For the first time, the world's earthquake engineering community will see what it's like to conduct experiments through a real-time, Internet2, collaborative laboratory when researchers demonstrate an early version of the George E. Brown, Jr. Network for Earthquake Engineering Simulation (NEES) infrastructure, or NEESgrid, at the University of Nevada, Reno today (Nov. 14) from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

&#8220This will be the world's first opportunity to see all the components of NEESgrid in operation,&#8221 said Ian Buckle, director of the university's Center for Civil Engineering Earthquake Research. The purpose of NEESgrid is to speed the design of structures such as buildings and bridges that minimize earthquake damage and loss of life via collaboration with other researchers in real-time over Internet2.

The NEES partners gathered today will see a model of a single-span bridge tested on 50-ton shake tables in the university's Large-Scale Structures Laboratory from their seats in Harry Reid Engineering Laboratory Conference Room 109.

The experimental data will be streamed live to the NEESgrid, where it will be visualized, reviewed and analyzed. Once the NEESgrid is fully operational, similar experimental data will be streamed to sites across the country. Earthquake engineers without physical access to expensive simulation systems will be able to view and remotely control experiments, collaborate with colleagues, and analyze data.

The demonstration will be ongoing -- live from Nevada -- next week during the National Computational Science Alliance research exhibit at SC2002, the annual high-performance computing and networking conference. SC2002 will be held at the Baltimore Convention Center Nov. 16-22.

The university's earthquake research center became one of the first three NEESgrid equipment site connections late last summer. The NEESgrid also connects Oregon State
University in Corvallis, Ore., and its tsunami wave tank, and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, N.Y., and its experimental centrifuge.

In 2001, Buckle was awarded $7 million from three federal agencies to upgrade the laboratory's two shake tables and purchase a third, as well as pay for hardware and software. Buckle won a competitive $4.4 million grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) through NEES. In addition, Nevada received $1 million from the Department of Energy, and $1.6 million from the Department of Housing and Urban Development. Funding for the laboratory from federal, state and private sources exceeds $20 million.

By Melanie Supersano, (775) 784-7030; <a href="mailto: msupersano@adv.unr.edu"> msupersano@adv.unr.edu</a>