In the aftermath of heavy flooding caused by Tropical Storm Irene, University at Buffalo researchers are conducting a damage assessment that could help hard-hit communities in New York plan for future disasters.

To get a better idea of just how much damage even a moderate earthquake would cause to unreinforced masonry buildings, earthquake-engineering researchers in the University at Buffalo's MCEER are reconstructing brick walls like those in New York City buildings that are approximately 100 years old.

As communities prepare for the hurricane, with many in the southeast evacuating, the earthquake that hit Virginia and the possibility that Hurricane Irene could hit the eastern U.S. serve as important reminders about the vulnerability of structures in these areas to the full range of extreme events, from earthquakes to hurricanes and terrorist attacks, say engineers at the University at Buffalo's MCEER (Multidisciplinary Center for Earthquake Engineering Research).

"The earthquake was moderate but significant because we haven't had very many earthquakes of this magnitude in the eastern United States or eastern Canada," said Andre Filiatrault, PhD, director of the University at Buffalo's MCEER (Multidisciplinary Center for Earthquake Engineering Research).

Andre Filiatrault, PhD, director of the University at Buffalo's MCEER (Multidisciplinary Center for Earthquake Engineering Research), will be available to discuss the magnitude 5.8 earthquake that struck south of Washington DC and affected cities all along the eastern seaboard.

Andre Filiatrault, PhD, director of the University at Buffalo's MCEER (Multidisciplinary Center for Earthquake Engineering Research), met with media today to discuss the 5.9 magnitude that shook parts of the eastern U.S. and Canada.

UB Professor Shambhu Upadhyaya teaches and conducts research in the area of computer security. With hacker collectives carrying out high-profile cyber attacks -- most recently claiming to have stolen a large trove of data including personal information from U.S. law enforcement agencies -- Upadhyaya comments on how much of a threat these groups really pose to cybersecurity.

Large, marine-calving glaciers have the ability not only to shrink rapidly in response to global warming, but to grow at a remarkable pace during periods of global cooling, according to University at Buffalo geologists working in Greenland.

Mark Frank has spent two decades studying the faces of people lying when in high-stakes situations and has good news for security experts. "Executing Facial Control During Deception Situations," a new study he co-authored with former graduate student Carolyn M. Hurley, PhD, reports that although liars can reduce facial actions when under scrutiny, they can't suppress them all.

The University at Buffalo will host the international workshop "Probabilistic Analysis of Volcanic Hazards" on May 16-19. Conference participants will include geologists, volcanologists and statisticians from several nations, who will consider current methodologies used in the analysis of volcanic hazards, including probability, randomness and statistical measures, in order to help define priorities for future research.