Stanford tracking aftermath of massive Japan earthquake, tsunami

(PhysOrg.com) -- Stanford is monitoring events related to the tsunami sparked by Friday's magnitude 8.9 earthquake in Japan.

The Kyoto area, where Stanford runs a program through Bing Overseas Studies, was unaffected.

Students participating in the Stanford Program in Kyoto are not scheduled to arrive in Japan until March 30, according to Andrew Horvat, director of the program, which is open only during spring quarter.

No students participating in the Bing Overseas Studies Program are currently in Japan.

As the tsunami sparked by the earthquake spread around the globe, coastal areas took precautions. Chile, where Stanford's overseas studies program operates a center in Santiago, is among the countries placed on tsunami alert.

Most students in the program in Chile are in the inland city of Santiago, although several are in the coastal city of Punta Arenas, according to Ivan Jaksic, director of the Santiago center. Program staff is in contact with those students.

Hopkins Marine Station, in Pacific Grove, Calif., which was unaffected by the tsunami as of Friday morning, is open.

Stanford is continuing to contact members of the university community including faculty, researchers and graduate students who may be in countries affected by the quake and tsunami.

To find out about community members who may be affected by the disaster, or if you have been affected, contact John Pearson or Shalini Bhutani at Bechtel International Center.

Provided by Stanford University