The National Science Foundation (NSF) invests in experimental facilities and other research infrastructure to enable discoveries and innovation at the forefront of science and engineering. NSF-funded research infrastructure is available to researchers (including students) across the U.S.

When new research facilities are proposed, the NSF assesses the potential environmental effects of the construction and operation of those facilities.

Information on environmental assessments for proposed research facilities supported by the NSF Directorate for Engineering is below.

National Full-scale Testing Infrastructure for Community Hardening in Extreme Wind, Surge, and Wave Events (NICHE)

September 27, 2022

NSF, in consultation with the Florida International University (FIU), prepared an Environmental Assessment to evaluate the potential environmental effects of its proposed funding of the construction and operation of a Physical Design Testbed (PDT) on the FIU campus in Miami, Florida.

The PDT would experimentally test the impact of large hurricane events using extreme winds combined with storm surge and wave actions on different types of civil infrastructure. If constructed, the PDT would inform, test, and prove the design of an eventual National Full-scale Testing Infrastructure for Community Hardening in Extreme Wind, Surge, and Wave Events (NICHE). View the NSF award supporting NICHE design activities.

The proposed action is for NSF to authorize the use of federal funds for the construction and operation of the 8,500-square-foot PDT facility.

The public was invited to review and comment on the Environmental Assessment during a 30-day comment period that closed at the end of the day on August 30, 2022.

A Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) was completed on September 27, 2022.

• NICHE Environmental Assessment (July 2022)
• NICHE Finding of No Significant Impact (September 2022)