A team of CSU researchers has won a $1 million contract from the National Science Foundation to create computers better able to withstand lightning, floods and other natural disasters.

The grant, funded by recovery act dollars, will help researchers design techniques for building robust and dependable computing and communications systems capable of withstanding major, unexpected disruptions, Colorado State University said in announcing the award.

Engineering professors H.J. Siegel, Tony Maciejewski and Arnold Rosenberg will lead the team, along with DigitalGlobe, which supplies images to Google Maps and Microsoft Virtual Earth, the National Center for Atmospheric Research, which studies prediction of severe and catastrophic weather, and the University of Colorado at Boulder. The CSU team includes graduate and undergraduate students.