9812580 Wright This award provides partial support to continue the Secretariat of the U.S. side of the U.S./Japan Panel on Wind and Seismic Effects. The Wind and Seismic Effects panel promotes exchanges of technology for reducing damages caused by strong winds, earthquakes, and storm surge and tsunamis. Through the panel, U.S. and Japanese researchers jointly develop and share seismic and high-wind measurement records and technical data, and information on the performance, design, and construction of lifelines, buildings, and other constructed facilities. The heart of the panel is its 12 task committees. Their activities continue to grow in strength and have made significant contributions toward advancing the missions of federal agencies in design and construction practices. A new task committee on Seismic Information Systems was created at the Panel's 29th Joint Meeting in May, 1997. ***
