Listen Up: A Story on How Beaked Whales Hear

Structural Engineers Develop Simulation to Better Understand the Effects of Sound on Marine Life

Below are the first two paragraphs from the story in the San Diego Union Tribune.

A team of researchers with San Diego ties has simulated the effects of sounds in whales' heads using computer software to model how marine mammals hear.

The preliminary results are important in helping academic scientists and the U.S. Navy determine if sounds such as sonar harm whales and dolphins, said Petr Krysl, a structural engineering professor at University of California San Diego and one of the researchers on the ongoing project.

Check out the full story in the San Diego Union Tribune by Lilly Leung.

The press release from the Jacobs School is here.

Bridge Columns To Be Tested on Jacobs School Shake Table

A 24-foot tall bridge column will undergo a series of simulated earthquake tests up to a 7.0 magnitude, conducted by UC San Diego structural engineers, beginning on Sept. 20. The bridge column is modeled after those designed by CALTRANS over the last 15 years. It will be the first time engineers will test a full scale bridge column of this kind on an earthquake simulator.  The engineers will test the seismic vulnerability of these bridge columns and to provide additional data for improving future designs.

Check out the live cam: http://nees.ucsd.edu/video/