Berkeley Seismology Lab

Former UC Berkeley employee Alik Lee filed a lawsuit March 28 against the UC Board of Regents and two of his supervisors alleging wrongful termination based on his race, sex and age.

With the government shutdown of the U.S. Geological Survey, or USGS, Menlo Park office, the UC Berkeley Seismology Laboratory, or BSL, is now responsible for monitoring Northern California seismic activity.

The ShakeAlert system detects initial seismic P-waves, which are nondamaging, to allow BART to prepare for the damaging S-waves that follow. The system was described as a lifesaver by lawmakers and BART representatives in a press conference following Monday’s demonstration.

BART uses ShakeAlert to detect initial, nondamaging waves called P-waves. This allows the system to prepare for the stronger S-waves — which can cause major damage — and slow and stop trains.

Alik Lee, a former UC Berkeley employee, is cooperating with officials to investigate his termination Jan. 5, according to a statement released Tuesday.

The UC Berkeley Office of Emergency Management is set to lose 50 percent of its staff because of cuts.

Late last week an 8.2 magnitude earthquake shook Mexico City, making it the largest earthquake to hit the city in the last century and killing over 60 people. Berkeley is situated directly on top of the Hayward Fault — could an earthquake comparable to Mexico City’s occur in Berkeley?

Gov. Jerry Brown signed a state budget Monday that includes $10 million funding for a statewide earthquake early warning system designed by members of the Berkeley Seismological Laboratory.

At a White House event Tuesday, Congress appropriated $8.2 million from the federal budget to improve the earthquake warning system ShakeAlert, designed at UC Berkeley.