Italy Honours Earthquake Scientist

Giuliano F. Panza, a professor of seismology at the University of Trieste and head of the ICTP-hosted project on Structure And Nonlinear Dynamics of the Earth (SAND), has been designated as Knight of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic.

The honour cites Panza's outstanding, internationally recognized  scientific achievements related to geophysics and seismology. Panza's work includes integrated analyses of the structure and dynamics of the lithosphere-asthenosphere system; realistic modeling of seismic wave propagation; and earthquake prediction in the time-space medium-term.

The research of the SAND Group applies mathematics to the problem of predicting earthquakes and modeling their outcome to provide decision makers with information to assess hazards and risks.  The group's work has led to hundreds of publications.