Research

Speaker: Jennifer Bridge

The NSF-supported Natural Hazards Engineering Research Infrastructure (NHERI) is a network of shared-use research facilities and support services that enable experimental and computational research to improve community resilience to natural hazards. Since its start in 2015, NHERI has catalyzed convergent, multi-hazard research to create a strong and engaged community of researchers working towards effective solutions to strengthen our nation’s infrastructure and communities. This presentation will start with an overview of the components of the NHERI network and the research they enable.

As a part of the NHERI network, the large-scale boundary layer wind tunnel at the University of Florida (UFBLWT) supports a wide range of research topics aimed at enhancing understanding of wind hazards and the impacts they have on the built environment. This presentation will detail the unique simulation and measurement capabilities of the UFBLWT and the types of research questions that it can help address. Users of the UFBLWT come from diverse research backgrounds and experience, leveraging highly automated experimental tools to achieve flow control and high throughput testing not previously achievable in standard wind tunnels.