As scientists and engineers assess Haiti’s risk for future earthquakes and develop recommendations for the safe reconstruction of housing, hospitals, and infrastructure, the University of Miami will host a public forum exploring these recommendations on Monday, March 22 from 7:30 to 9 p.m. at Storer Auditorium. The forum is free and open to the public.

Panelists will include Purdue University Professor of Geophysics Eric Calais, who will discuss the science behind Haiti’s shifting tectonic plates and the strong earthquakes they have historically produced. Since the quake, Calais has worked closely with the Haitian government and university colleagues located in Haiti to understand the potential for future earthquakes.

Reginald DesRoches, a Haitian-born professor of civil and environmental engineering at Georgia Tech, will present his firsthand account of the structural damage in the country, where he has led several engineering assessment teams since the disaster.

A question-and-answer session will follow the panel discussion. Fore more information, contact Adrienne Jaret at [email protected].

Nancy Klimas, professor of medicine, psychology, microbiology, and immunology at the Miller School of Medicine, will present “Understanding and Treating Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.” The session will be held at Lois Pope LIFE Center, seventh-floor Apex Center, from 4 – 5 pm. The University of Miami Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine designates this educational activity for a maximum of 1 AMA PRA Category 1 Creditä.

Su Sponaugle, associate professor of marine biology and fisheries at the Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, will present “Population Replenishment and Connectivity of Coral Reef Fishes” on Monday, March 22 at 12:20 p.m. in the Cox Science Center, Room 166. Sponaugle focuses on the dynamics of population replenishment and connectivity in marine organisms, particularly the transition between the pelagic larval stage and the reef-basted juvenile stage in tropical coral reef fishes and invertebrates. For more information about this event, e-mail [email protected].