 
|
| UCSD Structural Engineering |
|
Upcoming Events |
Structural Engineering Class of 2009
UCSD's Structural Engineering Department offers B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. degrees. Our programs and curricula provide education and training through a holistic approach to structural engineering, by emphasizing and building on the commonality in materials, mechanics, and analysis considerations across the disciplines of civil, aerospace, and marine engineering. The program features strong components in laboratory experimentation, basic theory, information technology, and engineering design.
|
|
|
| Slideshow |
 COSMOS 2006 |
|
|
News
|
Professor Patrick J. Fox to Join SE Faculty
Dr. Patrick J. Fox was recently appointed Professor to the Department of Structural Engineering. Professor Fox will be a faculty member affiliated with Muir College. Dr. Fox joins UC San Diego from Ohio State University, where he served as Professor in the Civil & Environmental Engineering & Geodetic Science since 2003. Previous to Ohio State, Prof. Fox was on the faculties of UCLA and Purdue University. To read more, click here.
|
|
|
SE Researchers Involved in Preparing for the "Big One"
When the Loma Prieta earthquake ripped through the San Francisco Bay Area on Oct. 17, 1989, it cut a terrifying path of destruction that forever changed the way Californians think about living in quake country. The 6.9 magnitude rupture of the San Andreas Fault toppled houses, crushed a freeway and collapsed a section of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge. Sixty-three died, more than 3,750 were injured and the damages were estimated at more than $6 billion. Not since the great 1906 San Francisco earthquake had California experienced such a devastating seismic event. Yet if there could be an upside to those 15 seconds of deadly shaking, it would be in the scientific and engineering advances that grew out of Loma Prieta. Twenty years later, researchers are still learning from Loma Prieta, and UC experts continue to play an integral role in ensuring those lessons are translated into practical solutions that make California more quake resistant. To read the full article, click here.
|
|
|
SE Senior is Washington D.C.'s First 'Green' Intern
Mark Galvan (SE class of 2010) recently began working three days a week in the Office of the Architect of the Capitol and "Green the Capitol" offices, and two days a week in the office of Congresswoman Susan Davis (CA-53). The nation's first "green" intern in the U.S. Capitol has arrived from one of the country's greenest universities, UC San Diego. The multi-faceted internship is the first of its kind and a unique opportunity for Galvan. To read the full story, click here. To read "Point of View with Mark Galvan," click here. Pictured is Mark Galvan (center) stands with Congresswoman Susan Davis (CA-53) and the Capitol's chief administrative officer, Dan Beard. .
|
|
|
Retrofitted Historic Building Survives Strong Simulated Jolts During Test
SE researchers were not quite sure what would happen when a series of rigorous simulated earthquakes – measuring up to a 7.5 magnitude – jolted a three-story, 1920s era reinforced concrete test structure this summer.The test structure suffered some damage but it was still standing – just what the engineers had hoped for. To read the full story, click here.
|
|
|
Dr. Benzoni Named Editor in Chief of International Journal
SE Researcher, Dr. Gianmario Benzoni, was elected as Editor in Chief of the international journal, "Seismic Isolation and Protection Systems," of the Mathematical Science Research Institute in Berkeley, California. The first issue is expected in November, 2009. Congratulations to Dr. Benzoni on this impressive achievement!
|
|
|
Outstanding Seniors Awarded
Nearly eighty undergraduate seniors and their families gathered with SE faculty and staff at the Fourth Annual Senior Reception and Order of the Engineer Ring Ceremony on Matthew’s Quad on Friday, June 12, 2009. Professor and Vice-Chair Michael Todd presented this year's award for Outstanding Academic Achievement to Henry Kagey (Valedictorian) and to Michael Daneshvar (Salutatorian).
|
|
|
UC San Diego is Ranked 2nd in the Nation
In new rankings announced on September 2, 2009 by the Washington Monthly measuring “what colleges are doing for the country,” the University of California, San Diego was ranked second in the nation. To read the full story, click here. Additionally, UC San Diego is ranked in the top 10 as one of the greenest universities in the country by the national publication Greenopia, based on the university’s environmental performance, and U.S. News & World Report ranks UC San Diego in the top 10 of best public universities in the nation, with the Jacobs School of Engineering ranked 11th among the nation’s public engineering schools.
|
|
|
SE Brings in Big Research Projects
UC San Diego’s Department of Structural Engineering continues to bring in substantial research dollars. Here are some of the large, recently awarded projects:
•A $1.254M contract from the Technical Support Working Group (TSWG) for continued blast mitigation and hardening optimization studies using the blast simulator at UC San Diego. The UC San Diego/TSWG program is now in its sixth year. In this effort, the blast simulator will be used to perform tests on steel columns and support components to investigate progressive collapse, and to develop new and novel blast mitigation strategies for entry control points. As in previous years, computational analyses will be performed in support of the experimental program and to validate analytical models, and standardized test protocols will be developed. PI: Dr. Frieder Seible with Co-PI: Dr. Gilbert Hegemier
•A $1.087M contract from Caltrans studying the “Required Embedment Length of Column Rebar Cage into Type II Shaft.” This research began in June, 2009 and runs through June, 2012. PI: Dr. Benson Shing
•A $1.20M contract from the National Science Foundation (NSF) researching “NEESR-CR: Full-Scale Structural and Nonstructural Building System Performance during Earthquakes”. This project is set to begin this October, 2009, and will go until September, 2012. PI: Dr. Tara Hutchinson with Co-PIs: Dr. Jose Restrepo and Dr. Joel Conte
Additionally, the Englekirk Structural Engineering Center (ESEC) recently received full accreditation (by an independent agency) as having “demonstrated compliance with general criteria for the competence of testing and calibration laboratories, and has been accredited, commencing June 15, 2009.” (ANS/ISO/IEC Standard 17025:2005)
|
|
|
SE Grad Student Competes in Idaho Ironman Competition
Derrick Watkins (pictured), SE Ph.D. student and “Hilti Fellow,” competed in the “Idaho Ford Ironman” on June 21, 2009. Simply competing at this level is an outstanding accomplishment, requiring months of focused training. The “Ironman” events consists of 2.4 miles of swimming, 112 miles on a bike, and culminates with a full marathon. Derrick completed the competition in 11 hours and 50 minutes. Congratulations, Derrick...We are impressed and proud!
