A school statement says the creation of the National Wind Institute combines Tech's former Wind Science and Engineering research center and the Texas Wind Energy Institute into one entity.
The school says its wind research dates back to 1970, when the May 11 Lubbock tornado killed 26 people and destroyed large sections of the city. After that, faculty from the Tech civil engineering department and atmospheric sciences group started thinking about what could be done to minimize the effects from severe weather events, including tornadoes and hurricanes.
The school has expanded into the wind energy sector in the past 15 years as well.
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