Engineering a Better Future

Doctoral candidate snags fellowship for work assessing infrastructure vulnerability to natural disasters



On the night of June 20, 1990, 8-year-old Behrouz Shafei was up late watching soccer on TV when his world suddenly convulsed. A 7.4 magnitude earthquake centered some 150 miles from his home in Tehran claimed more than 40,000 lives.



“It was my first inspiration to study natural hazards,” Shafei says. “Like California, Iran is a high-seismic area. I wanted to contribute to society in a meaningful way that crosses borders and nationalities. Natural disasters do not recognize manmade boundaries.”

Engineering a Better Future [UCIrvine Today]