2020 News Releases
December 14, 2020Major Upgrade Under Way at the World's Largest Outdoor Shake Table
Earlier this year in San Diego, two giant cranes lifted the 330,000 lb. steel floor, or platen, off the world’s largest outdoor shake table, revealing a complex network of pipes, wires and catwalks. This was the first step in a major $16.3 million upgrade to the seismic simulator funded by the National Science Foundation. Over the next 10 months, the facility will undergo major construction. When completed in October 2021, the shake table will be able to reproduce multi-dimensional earthquake motions with unprecedented accuracy. Full Story
December 10, 2020Windmill kit provides introduction to structures and design
This fall, students in the Introduction to Structures and Design course at the Jacobs School of Engineering were able to get hands-on experience designing aerodynamic, efficient and earthquake-safe structures even during a quarter of hybrid in-person and remote learning. Full Story
November 17, 2020
UC San Diego Engineers Send Soil Into Outer Space To Tackle Mudslides On Earth
Long after wildfires are put out, they can leave environmental issues - such as mudslides - in their wake. Now, some San Diego scientists are considering looking for some extraterrestrial answers to this earthly problem. After months of major wildfires in 2018, some Californians experienced massive mudslides that killed 23 people and destroyed more than 100 homes. Wildfires attack the roots of plants and trees, which can produce gases that cause soil to fall apart. The 2018 mudslides and others like it sparked the curiosity of UC San Diego geotechnical engineer Ingrid Tomac. Full Story
November 5, 2020Eyes on Wildfire
As California reacts to a record-breaking 2020 fire season, a backcountry observation network has reached a milestone of installing more than 610 cameras across the state. The AlertWildfire network has become a vital firefighting tool helping first responders confirm and monitor wildfires from ignition through containment. Full Story
October 22, 2020Portable and Noncontact Imaging System for Characterizing Composite Delamination
The aim of this research is to target the time-consuming elements of current Navy ultrasonic inspection methods and to demonstrate improved damage characterization in reduced time, while also lessening the burden on technicians to prepare, inspect, and report component damage. Full Story