NHERI Latest News

NHERI Newsbrief: CONVERGE Releases Newest Training Module: Older Adults and Disasters
posted 07-02-26
The latest CONVERGE Training Module highlights how older adults experience disasters, contribute to community resilience.

A New Home for Extreme Storm Research at Florida International University
posted 07-02-26
A natural extension of the NSF NHERI Wall of Wind, the proposed NICHE facility would be the world’s largest testbed for exploring extreme weather

Wind Researchers Find Trees Can Shield Humans from Storms
posted 07-02-26
Experiments at the NHERI Wall of Wind revealed that trees around a low-rise building can reduce the wind force on segments by as much as 50%.

Venezuela Digs Out from Massive Earthquakes as Death Toll Passes 1,700
posted 06-29-26
With uneven code enforcement, some older buildings in Venezuela see major damage, notes NHERI researcher André Barbosa, Oregon State University.

NSF NHERI Experts Available to Discuss Venezuela Earthquake Impacts
posted 06-25-26
Earthquake engineering researchers from the NSF-funded NHERI network are available to discuss issues related to infrastructure and environmental damage from the June 24, 2026, earthquakes that struck Venezuela.

NSF NHERI Research at the Forefront During the 13th National Conference on Earthquake Engineering
posted 06-16-26
Numerous earthquake engineering researchers connected to NSF-funded NHERI facilities and projects will present their work at the 13NCEE, in Portland, Oregon.

Announcing the 2026 DesignSafe Dataset Award Winners
posted 06-11-26
The NHERI DesignSafe team is pleased to congratulate the winners of the 6th annual DesignSafe Dataset Awards, recognizing outstanding datasets published in the Data Depot in 2025.

2026 Near-Surface Geophysics Community Input Workshop
posted 06-11-26
As part of the near-surface geophysics community, NHERI is pleased to announce that applications are open for the 2026 Near-Surface Geophysics Community Input Workshop.

2026 NHERI Computational Symposium Brings Together Leading Experts in Natural Hazards Engineering
posted 06-03-26
May 28-29 event hosted by NHERI SimCenter in collaboration with the RAPID and DesignSafe teams.

NSF NHERI Wall of Wind Subjects Manufactured Homes to Hurricane-Force Winds
posted 05-28-26
The tests will evaluate the structural performance and behavior of manufactured home installation systems under moderate- and high-wind loading conditions – with the goal of updating national building codes.

Summer Research, Lasting Impact: NHERI REU Success Stories
posted 04-29-26
The REU alumni spotlights page highlights NHERI's impact on the next generation, made possible by NSF's investment in disaster reslience engineering.

NHERI Wall of Wind Experiments Target Outdated Building Codes for Manufactured Housing
posted 04-09-26
A University of Kansas engineer will use the NHERI WOW facility to show federal regulators why the nationwide building code for mobile homes needs an update.

NHERI Network at the International Conference in Coastal Engineering 2026 in Galveston, Texas
posted 03-17-26
Coastal researchers and engineers in the NHERI network will be on hand at the International Conference in Coastal Engineering, ICCE 2026, in Galveston, Texas, May 17-22.

NHERI Special Session at the 13NCEE in Portland, Oregon
posted 03-17-26
Researchers from the NHERI network will be on hand at the 13th National Conference on Earthquake Engineering,13NCEE, taking place in Portland, July 13-17.

New NHERI Program Expands Learning Opportunities for Early-Career Researchers
posted 03-16-26
The NHERI Professional Learning Community is a series of free, facility-focused webinars tailored for early-career researchers to learn about the NHERI network and NSF-funded opportunities in natural hazards research.

AI-Powered Chatbot Now Available for Natural Hazards Researchers
posted 03-12-26
DesignSafe users can now “Ask AI” to explore natural hazards datasets and leverage NHERI’s multifaceted cyberinfrastructure capabilities.

NSF NHERI Network Coordination: A Model for Distributed National Research Infrastructure
posted 02-06-26
A recent study published in the International Journal of Business, Management, and Technology highlights the NSF NHERI Network Coordination Office as a compelling model for organizing a successful national research infrastructure.

Permafrost Experiments Coming to NHERI UC Davis
posted 01-28-26
Montana State and Auburn University researchers to start novel permafrost experiments at the NHERI UC Davis centrifuge, marking a major milestone toward enabling large-scale hyper-gravity testing of frozen ground and permafrost systems.

