Faulty Contest
The National Science Foundation is trying to decide whether to put a national earthquake research center in New York or California. It seems to us that this is like trying to decide whether to do volcano research in Hawaii or Hackensack. But apparently the foundation needs persuading, and California certainly should make its best case.
The research center would provide a central organization to tackle earthquake engineering problems and to encourage government and private industry to speed up their programs to reduce earthquake hazards. The science foundation plans to spend $5 million a year, and expects the state that wins to match that grant.
Gov. George Deukmejian has signed an appropriation of $3 million for the center; a consortium of universities that includes UC Berkeley, Caltech, Stanford and USC has pledged an additional $2.4 million. The New York group, headed by the State University of New York at Buffalo, apparently has pledged $5 million for each of the first two years of center operations.
New York’s firmer financing might make it attractive to the foundation, but it is hard to believe that California would fail to follow up with a second year’s funds. Besides, money isn’t everything.
California already is a world center of earthquake research. Part of that leadership, according to Caltech Prof. Wilfred Iwan, chairman of the California Seismic Safety Commission, includes:
--Design of the first strong-motion data recorders and maintenance of their first records.
--Construction of the first large-scale shaking table for testing building designs.
--Development of the first building codes based on dynamic structural behavior.
--The first studies of soil liquefaction.
--The first state laws requiring rehabilitation of hazardous structures.
The NSF review committee will be in California next week. Common sense says that it would decide to locate a major earthquake research center in California. But if common sense isn’t enough, the science foundation should consider the fact that California has unmatched resources for this research. Outstanding seismologists, structural engineers and other specialists have long been attracted to the state because--let’s face it--there’s something here to study.
If California is selected, the National Science Foundation and the American people will get far more than $5 million worth of value in return. No price tag can be put on the decades of expertise already resident at Caltech, Berkeley, Stanford and USC, and among the government and industry people who would participate. Californians also have a vested interest in keeping the research on track; they have to live with the results.
