Three experts named to earthquake advisory board

Committee responsible for assessing new engineering trends of earthquake hazards reduction

By Mark Bello

Three earthquake authorities from academia and the private sector have been appointed by Patrick Gallagher, Under Secretary of Commerce for Standards and Technology and Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), to serve on the Advisory Committee on Earthquake Hazards Reduction (ACEHR) of the National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program (NEHRP).

Established by the Earthquake Hazards Reduction Act of 1977, NEHRP is the federal government’s program to reduce the risks to life and property from earthquakes. NEHRP consists of four federal agencies: the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the National Science Foundation (NSF), the United States Geological Survey (USGS) and NIST, which serves as lead agency.

The new ACEHR members, whose terms extend to July 31, 2015, are: Craig Davis, geotechnical engineering manager, Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, Los Angeles, Calif.; Robert Herrmann, Paul C. Reinert Chair of Natural Sciences, Saint Louis University, St. Louis, Mo.; and Mary Lou Zoback, seismologist and consulting professor, Stanford University, Stanford, Calif. They join a group of nine previously appointed academic, industry and government experts on the ACEHR.

The committee’s responsibilities include assessing:

trends and developments in the science and engineering of earthquake hazards reduction;
the effectiveness of NEHRP in performing its statutory activities (fostering improved design and construction methods and practices; land use controls and redevelopment; prediction techniques and early-warning systems; coordinated emergency preparedness plans; and public education and involvement programs);
any need to revise NEHRP; and
the management, coordination, implementation, and activities of NEHRP.

More information on NEHRP and the ACEHR can be found at www.nehrp.gov.