UCLA’s Samueli School gets $9 million from Laguna couple

Laguna Beach residents B. John and Amelia Garrick have committed $9 million to launch the B. John Garrick Institute for the Risk Sciences at the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science, according to a university release.

The Garrick Institute will provide new knowledge and technology to assess and manage risk in order to save lives and protect the environment and property from large-scale threats, the release says.

The institute will improve the preparation and response to threats including earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, tsunamis, climate change shifts and consequences associated with major industrial accidents.

Garrick has been a pioneer in the discipline, according to the release. In 1993, he was elected to the National Academy of Engineering, the highest honor for a U.S. engineer.

Then in 2004, President George W. Bush appointed Garrick to chair the U.S. Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board.

Garrick served in the role until 2012 and has been a member of numerous national committees focusing on terrorism, nuclear safety, chemical weapons, marine systems and automobile safety.

“John Garrick has long been one of UCLA engineering’s great friends and supporters,” Vijay K. Dhir, dean of UCLA’s school of engineering, said in the release. “The generous gift from Dr. Garrick and his wife, Amelia, will advance the field to which he has dedicated his career. Most importantly, it will help UCLA train new generations of engineers and applied scientists in broad-based disciplines that will reduce societal risks around the world.”

The Garrick Institute will be headquartered in Engineering VI, the state-of-the-art education and research building now under construction on the UCLA campus. The building will open in phases beginning in early 2015.

—Bryce Alderton

Twitter: @AldertonBryce