Please join me in congratulating Brian Yanites, Robert R. Shrock Professor of Surficial and Sedimentary Geology in the Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, on receiving a $15 million award from the National Science Foundation to fund the Center for Land Surface Hazards (CLaSH). He is part of an interdisciplinary team of five principal investigators who will research a phenomenon known as “cascading hazards,” which occur when one natural event alters the landscape in ways that lead to future hazards.
Brian, a geomorphologist, studies how climate, tectonics, and rock type influence the processes and landforms that drive landscape evolution. His research has led him to study natural hazards across the country, including damage to trees and soil in the aftermath of a 2023 tornado at McCormick’s Creek State Park in Spencer, Indiana.
In a story about his most recent project, Brian points to the urgency of this research by earth scientists, noting, “We’re recognizing that we really need to understand all the processes that work together to create natural hazards and disasters. These processes are changing, and rapidly. We need to do a better job of forecasting and predicting when and where these things will happen.”
Congratulations, Professor Yanites!