The Centre's SAND (Structure and Non-Linear Dynamics of the Earth) Group recently received two grants from Italian funding institutions. The Istituto nazionale di geofisica e vulcanologia (National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology) awarded the Group a three-year grant of 100 million lire (about US$50,000) to explore issues related to seismic modelling for the region surrounding Catania, Italy. The Agenzia nazionale per la protezione dell'ambiente (National Agency for the Protection of the Environment) gave SAND a one-year grant of 100 million lire to examine seismic hazards associated with chemical plants in southeast Sicily. In addition, Giuliano Francesco Panza, head of the SAND Group, has coauthored the most recent volume of Advances in Geophysics with Fabio Romanelli and Franco Vaccari from the University of Trieste. The monograph was published by Academic Press.