Ocean sciences
Testing Tsunami Loads
Linking Genomes to Biomes A new center on campus is a huge national name in microbes
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t may be one of the “newer kids on the block,” but the Center for Microbial Oceanography: Research and Education (C-MORE) in the School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology has already established itself as a leader in designing and conducting novel research. It is one of only 17 National Science Foundation-sponsored Science and Technology Centers across the nation, and the first to focus on microbes. Established in 2006, C-MORE facilitates comprehensive understanding of the biological and ecological diversity of marine microorganisms. Studies range from the genetic basis of marine microbial biogeochemistry, including the metabolic regulation and environmental controls of gene expression, to the processes that underpin the fluxes of carbon, related bioelements and energy in the marine environment. C-MORE Hale, the newest research facility to join C-MORE, was dedicated in 2010. It houses 30,000 square feet of state-of-the-art scientific equipment used in conjunction with an existing modern fleet of research vessels to study the vital role that marine microbes play in sustaining planetary habitability. Another integral component of C-MORE is its implementation of educational and outreach programs. All of its activities are dispersed among five partner institutions: the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, University of California at Santa Cruz and Oregon State University. C-MORE brings together teams of experts—scientists, educators and community members—who usually have little opportunity to interact, facilitating the creation and dissemination of a new understanding of marine microbes. Research is organized around four interconnected themes: (Theme I) microbial biodiversity; (Theme II) metabolism and C-N-P-energy flow; (Theme III) remote and continuous sensing and links to climate variability; (Theme IV) ecosystem modeling, simulation and prediction, with the primary mission of linking genomes to biomes. See the website at http://cmore.soest.hawaii.edu.
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ivil and environmental engineering doctoral student Yuriy Mikhaylov’s (pictured) research on tsunamiresistant structures is now more important than ever given the destruction of the March 2011 devastating tsunami and earthquake in Japan. His research involves the design of six prototypical buildings, built under the International Building Code 2006, in several locations of varying seismicity and soil types. The structures are being subjected to tsunami loads in modeling studies that consider eight kinds of forces, including hydrodynamic and debris damming forces, to analyze the buildings’ behavior when confronted with such natural forces. The goal is to learn if so-called tsunami-resistant structures are truly so, while conforming to the current building code. And, if they aren’t, Mikhaylov’s mission is to rectify that. Doctoral student Mikhaylov and College of Engineering Professor Ian Robertson have also teamed up to analyze precious video footage and physical evidence in Japan to better understand what happened when the tidal wave hit. It may all lead to a proposed set of guidelines for tsunami-resistant designs that can be established and incorporated into modernized building codes in anticipation of withstanding that next giant wave. Contact Mikhaylov at mikhaylov. yuriy@gmail.com and Robertson at ianrob@hawaii.edu or see the website at http://www.eng.hawaii.edu.
Photo by Reese Moriyama
Ch a n cel lo r ’ s R ep o r t 2011–2012
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