Press Release
☷NIST NSF Award More Than $7 6 Million to Support Disaster Resilience Research
U.S. Department of Commerce ( By Press Release office)
May 04,2022
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The U . S . Department of Commerce’s National Institute of Standards and Technology ( NIST ) and the National Science Foundation ( NSF ) have awarded more than $7 . 6 million in grants to fund research that will improve the ability of buildings , infrastructure and communities to hold strong against natural hazards . The agencies are funding 20 projects to be conducted across 24 institutions through the Disaster Resilience Research Grant ( DRRG ) program , which they manage together . “Each year , U . S . communities are increasingly impacted by disastrous natural hazards , such as earthquakes , hurricanes , tornadoes and wildfires , ” said Joannie Chin , NIST’s Engineering Laboratory director . “While we can’t eliminate these tragic events , we can help communities reduce their vulnerabilities and increase their resilience with science - based resources . These awards will support efforts to unlock fundamental scientific and engineering insights that will enhance building designs , codes and standards . ”To identify the grant recipients , panels of reviewers with expertise in wildland - urban interface ( WUI ) fires , earthquakes , windstorms or community resilience assessed 260 applications . Of the 20 selected research projects , the eight funded by NIST are: Arizona State University ( $400 , 000 ) For a thorough assessment of practices that would allow infrastructure systems to continue operating at a lower capacity when struck by windstorms . The research project also aims to establish methods of simulating the long - term performance of infrastructure under either current or future climate conditions . Worcester Polytechnic Institute ( $399 , 999 ) For an investigation into how small burning debris , called embers or firebrands , are generated and carried through the air . The analysis could provide fundamental insights into ember formation and transport , informing WUI community practices to mitigate the effects of wildfires . The University of Miami ( $399 , 801 ) To illuminate the effects that simultaneous wind , waves and storm surges have on coastal structures . The results could transform building codes and standards , improving resilience among coastal communities . The University of California San Diego ( $399 , 204 ) To evaluate how steel pipes used as structural components in marine infrastructure , called piles , behave during earthquakes . Through physical experiments and computer modeling , the researchers aim to produce findings that can strengthen appropriate standards and codes for critical port infrastructure in the U . S . The University of Massachusetts Amherst ( $390 , 009 ) To reveal how concrete structural components fortified with fiber - reinforced polymer ( FRP ) , a material often used to patch up damaged or aging concrete buildings , respond to earthquakes . The findings from the project could be used to improve FRP selection for buildings in need of structural reinforcement . The University of Miami ( $397 , 767 ) For the evaluation of glass - fiber - polymer - reinforced , ultra - high - performance concrete as a sea wall material alternative to conventional steel - reinforced concrete , which can be vulnerable to both abrasion and corrosion from prolonged exposure to salt water and waves . The researchers intend to measure and compare how each material behaves while being impacted by small - scale , simulated waves . The University of Maryland , the University of California Berkeley and the University of California Davis ( $390 , 000 ) To study how people in the wildland - urban interface , or WUI — where communities closely interact with the wilderness — evacuate from fast - moving wildfires with little or no advanced notice . The researchers seek to develop a highly sophisticated evacuation computer model that could support planning for and action during wildfire evacuations . Columbia University ( $389 , 146 ) For the development of a large database of simulated hurricane winds over a variety of coastal terrains , which may improve how buildings are designed to resist hurricane - force winds . The 12 projects funded by NSF are: Central Michigan University and the University of California Davis ( $400 , 000 ) For the development of realistic seismic motions as inputs to improve modeling and simulation of the effects of earthquakes on structures , which would enhance the seismic resilience of building and infrastructure designs . Rutgers University New Brunswick ( $400 , 000 ) For the development of a modeling system that simulates the financial and behavioral impacts of coastal storms and flood on municipalities . The tool’s purpose will be to support stakeholder deliberation and help local decision - makers mitigate fiscal stresses . Clemson University ( $399 , 999 ) For the creation of a modeling and analysis framework that can be used to evaluate housing designs and logistics planning for post - hurricane housing solutions . The framework will incorporate housing resilience , supply chain and adaptive logistics operations . Carnegie Mellon University ( $399 , 997 ) To explore the extent to which decentralized power infrastructure in the form of modular microgrids could mitigate power loss during disaster response and humanitarian relief efforts . Northeastern University ( $399 , 504 ) For the development of an accessible , artificial - intelligence - powered computer model that can be used to assess the earthquake resilience of urban buildings at a large scale . With this model , the researchers aim to aid disaster planning and decision - making as well as future building design . Auburn University ( $399 , 235 ) To improve our understanding of near - ground - level winds and debris in extreme windstorms using new computer vision techniques . The results of this work could address a long - standing gap in our characterization of windstorms and inform building codes and standards . The University of Nebraska Lincoln , Texas A&M University and Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service ( $398 , 887 ) To gain a fundamental understanding of how resilient rural areas are to severe windstorms . Based on their findings , the researchers will identify , evaluate and recommend actions to enhance the resilience of these communities . The University of Texas Arlington ( $396 , 200 ) To examine how crowdsourced datasets could be used by diverse coastal communities to characterize factors influencing their resilience to flood disasters at a fine scale . San Jose State University ( $393 , 086 ) To produce remote sensing tools to measure wildfire behavior in the field . The new information gained with these tools could fill a critical gap in our understanding of wildfires and benefit future fire behavior studies and fire model development . Stanford University ( $309 , 441 ) To develop high - resolution computational simulation tools to model how housing , infrastructure , and businesses recover from earthquakes given a region ' s available resources and socioeconomic factors . These tools could be used to assess the efficacy of disaster preparedness efforts . The University of Michigan Ann Arbor ( $282 , 720 ) For the production of a novel modeling approach that could be used to determine the likelihood of flood hazard in urban areas not adjacent to rivers . Bureaus and Offices National Institute of Standards and Technology Tags Disaster Response Hurricanes
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