Those who live in the Pacific Northwest are no strangers to earthquakes. But the potential for tsunamis along the Oregon coast, although rare, can endanger entire communities. Local tsunami warning systems capable of alerting threatened coastlines often provide only very short warning. That’s why Diego Melgar of UO Earth Sciences is working to drastically improve the infrastructure of local tsunami warning systems, which could save thousands of lives. Through a NASA-funded grant of $1.1 million to UO, the University of Washington, and Central Washington University, Melgar is working to modernize local tsunami forecasting and early warning technology.