News & Upcoming Events
Engineering Seminar: Size-Dependent Continuum Mechanics
Alireza Hadjesfandiari
Alireza Hadjesfandiari, Research Scholar, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, University at Buffalo, will discuss “Size-Dependent Continuum Mechanics” in the Engineering Seminar Series on February 22, 2013. Classical continuum mechanics provides a reasonable basis for analyzing the behavior of materials at the macro scale. However, experiments show that the mechanical behavior of materials in small scales is different from their behavior at macro scales. Consequently, there is need for a more complete continuum mechanics, which spans many scales and must reduce to classical continuum mechanics for bodies with macro-scale size. In this presentation, consistent theories for elastic bodies and viscous fluids will be presented, along with numerical results based on boundary element and finite element methods.
To view the free live webcast, visit: civil.eng.buffalo.edu/webcast/. For technical assistance with the webcast, send an email to SEESLwebcast@gmail.com.
MCEER Researchers Conduct Shake Table Testing of NYC’s Unreinforced Masonry Buildings
Unreinforced masonry walls, typical of those used in New York City, were tested at UB.
While not common, earthquakes periodically hit the New York City region, including a 5.5 magnitude temblor in 1884, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. Considering that many of the region’s 8.2 million people live in older, unreinforced masonry buildings (row houses) that not are designed for earthquakes, it is probable that even a moderate quake could have critical public safety and economic consequences. Using an earthquake shake table and materials such as 100-year-old brick, researchers conducted a series of large-scale tests to determine how vulnerable panel walls within New York’s row houses are to earthquakes. Read More
UB/CSEE/MCEER Alumnus Oscar Ramírez Elected Rector of the Technological University of Panama
Oscar Ramírez signs the official inauguration book.
University leadership includes three CSEE/MCEER alumni
Oscar Ramírez, a Ph.D. graduate of the Department of Civil, Structural and Environmental Engineering, University at Buffalo, was elected Rector of the Technological University of Panama (UTP), the highest authority of the institution. The appointment was made during an inauguration ceremony on Friday, February 1, 2013, where over 500 people, including university officials, government representatives and the university community, joined in the celebration. His term will run for five years, through 2018. Read More
Register Now for the Seventh National Seismic Conference on Bridges and Highways
Oakland, California | May 20-22, 2013
Registration is now open for the Seventh National Seismic Conference on Bridges and Highways (7NSC), which will be held at the Oakland Marriott City Center in Oakland, California on May 20-22, 2013. With the theme of “Bridge Resilience for Earthquakes and Other Natural Hazards,” the conference’s objective is to increase awareness of natural hazards and to enhance the technical expertise of engineering professionals so they can mitigate the risk of failure or damage to bridges and highways. Participants can also register for two pre-conference technical workshops: “Advances in Seismic Design” and “Seismic Soil-Foundation-Structure Interaction for Bridges” to be held on May 19, 2013.
For more information, contact Jerome O'Connor, P.E., Conference Coordinator.
7NSC Undergraduate Bridge Seismic Design Competition
Deadline to register undergraduate teams is March 1
Undergraduate engineering students are invited to participate in a Bridge Seismic Design Competition as part of the Seventh National Seismic Conference, to be held May 20-22, 2013. Teams of between 2-5 members will construct a bridge as part of a new highway system to enhance the transportation network in the San Francisco Bay Area.
For more information, visit the 7NSC bridge seismic design competition webpage.
MCEER Investigator Receives SUNY/RF Research Collaboration Fund Grant to Develop Corrosion Monitoring System for Civil Infrastructures
Salvatore Salamone
The development of a new integrated corrosion monitoring system that can accurately forecast the remaining service life of civil infrastructures is the topic of a new research project led by MCEER investigator Salvatore Salamone, Assistant Professor, Civil, Structural and Environmental Engineering, University at Buffalo and Guangwen Zhou, Assistant Professor, Mechanical Engineering, Binghamton University.
Entitled “Collaborative Research to Advance Scientific Knowledge of the Mechanism of Corrosion in Civil Infrastructures,” the joint project will use an interdisciplinary structural engineering and material science approach to develop mitigation strategies to slow the rate of corrosion and the resulting progressive deterioration of civil infrastructures. Read More
Two MCEER Investigators Appointed to NYS Commissions Formed to Strengthen State's Response to Future Disasters
Adel Sadek
Chris Renschler
MCEER investigators Chris Renschler, Associate Professor of Geography, and Adel Sadek, Professor of Civil, Structural and Environmental Engineering, both from the University at Buffalo, have been tapped to serve on New York State commissions formed by Governor Andrew M. Cuomo following Hurricane Sandy. The charge of the commissions is to strengthen New York State’s response to future natural disasters and other emergencies. Read More
Engineering Seminar: Collapse of Shoring during Construction of the Elevated Walkway for the Atlanta Botanical Gardens
Dominic Kelly
View the archived webcast of Dominic Kelly’s seminar presentation.
Dominic Kelly, Simpson Gumpertz & Heger, Inc., discussed "Collapse of Shoring during Construction of the Elevated Walkway for the Atlanta Botanical Gardens" in the Engineering Seminar Series on Dec. 5, 2012. Designed as a steel, cable-stayed bridge with a concrete on metal deck walkway suspended as much as 40 feet above grade, the structure collapsed while being temporarily supported during construction activities. The investigation involved surveys and subsequent failure analyses of the collapsed structure and its components, and the structural steel sections that comprise the original bridge design.
T.T. Soong Student Lecture Series: Prof. Kazuhiko Kasai
Kazuhiko Kasai
View the archived webcast of Kazuhiko Kasai’s seminar presentation.
Kazuhiko Kasai, Professor and Director of the Structural Engineering Research Center (SERC) at the Tokyo Institute of Technology, delivered two presentations in the T.T. Soong Student Lecture Series on Nov. 26, 2012. In "Full-Scale Steel Building Tests Using the World's Largest Shake-Table," Prof. Kasai discussed the test concept, specimens, method and results of a series of full-scale tests completed in March 2009 using the three-dimensional shake table facilities at E-Defense at the Hyogo Earthquake Engineering Research Center in Japan. He followed with a presentation on the "Recorded Performance of Tall Buildings during the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake," in which he discussed the response of buildings in the Tokyo metropolitan area during the March 11, 2011 earthquake.
MCEER/CSEE Well-Represented at the 15th World Conference on Earthquake Engineering (15WCEE)
MCEER/CSEE was well-represented at the upcoming 15th World Conference on Earthquake Engineering (15WCEE), held in Lisbon, Portugal from September 24-28, 2012. Sixteen papers and/or posters by MCEER-affiliated authors associated with the University at Buffalo’s Department of Civil, Structural and Environmental Engineering (CSEE) showcased recent research on a wide variety of topics including seismic protective systems, bridges and highways, community resilience, critical lifelines, and nonstructural components. Read More
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