Harvard lends a hand to Chile
The 8.8 magnitude earthquake that struck Chile a year ago was so strong it nudged the Earth’s axis and ever so slightly shortened the length of a day. Even after months of rebuilding, the damage is still apparent, according to Harvard faculty members working on earthquake relief. “It looks post-nuclear,” said Brad Epps, professor of Romance languages and literatures, describing the coastal town of Dichato, devastated by both the quake and the tsunami that followed. Epps led a group of 15 Harvard students to Dichato and elsewhere over winter break to help the rebuilding effort. They worked to reconstruct parks, schools, and kiosks to get local commerce moving. The trip is just one of several ways in which the Harvard community has reached out to help Chile. Faculty members lead a number of projects there, and alumni are playing key roles in the reconstruction. Some projects, such as ENLACE, a planning and...