Announcing the Keynote Speakers for the 2026 NHERI Computational Symposium
posted 01-24-26
The NHERI Computational Symposium Organizing Committee is pleased to announce that Dr. Helen Crowley and Dr. Seth Guikema will serve as keynote speakers at the Fourth Annual NHERI Computational Symposium, “Innovation Through Collaboration,” to be held May 28–29, 2026, at the University of California, Berkeley.

Practical Engineering YouTube channel captures hurricane wave tests at NHERI Wave Laboratory
posted 01-22-26
YouTuber Grady Hillhouse and crew came to Oregon State to film a large-scale engineering experiment. The episode dramatically reveals how a simple structural elevation can prevent hurricane destruction. 

Chowdhury and Puleo take NICHE to Washington
posted 01-14-26
At the 2025 Smart Cities conference in Washington DC, wind engineer and NHERI WOW principal investigator Arindam Chowdhury joined coastal engineer Jack Puleo to inform policymakers about the importance of the proposed NSF NICHE wind-wave experimental facility.

NHERI SPARC Program Pioneers New Model for Research Acceleration
posted 11-20-25
Developed by NHERI’s DesignSafe and SimCenter teams, the Strategic Program to Accelerate Researchers in Computing, SPARC, is a new model for training young researchers to harness HPC resources and software.

Food After a Flood
posted 11-10-25
Food access resilience data after Hurricane Harvey wins 2025 NSF NHERI DesignSafe Dataset Award

First Steps in Home and Building Flood Prevention
posted 10-27-25
Hurricane damage and first-floor elevation data wins 2025 NSF NHERI DesignSafe Dataset Award

Highlights from 2025 NHERI User Forum Survey
posted 09-26-25
Early results indicate that the 94% of survey respondents agree or strongly agree that NHERI has advanced research collaborations in our community.

Announcing SimCenter's Research Spotlights: Showcasing User Outcomes
posted 09-10-25
The NHERI SimCenter team is excited to announce the launch of SimCenter Research Spotlights to showcase significant projects leveraging SimCenter tools.

A Decade of DesignSafe
posted 08-27-25
NSF’s cyberinfrastructure is transforming how scientists study and prepare for natural hazards

Honoring the Legacy of Dr. Joy Pauschke: Leader in Natural Hazards Engineering and Science
posted 08-26-25
The NHERI Community wishes to congratulate Dr. Joy Pauschke, NSF program manager for NEES (2004-2014) and NHERI (2016 - present), on her recent retirement after a career filled with accomplishments..

NHERI Experts Available in the Face of Hurricane, Landslide, and Flooding Threats
posted 08-13-25
As the 2025 hurricane and tropical storm season begins to intensify, experts in wind and flood damage from the NSF NHERI network are available for media comments and interviews.

Message from the NHERI Council, July 2025
posted 07-22-25
An update on NHERI network user support for the 2026 fiscal year.

NHERI Lehigh Offers Short Course Introducing Real-Time Hybrid Simulation
posted 07-20-25
During the June researcher’s workshop, PI James Ricles and team provided a comprehensive, hands-on lessons in applying RTHS techniques to natural hazards research.

NHERI Research Impact Showcased in Landmark Frontiers Special Collection
posted 07-20-25
The NHERI NCO announces the completion of NHERI's third special collection in Frontiers in Built Environment, "NHERI 2015-2025: A Decade of Discovery in Natural Hazards Engineering."

Winners of the 2025 NHERI Graduate Student Council Data Challenge
posted 07-16-25
Winning research teams were selected based on their creativity, interdisciplinarity, and their translation of data into actionable insights.

NHERI Tallwood: Earthquake-proof Design for Tall Wood Buildings
posted 07-10-25
Researchers work with industry supporters to get Tallwood’s mass-timber seismic design adopted into U.S. building code, known as ASCE-7.

NHERI SimCenter welcomes 2025 summer interns
posted 07-09-25
Meet the five students and their mentors, learn about their research -- all part of the 2025 NHERI Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program.

NHERI SimCenter a key presence at 14th International Conference on Structural Safety and Reliability
posted 07-01-25
SimCenter faculty and staff participate in high-level committees, present on SimCenter software tools at the ICOSSAR25, held June 1-6 at UCLA.

