Building columns blown out by the force of tsunami flow.
Research and Education Centers
On this page you will find information about some of the major centers on campus supporting Coastal Engineering, Coastal Hazards, and Fluid Mechanics research.
USC Tsunami Research Center
The Tsunami Research Center (TRC) is actively involved with all aspects of tsunami research; inundation field surveys, numerical and analytical modeling, and hazard assessment, mitigation and planning. The TRC has developed the tsunami inundation maps for California and the tsunami code MOST, now used by NOAA. MOST is the only validated code used in the US for tsunami hazard mapping with detailed inundation predictions. TRC faculty and students have surveyed all except one of the ''modern'' tsunamis since 1992, and have been working on mega-tsunami surveys for the 1946 Aleutian and 1956 Amorgos, Greece events. The TRC is a unit of the Department of Civil Engineering of the University of Southern California.
Foundation for Cross-Connection Control and Hydraulic Research
For over 100 years, incidents where contaminants and pollutants have flowed backwards into potable drinking water supplies have been documented. A group of concerned individuals, believing that the unbiased efforts of an educational institution would better serve the ultimate aim of protecting potable water supplies, approached USC asking research be done in the area. In 1944, the USC Board of Trustees established the Foundation. Over the years, the Foundation has developed a number of products and services designed to help water utilities and health agencies in their hydraulic system design efforts.
Southern California Earthquake Center
The Southern California Earthquake Center (SCEC) is a community of over 600 scientists, students, and others at over 60 institutions worldwide, headquartered at the University of Southern California. SCEC is funded by the National Science Foundation and the U.S. Geological Survey to develop a comprehensive understanding of earthquakes in Southern California and elsewhere, and to communicate useful knowledge for reducing earthquake risk.