The Dec. 26 tsunami in the Indian Ocean basin that resulted in more than 160,000 deaths was not only the worst natural disaster in centuries, but also presents massive challenges for governmental and nongovernmental agencies responding to the relief efforts and working to minimize future dangers.

Pitt’s Graduate School of Public and International Affairs (GSPIA) will explore issues relating to the devastating tsunami in a free public policy forum titled “Tsunami: Causes, Impact, and Response” from 4 to 6 p.m. Jan. 25 in Room 2500 Posvar Hall. For more information, call 412-624-6660.

Cosponsored by Pitt’s Graduate School of Public Health (GSPH), Asian Studies Center, Global Studies Program, and Ford Institute for Human Security, the event will be moderated by GSPIA Dean Carolyn Ban and feature the following presentations by Pitt faculty members:

“Life of a Tsunami and Geospatial Analysis of This Coastal Hazard,” by William Harbert, chair, Department of Geology and Planetary Sciences;

“Communication, Coordination, and Collective Action,” by Louise Comfort, GSPIA professor of public and urban affairs;

“The Day After: The Role of Nongovernmental Organizations in Disaster Relief and Reconstruction,” by Paul Nelson, GSPIA assistant professor of international development; and

“Tsunami 2004: From Global Disaster to Personal Action,” by Robbie Ali, visiting assistant professor and director of the Center for Healthy Environments and Communities in GSPH.