U.S. Media Advisory: UC San Diego Earthquake Simulator Tests 10-story Steel-framed Building
posted 06-23-25
A team of researchers from the University of California San Diego and John Hopkins University is testing a 10-story, cold-formed steel building for seismic activity at the UCSD shake table.

2025 DesignSafe Dataset Award Winners Tackle Hurricane Damage, Food Access
posted 06-17-25
Award-winning datasets include a food access restoration model and damage assessments for 3,400 structures.

Building resilience: NHERI Lehigh's large-scale tests advance mass timber for a safer future
posted 06-02-25
The NHERI Lehigh facility recently completed a series of large-scale tests on a 5-story mass timber structure. See the video showing the first-floor subassembly testbed in action.

NHERI RAPID Empowers Post-Disaster Data Collection from the 2025 LA Wildfires
posted 05-28-25
The NHERI RAPID facility enabled what may be the most extensive collection of perishable data from the 2025 Los Angeles wildfire event.

NHERI’s DesignSafe Radio Ranks #5 in Top 40 Natural Disaster Podcasts
posted 05-27-25
After eight years and nearly two-hundred episodes, the DesignSafe Radio has just been awarded #5 in Million Podcasts' 2025 Top 40 Natural Hazards Podcasts!

2025 NHERI Graduate Student Council Mini-Conference: In the Books
posted 05-21-25
On May 16, nearly 100 attendees gathered for the Third Annual NHERI Graduate Student Council Mini-Conference.

Wall of Wind Engineering Research Draws Wide Interest Among Researchers, the General Public
posted 05-21-25
A paper authored by researchers at the Florida International University Wall of Wind experimental facility about wind load impact on tall buildings is drawing significant attention among researchers and the general public.

Cold-formed Steel for Seismic Resilience? It’s on the Table
posted 05-20-25
NHERI at UC San Diego shake table experiments with the 10-story cold-formed steel building begin in June 2025, with media day events live-streamed. The live fire experiments begin in July 2025.

Cold-Formed Steel: A Resilient Material for Natural Hazards Engineering
posted 05-16-25
On NHERI’s DesignSafe Radio podcast, Johns Hopkins University researcher Ben Schafer summarizes the strengths of cold-formed steel in tall building design.

Lehigh University Engineers Pioneer Testing for Tall Structures Under Extreme Earthquake and Wind Loading
posted 05-05-25
The NSF-funded laboratory is leveraging cyber-physical technology to pave the way for safer, more resilient civil infrastructure with novel techniques for testing the performance of tall structures.

NHERI Network Independent Advisory Committee (NIAC) Visits the Wall of Wind
posted 03-27-25
The NHERI NIAC recently toured the NHERI Wall of Wind facility at Florida International University and were treated to a preview of a prototype fan for the NSF NICHE facility proposal.

2025 NHERI Computational Symposium Wrap Up
posted 02-20-25
This year's NHERI Computational Symposium convened over 240 researchers and industry practitioners at the UCLA campus for three days of sharing and collaboration in all of the NHERI fields of hazards research.

Ellen Rathje Elected to National Academy of Engineers
posted 02-19-25
Ellen Rathje, University of Texas geotechnical engineering professor, researcher, and NHERI DesignSafe principal investigator, has been elected by her peers to the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) Class of 2025.

Engineering Sustainable Waste Disposal after Extreme Events
posted 01-27-25
Since 2018 the NSF-supported SUMMEER (Sustainable Material Management Extreme Events Reconnaissance) group has investigated waste handling at wildfire disaster zones around the country, and they now lend their efforts to the NHERI community through the NHERI CONVERGE collection of EER networks.

Hurricane Simulations in High Gear
posted 01-23-25
At the Texas Advanced Computing Center (TACC) of University of Texas at Austin, powerful supercomputers like the NSF-funded Vista, Frontera, and Stampede3, along with locally funded Lonestar6, are meeting urgent storm surge research needs with continually updated simulations.

An Interdisciplinary Approach to Inland Flooding
posted 01-21-25
NHERI Grad Student Council President Harman Singh unites geography and climate science in her natural hazards research. Harman answers questions about her studies and career goals in the NHERI Resilience for All interview series.

NHERI RAPID Facility Supports Wildfire Reconnaissance Deployments
posted 01-16-25
As communities face the challenging circumstances of the Los Angeles wildfires, the NSF-funded NHERI RAPID Facility is ready to support researchers conducting post-disaster reconnaissance investigations.