George W. Housner, an earthquake engineering pioneer, died on Nov. 10 of natural causes in Pasadena, Calif. He was 97. Housner, the Braun professor emeritus of engineering at California Technology Institute (Caltech) in Long Beach, was responsible for developing the most complete mathematical system to analyze effects of ground shaking on structures. HOUSNER Engineers previously only considered the quake force pushing upon a building. Housner realized that an earthquake isn’t static but rather sets off vibrations throughout the entire structure that could bring it down. His mathematical framework helped to better understand those vibrations and led to the implementation of
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