An Educational Strategic Plan for the George E. Brown Network for Earthquake Engineering Simulation (NEES)

Nees Consortium, Inc., Davis CA

Investigators

Abstract

The award provides funding to the NEES Consortium, Inc., to develop a strategic plan for education, outreach, training, and assessment activities for the George E. Brown, Jr. Network for Earthquake Engineering Simulation (NEES). NEES is an NSF-funded Major Research Equipment and Facilities Construction (MREFC) project under construction during FY 2000 - FY 2004. When completed by September 30, 2004, NEES will be national, networked simulation resource of 15 geographically-distributed, shared use next-generation experimental research equipment sites, with teleobservation and teleoperation capabilities, to advance earthquake engineering research and education through collaborative and integrated experimentation, computation, theory, databases, and model-based simulation and to improve the seismic design and performance of U.S. civil and mechanical infrastructure systems. NEES research equipment includes shake tables, geotechnical centrifuges, a tsunami wave basin, large-scale laboratory experimentation systems, and mobile and permanently installed field equipment, networked together through the high performance Internet. The NEES network will also provide a curated repository for experimental and analytical earthquake engineering and related data, collaborative tools, and a simulation tools repository. During FY 2005 - FY 2014, the NEES infrastructure will be operated by the NEES Consortium, Inc. This project addresses a void in the current NEES MREFC project. The NEES MREFC scope does not include the development of a comprehensive plan for education and outreach to broaden the use of NEES when it opens for ten-year operation for research and education starting in FY 2005. To develop the NEES strategic education plan, this project will (1) finalize the NEES mission and goals for education, outreach and training, (2) review the education and outreach plans of other organizations, (3) review education, outreach, and training ideas and plans already proposed in NEES Consortium Development workshops, (4) review relevant literature on the effective uses of technology in K-16 SMET education, (5) convene three workshops to address needs, priorities, programs, and gaps in an evolving NEES educational plan for K-12, undergraduate, graduate, and informal education, (6) identify technology and tools to support educational products and dissemination, (7) develop an assessment plan for NEES educational activities, and (8) finalize the strategic education plan after input on the draft plan from the broad earthquake engineering community. This project includes subawards to San Jose State University, Louisiana State University, the University of Oklahoma, and IRIS. Information about project activities, as well as the final strategic education plan, will be available at www.nees.org.