Artificial Earthquakes Could Lead to Safer, Sturdier Buildings

Earthquakes never occur when you need one, so a team led by Johns Hopkins structural engineers is shaking up a building themselves in the name of science and safety. Using massive moving platforms and an array of sensors and cameras, the researchers are trying to find out how well a two-story building made of cold-formed steel can stand up to a lab-generated Southern California quake. The testing, taking place this summer in Buffalo, N.Y., marks the culmination of a three-year, $1 million research project involving scientists from six universities and design consultants from the steel industry.