|
|
|
"TA Excellence Award" Recipient Named
SE Graduate student Don Phillippi was selected for the "TA Excellence Award" for the 2007-08 academic year. Congratulations to Don, and we thank him for his excellent service to our students and faculty!
|
|
|
Three SE Students Participate in International Earthquake Program
SE Lecturer Lelli Van Den Einde is mentoring three SE undergraduate students as part of the Pacific Rim Applications & Grid Middleware Assembly (PRAGMA) and Pacific Rim Undergraduate Studies (PRIME)programs. Lori Jue and Sabina Piras will be in Taiwan for ten weeks doing research with K.C. Tsai at the National Center for Research on Earthquake Engineering (NCREE) in Taipei. A third student, Jefferson Hang, is headed to New Zealand to work with Prof. Jason Ingham and his colleagues at the University of Auckland's Department of Civil Engineering. To read more about PRIME and PRAGMA, visit http://prime.ucsd.edu/.
Pictured: Top: Jefferson Hang, Sabina Piras and Lori Jue.
Bottom: Dr. Van Den Einde with Jefferson Hang
|
|
|
Professor Todd Awarded 2009 Benjamin F. Meaker Visiting Professorship
Professor Michael Todd was recently announced as one of the 2009 Benjamin F.. Meaker Visiting Professors by the University of Bristol (United Kingdom) Institute of Advanced Studies (http://www.bristol.ac.uk/ias/fellows/bms09.html). Prof. Todd will work this summer with collaborators in the University of Bristol's Department of Mechanical Engineering, and with his SE graduate student Eric Flynn, on optimizing ultrasonic interrogation strategies for defect detection on complex geometry aerospace structural components. The Meaker Fellowship is awarded to up to ten faculty applicants worldwide each year, drawn from all disciplines in engineering, science, social science, humanities, and the arts, to develop and build research relationships with University of Bristol researchers. Congratulations to Prof. Todd on winning this prestigious award!
|
|
|
SE Researchers Tested World's First Composite Landing Gear Braces
For the first time, SE researchers have performed tests on landing gear components for the aerospace industry. Hyonny Kim, SE associate professor, and Gianmario Benzoni, SE research scientist and project manager for the Seismic Response Modification Device, are co-PI's on this project. The researchers performed six months of rigorous Federal Aviation Administration tests on the first-ever composite landing gear braces, which will be used for the new Boeing 787 aircraft. To read the full story, click here.
|
|
|
SE Researcher Named P.I. on Collaborative Effort with DOE and UK
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has announced numerous accomplishments coming out of a multi-year collaboration in the area of advanced materials research between the United States and the United Kingdom. Dr. Bimal Kad (SE Researcher), along with researchers from the DOE Office of Fossil Energy, the United Kingdom's Department of Energy and Climate Change, and other representatives from academia and industry have been collaborating over the past five years in an attempt to develop a better understanding of advanced materials, a key prerequisite to achieving the targets of any future energy policy. "The success of the US-UK collaboration demonstrates the power of international cooperation in energy research and development," said Dr. Victor K. Der, Acting Assistant Secretary for Fossil Energy. "Sharing data, facilities, and experiences has accelerated the development of high-temperature materials solutions, paving the way for advanced coal power generation." Dr. Kad, the Principle Investigator (PI) for UCSD, is collaborating on this project in the area of Advanced Materials: Oxide Dispersion-Strengthened Alloys. To read more about this collaborative effort, click here.
|
|
|
US News and World Report™ Ups UC San Diego's
Department of Structural Engineering in National Rankings
It was recently reported by US News and World Report that UC San Diego's Department of Structural Engineering program (within the specialty of "Civil Engineering") rose in rankings from #16 (in 2008) to #15 (2009) of Graduate Schools in the United States.
|
|
Steel Bridge Team putting together the bridge in competition.
|
|
|
Structural Engineers Association of San Diego Scholarship Awarded
The Structural Engineers Association of San Diego (SEAOSD) recently announced this year’s scholarship will be awarded to Mr. Colin Haynes, the current Chapter President of SCSE. SEAOSD's Student Awards Night will be held Tuesday, April 21, 2009. Congratulations, Colin!
|
|
|
|
Structural Engineering Students Pin Hopes on 300-Pound Concrete
Canoe Named 'Dow Jones'
A team of students designed and built the 25-foot, handmade, 300-pound concrete canoe as part of the annual collegiate conference and competition organized by the American Society of Civil Engineers. To read the full story, click here.
|
|
|
-->
|
| |
|
|
12/07-12/11/09 - 
