NSF’s Margulies Highlights NHERI Research, Data During Congressional Testimony

Published on February 5, 2024

 

Assistant Director of the NSF Engineering Directorate, Susan Margulies, spoke during the Jan 30 House Research and Technology Subcommittee hearing called, "Risk to Resilience: Reauthorizing the Earthquake and Windstorm Hazards Reduction Programs." Also testifying before Congress were representatives from FEMA, NIST, and the USGS.

Margulies attested to the efficacy of NSF-funded programs, highlighting the Natural Hazards Engineering Research Infrastructure (NHERI), which she described in detail as a prime example of NSF’s investment in critical research infrastructure. She cites the LHPOST6 shake table at USCD, the Wall of Wind wind tunnel at FIU, and the perishable data gathered after Hurricane Michael, the RAPID award that resulted in an update to the ASCE7 wind load standards:

https://youtu.be/oEcXpHh1pJc


In addition, when addressing questions about data accessibility from Rep Haley Stevens, Margulies explained the NHERI’s Extreme Event Response (EER) networks and the data and tools publicly available on DesignSafe and the Data Depot repository:

https://youtu.be/FNa2A12giY8


Details about the Jan 30, 2024 hearing and a link to the full recording are available on the website for the House Committee on Space, Science, and Technology.

Margulies is slated to speak on Day 1 of the Natural Hazards Research Summit, May 14 & 15 in College Park, Maryland. Find meeting details and registration info on the NatHazSummit24 website.