Natural Disasters

News about UB’s research and advocacy in extreme events and disaster response. (see all topics)

Meet an Expert
  • Japanese Tsunami's Effects Will Change How and Where Future Nuclear Power Plants are Built
    3/15/11
    The design of next-generation nuclear power plants and other critical energy facilities will undoubtedly be influenced by the Japanese tsunami and its devastating effects on Japan's nuclear reactors, says Michael C. Constantinou, PhD, professor of civil, structural and environmental engineering at the University at Buffalo.
  • Japanese Earthquake and Tsunami Created a 'Cascading Event'
    3/14/11
    The magnitude 9.0 earthquake off the coast of northern Japan and the tsunami it triggered demonstrate the need for an integrated approach to preparing for, mitigating and responding to extreme events, say researchers at the University at Buffalo, MCEER and the UB Center for GeoHazards Studies, who spoke to media in a briefing Friday on UB's North Campus. Video commentary from UB faculty experts is available here: http://bit.ly/eeUn1S
  • UB Scientists and Earthquake Engineers to Discuss Huge Japanese Quake
    3/11/11
    Scientists and engineers at the University at Buffalo and UB's MCEER (Multidisciplinary Center for Earthquake Engineering Research) will be available to discuss with media the powerful magnitude 8.9 earthquake that struck the northern coast of Japan and has triggered tsunamis and evacuations throughout half the world.
  • Haitian Native, an Earthquake Engineering Student, Puts Training to Good Use in Home Country
    1/11/11
    Like most doctoral candidates, University at Buffalo student and Haitian native Pierre Fouche is a study in focus and determination and, if anything, the Jan. 12, 2010, earthquake that struck his home country only intensified these traits.
  • One Year Later, Haiti's Engineers Are Acquiring Tools to Begin Rebuilding the Right Way
    1/10/11
    As Haitian citizens struggle to achieve some normalcy a year after the devastating Jan. 12, 2010, earthquake, its structural engineers and architects are demonstrating an unwavering resolve to rebuild the country the right way, despite the daily challenges.
  • Snow and Traffic: UB Transportation Project Could Help Region Better Manage Traffic During Bad Weather
    12/3/10
    Powerful, localized snowstorms can snarl traffic for hours or days, as Western New York saw this week when a section of the New York State Thruway closed for 24 hours. That's exactly the kind of scenario that University at Buffalo engineers hope to prevent when they complete a computer simulation of the area's roadways.
  • UB Professor Tarunraj Singh Is Named a Fellow of ASME
    11/11/10
    Tarunraj Singh, PhD, professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering at the University at Buffalo, has been named a Fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. Fellowship, which is the highest elected grade of membership in ASME, is conferred upon members with at least 10 years of active engineering practice who have made significant contributions to the profession.
  • 'Fracking' Mobilizes Uranium in Marcellus Shale, UB Research Finds
    10/25/10
    Scientific and political disputes over drilling Marcellus shale for natural gas have focused primarily on the environmental effects of pumping millions of gallons of water and chemicals deep underground to blast through rocks to release the natural gas. But University at Buffalo researchers have now found that that process -- called hydraulic fracturing or "fracking"-- also causes uranium that is naturally trapped inside Marcellus shale to be released, raising additional environmental concerns.
  • Rescue of Chilean Miners Provides Lesson in Human Resilience, Psychologist Says
    10/13/10
    While many people might assume that the men rescued from the mine in Chile might suffer from psychological problems that require therapy, the miners' survival of the ordeal may actually provide a worldwide lesson on the remarkable strength of human resilience, says a University at Buffalo researcher.
  • World's First Geologic Hazards Facility Being Planned Near Buffalo, N.Y.
    9/15/10
    To simulate earthquakes, engineers have shake tables. To simulate sub-atomic collisions, physicists have synchrotrons. Until now, though, there has been no effective way to simulate full-scale volcanic eruptions. But this weekend, the University at Buffalo's Center for Geohazards Studies will convene a National Science Foundation-funded workshop to plan the world's first international user facility where scientists will be able to test large-scale geologic hazards.