IN THIS ISSUE: The New National Center for Earthquake Engineering Research /2 (Cornell's Peter Gergely, a co-principal investigator in the center's program, discusses the research and Cornell's part in it. Gergely is director of the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering and chairman of the Department of Structural Engineering.) ... Safeguarding the Lifelines /7 (Provision for the maintenance of essential services such as fire protection, utilities, and transportation in the event of an earthquake is the subject of this article by Thomas D. O'Rourke and Mircea D. Grigoriu of the structural engineering faculty.) ... Understanding the Seismic Response of Structures: The Role of Experimental Research /15 (Mathematical modeling is not yet adequate for predicting what will happen to a structure as the result of an earthquake. Professor Richard N. White discusses Cornell's program of experimental research in this area.) ... Computer-Aided Earthquake Engineering /22 (The development of simulation techniques for earthquake-resistant design is discussed by Cornell structural engineering professors John F. Abel and William McGuire.) ... Soil Dynamics in Earthquake Engineering /28 (The behavior of soil, as well as of a structure built on it, is an important consideration in design for earthquake resistance. Professor Harry E. Stewart, a specialist in geotechnical engineering, explains why.) ... Register /34 ... Vantage /41 ... Faculty Publications /43