Three Experts Named to Earthquake Advisory Board

Three new experts have been tapped to serve on the Advisory Committee on Earthquake Hazards Reduction (ACEHR) of the National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program (NEHRP) by James Turner, deputy director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and acting NEHRP 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. NEHRP consists of four federal agencies: the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the National Science Foundation, the United States Geological Survey and NIST, which serves as lead agency.

The new ACEHR members are: James E. Beavers, director, Construction Industry Research and Policy Center, University of Tennessee, Knoxville; Michael K. Lindell, professor, Department of Landscape Architecture and Urban Planning, Texas A&M University; and Brent H. Woodworth, president/CEO of Global Crisis Services, Inc., Calabasas, 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 and carrying out other tasks assigned by Congress; and managing, coordinating and implementing NEHRP activities.

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