system of testing and experimental facilities,
making them widely available to earthquake engineers.
"The NEES vision is to improve the seismic design of
buildings, bridges, utilities and other infrastructure
in the United States," said Priscilla Nelson, NSF
division director for civil and mechanical systems.
"The payoff will be reducing the impacts of earthquakes,
potentially saving money and lives."
The online network, or "collaboratory," will provide
researchers across the country with telepresence capabilities
and shared-use access to advanced research equipment,
databases and computer modeling and simulation tools.
The university's National Center for Supercomputing
Applications will lead a six-month study and design
project. Partners include the university's Mid-America
Earthquake Center and Department of Civil Engineering,
the Department of Energy's Argonne National Laboratory,
the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor's Collaboratory
for Research on Electronic Work, and the University
of Southern California's Information Sciences Institute
and Department of Civil Engineering.
NSF expects late this year to provide NEES funds to
upgrade existing earthquake research facilities and
build new ones, thereby bringing multiple facilities
under one "virtual roof."
For more information on NEES, see: http://www.eng.nsf.gov/nees
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