The Mid-America Earthquake Center is one of three national earthquake engineering research centers established by the National Science Foundation and its partner institutions. The MAE Center, headquartered at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, consists of a consortium of nine core institutions, and is funded by NSF and each core university as well as through joint collaborative projects with industry and other affiliations. Center projects fall under four general types: (1) core research, (2) stakeholder research, (3) education and (4) outreach. Core research is separated into four thrust areas. The four thrust areas are (1) Consequence-based Risk Management Framework (2) Engineering Engines, (3) Social and Economic Sciences, and (4) Information Technology. A thrust leader for each of these four programs is responsible for the planning and execution of research and implementation projects. (MAE, About the Center, 2006)