Earth-Shattering Research • Uma Maheswari Raju, Ph.D.

(Research Engineer at Fugro || CA USA)

“What is the probability of damages from an earthquake or tsunami? How should we design important structures such as nuclear power plants in earthquake-prone regions? What kind of materials should we use for important structures to reduce the chance of damage during such an event? These are the kinds of questions I answer as a research engineer. I need a lot of information — subsurface data, geological data, more than 100 years’ worth of fault earthquake data, and recorded seismographic data from in and around the region. And if some of this is not available, then I need to go out and physically test the location to get these parameters. All of this is even harder when I need to get data from locations around the world. I use this data to develop site specific earthquake prediction models, feeding all these features into a model to predict the probability of a natural disaster in that area.

•

My work helps ensure that buildings built in earthquake-prone locations are structurally safe and earthquake-resistant so they can withstand potential environmental hazards. I need to be very cautious — human lives depend on it.”