Seismological Laboratory
Mackay School of Mines, MS 174, University of Nevada, Reno
Reno, NV  89557
Phone:  (702) 784-4975  Fax:  (702) 784-1833  Email:  mainofc@seismo.unr.edu


NEWS RELEASE

	The Dean of the Mackay School of Mines, University of Nevada, Reno, recently appointed John G. Anderson as new director of the Seismological Laboratory.  Dean Jane C.S. Long announced the appointment effective February 1, 1998, in response to James N. Brune’s request he be allowed to resign as Director in order to pursue research full time.
	Dr. Brune will stay on as an active faculty member, devoting his time to the intense and brilliant research that has earned him numerous honors and awards and made him one of the top seismologists in the world.  Brune's scientific leadership for the past ten years brought the Seismological Lab worldwide recognition and acclaim for innovative earthquake research and cutting-edge seismic network technology.
	Dr. Anderson was appointed with the strong recommendation and unanimous support of the Seismological Laboratory faculty.  He has served as Associate Director of the Lab since 1989, and did a six-month stint as Acting Director in 1995 while Brune was on sabbatical.  He came to UNR from the University of California in San Diego, and has held a joint appointment with the Lab and the Department of Geological Sciences as a Geophysics professor since 1988.  Anderson has been a top researcher in the Mackay School of Mines for some time and enjoys an international reputation for his work in strong motion seismology.  His work in seismic hazard assessment is central to the Lab's continuing mission and is likely to be increasingly important.
	The Seismological Laboratory was approved by the Nevada Board of Regents in 1974 as a separate research division of the University of Nevada, with its Director reporting to the Dean of the Mackay School of Mines.  In addition to modest state support, its grant- and contract- supported earthquake research grants total over two million dollars a year, which enables the Lab to operate a network of over 160 seismic stations in Nevada, analyzing the data obtained and compiling information on historic and current earthquake activity as well as educating the public about earthquake risk in the Nevada region.  Lab scientists also collaborate internationally on research projects involving Mexico, Japan, and India.