StEER renewed and expanded in recent NSF award

The National Science Foundation has announced a three year renewal of the Structural Extreme Events Reconnaissance (StEER) Network (CMMI 2103550), building off the initial EAGER award (CMMI 1841667) that responded to over three dozen natural hazard events, involving over 150 different persons, issuing over three dozen briefings/reports, and collecting over 5000 structural assessments. The new award will streamline the network’s core operations, while also developing new protocols for more efficient data collection and processing as well as formalizing dissemination to constituencies in research, policy, and practice. Specific capabilities to be developed in StEER v2.0 include:

1. a tiered, regional data collection model for more agile field responses,
2. a workflow that unifies structural assessments across hazards and building typologies,
3. new capacities for automated data collection and synthesis,
4. a damage quantification scheme offering more objective evaluations of performance compatible with established rating systems,
5. a constituent-focused reconnaissance engagement and communications hub for greater outreach to non-academic audiences; and
6. observation-driven science planning that links the network’s findings to research and technology transfer opportunities for its members.

StEER Director Tracy Kijewski-Correa will lead the development of capabilities 2 and 6. Associate Director for Data Standards, David Roueche, will oversee capability 4. Meanwhile Associate Directors for Coastal, Seismic and Wind Hazards, Ian Robertson, Khalid Mosalam and David Prevatt, will lead the operationalization of capabilities 1, 3 and 5.

In total these developments will result in a more coherent natural hazards engineering research agenda, with more opportunities for participation, broader reach, and greater impact through the more intentional translation of StEER’s learnings into policy and practice. Ultimately, by more effectively seizing the opportunity to not only learn but act upon the knowledge gained in the study of hazard events, this project will help to ensure that communities are more resilient and sustainable.

Opportunities to participate in these new initiatives will be announced when the project commences in the third quarter of this year. In the meantime, queries can be directed to admin@steer.network or at the #steer channel on Slack.