Crafting the Next Era of Durability and Adaptability

Crafting the Next Era of Durability and Adaptability

Lehigh University's Center for Catastrophe Modeling and Resilience Helps Private Sector Prepare for Natural Disasters

Lehigh University has launched the Center for Catastrophe Modeling and Resilience (CCMR), a groundbreaking research center that is reshaping the field of catastrophe modeling. The center, directed by Professor Paolo Bocchini, is focused on developing advanced modeling tools to enhance resilience across various hazards.

The CCMR stands out for its integration of stochastic optimization and high-fidelity weather data into models that aid in planning and prioritizing infrastructure projects, particularly in critical systems like power grids. This approach helps improve the resilience of these systems under stressed conditions.

Key features and accomplishments of the CCMR include:

• Interdisciplinary Research: The center combines expertise in catastrophe modeling, resilience engineering, and data-driven approaches to address complex hazards and their impacts on infrastructure and communities.
• Advanced Modeling Techniques: The center leverages regionally refined earth system model data and high-performance computing to integrate weather uncertainties into capacity expansion planning for power grids. This helps prioritize grid projects based on resource adequacy and resilience metrics such as expected unserved energy.
• Optimization of Infrastructure Resilience: The work of the CCMR supports optimizing the interconnection queue of power generation and storage projects, addressing delays and improving system reliability by assessing contributions to grid resilience.
• Leadership and Recognition: Under Professor Bocchini’s direction, the CCMR is recognized for its innovative research at the intersection of climate risk, catastrophe modeling, and infrastructure resilience, contributing to the broader field of disaster risk reduction.

Urinrin Otite '25G '27 Ph.D., the first student to earn a master's degree in catastrophe modeling and resilience at Lehigh, is contributing to the Center's mission through her research on infrastructure resilience.

The CCMR's work extends beyond natural disasters, as it is also transferring computational models and tools from the study of natural disasters to other threats to society, such as epidemics.

Lehigh University, classified as an R1 research university by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education, is home to three newly named University Research Centers under its Future Makers strategy. The CCMR is one of these centers, alongside the Center for Community-Driven Assistive Technologies (CDAT) and the Center for Advancing Community Electrification Solutions (ACES).

The CDAT is exploring innovative ways to improve the lives of people with disabilities through user-informed design and technology, while the ACES is tackling the urgent need for self-sustaining, equitable, and efficient energy systems to serve diverse communities.

Lehigh University believes that research is a public good and is building knowledge that meets the moment and shapes the future through these initiatives. The work of the CCMR can help the private sector predict the impact of natural disasters, prepare for them, and recover more quickly, ultimately reducing the risk of power outages in cities like Pittsburgh.

1. Science, especially in the field of catastrophe modeling, is being advanced through Lehigh University's new Center for Catastrophe Modeling and Resilience (CCMR).
2. The CCMR, under the direction of Professor Paolo Bocchini, is leveraging research in interdisciplinary areas like catastrophe modeling, resilience engineering, and data-driven approaches.
3. The center's work involves optimizing infrastructure resilience, particularly in critical systems like power grids, using technology such as stochastic optimization and high-fidelity weather data.
4. Education and self-development opportunities are also provided by Lehigh through specialized programs like the master's degree in catastrophe modeling and resilience.
5. The CCMR's achievements include developing advanced modeling tools for responding to complex hazards and their impacts, with an emphasis on reducing climate risk.
6. The center's approach to catastrophe modeling has far-reaching implications for health, as it aids in planning and prioritizing infrastructure projects to improve resilience in the face of stressed conditions.
7. Beyond natural disasters, the CCMR is applying computational models and tools to other threats, such as epidemics, demonstrating the transferability of its research in the field of environmental science.
8. Lehigh University, known for its strong focus on research, is investing in data-and-cloud-computing resources to drive initiatives like the CCMR, with the goal of improving the resilience of critical infrastructure, reducing disaster risk, and promoting faster recovery in cities like Pittsburgh.

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