Two Named to Earthquake Advisory Board

Two distinguished earthquake experts have been named to serve on the Advisory Committee on Earthquake Hazards Reduction (ACEHR) of the National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program (NEHRP) by Patrick Gallagher, deputy director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and acting NEHRP Interagency Coordinating Committee chair.

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. NIST serves as the lead agency of NEHRP, a consortium of federal agencies that also includes the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the National Science Foundation and the United States Geological Survey.

The new ACEHR members are John Hooper, director, Earthquake Engineering, of Magnusson Klemencic Associates, Seattle, Wash., and Susan Tubbesing, executive director, Earthquake Engineering Research Institute, Oakland, Calif. They join a group of 13 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; overseeing the effectiveness of NEHRP in improving design and construction methods and practices; advancing prediction techniques and early-warning systems; assessing coordinated emergency preparedness plans and public education and involvement programs; and managing, coordinating and implementing NEHRP activities.

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