Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Events for February
-
Application of Shape Memory Alloys in Natural Hazards Mitigation
Wed, Feb 02, 2011 @ 04:00 PM - 05:00 PM
Sonny Astani Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Reginald DesRoches, Georgia Institute of Technology
Talk Title: Application of Shape Memory Alloys in Natural Hazards Mitigation
Abstract: The recent earthquakes in Haiti and Chile underscore the importance of developing new
approaches and technologies to increase the performance of structures duringearthquakes.
The presentation will highlight the application on a new class of materials, namely shape
memory alloys (SMAs), in mitigating the effects of earthquakes in buildings and bridges. Shape
memory alloys are a unique metallic alloy which can undergo large deformations while
reverting back to their original, undeformed shape. This unique property has led to the
development of applications in the biomedical field (arterial stents), aerospace field (adaptive
wings), and commercial industry (eyeglass frames). A multi scale and multi-disciplinary
approach is taken to explore the use of SMAs for applications in earthquake engineering.
Several large scale applications are tested including a âsmartâ steel beam column connection
that uses shape memory alloys, innovative bracing systems, and recentering restraining devices
for bridges. The large scale experimental tests and complementary analysis show great
potential for the use of SMAs in seismic applications.
Biography: Reginald DesRoches is a Professor and Associate Chair of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the
Georgia Institute of Technology. His primary research interests are design of buildings and critical
infrastructure under extreme loads, and application of smart materials in rehabilitation of structures,
where has published over 180 articles in archival journals and conference proceedings. Dr. DesRoches
is Past Chair of the executive committee of the Technical Council on Lifeline Earthquake Engineering
(TCLEE), a member of the executive committee of the National Academy of Sciences Disasters
Roundtable, and is on the Board for the Earthquake Engineering Research Institute (EERI). Dr.
DesRoches has served as the key technical leader in the US in response to the Haiti earthquake. He has
traveled to Haiti eight times since the earthquake, including a trip where he led a team of 28 engineers,
architects, city planners, and social scientists to study the impact of the earthquake, and provide
recommendations on the recovery and rebuilding Dr. DesRoches has received numerous awards,
including the NSF CAREER award and Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers
(PECASE) in 2002. Most recently, he was a recipient of the 2007 ASCE Walter L. Huber Civil Engineering
Research Prize, the Georgia Tech ANAK Award for Outstanding Service, Teaching, and Research (2008),
and the Institute Outstanding Doctoral Thesis Advisor Award (2010).
Host: Sonny Astani Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Location: Kaprielian Hall (KAP) - 209
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Erin Sigman
-
Next-Generation Transportation Simulation and Modeling Tools
Thu, Feb 03, 2011 @ 02:00 PM - 03:00 PM
Sonny Astani Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Shan Huang, Ph.D. University at Buffalo, The State University of New York
Talk Title: Next-Generation Transportation Simulation and Modeling Tools
Abstract: In the seminar, Shan will present his effort to advance the state of the art of the simulation and modeling of sustainable transportation infrastructure by addressing some of the limitations of state-of-the-practice models such as the inability to deal with large amounts of data in real-time, the aggregate nature of the majority of models, the lack of network realism in driving simulation and human behavior realism in traffic simulation, and finally the inability to evaluate new and emerging Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) applications. Within this broader research area, the presentation is divided into four tightly-connected research sub-topics. Subtopic 1 aims at developing and validating a novel forecasting paradigm named SPN to forecast traffic data, so as to provide an efficient and effective way for online traffic simulation and modeling. The SPN provides higher predictive accuracy and requires dramatically less processing time compared with existing approaches. Subtopic 2 proposes a semi-heuristic algorithm for estimating dynamic travel demand for large-scale simulation models. The algorithm manages to match the simulated traffic volumes to field counts while keeping the estimated Origin-Destination (OD) matrices close to the true ones. Subtopic 3 integrates a traffic simulator with a driving simulator to allow for human-in-the-loop simulation. The integrated simulator successfully shows differences in emissions levels among drivers with different years of driving experience. Finally, Subtopic 4 designs and implements an integrated IntelliDrive simulation testbed, and uses this testbed for the simulation and evaluation of an application named intelligent intersection. The research demonstrates the mobility enhancement and environmental benefits of the application, as well as the advantages of using the testbed to design and evaluate IntelliDrive applications. The aforementioned contributions advance the state of the art in the simulation and modeling of sustainable transportation infrastructure, broaden the range of transportation issues for which those models and tools can be used to address, and create a vision for a human-oriented, integrated, and intelligent next-generation simulation and modeling system.
Biography: Shan Huang is a Ph.D. who recently graduated from the Transportation Systems Engineering program at the University at Buffalo (UB). His research has long focused on sustainable transportation infrastructure. He developed a graduate course named âTraffic Simulationâ completely from scratch. He was also serving as the founder and first president of UBâs Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) student chapter. He was granted the only New York Upstate Young Transportation Professional of the Year Award by the ITE in 2010.
Host: Sonny Astani Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Location: Kaprielian Hall (KAP) - 209
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Erin Sigman
-
Updating our conceptual model for fine particle emissions from combustion systems
Thu, Feb 10, 2011 @ 11:30 AM - 12:30 PM
Sonny Astani Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Allen L. Robinson, Carnegie Mellon University
Talk Title: Updating our conceptual model for fine particle emissions from combustion systems
Abstract: Atmospheric particles play an important role in the Earthâs engergy balance; they are also strongly
associated with adverse human health effects. Motor vehicles, wood stoves, and other
combustion systems are major sources of atmospheric particles. However, quantifying the
impact of these sources on air quality and global climate remains a major uncertainty.
This talk will describe recent field, laboratory, and modeling results on organic particle
emissions from combustion systems. The results reveal a dynamic picture in which low
volatility organics evaporate, oxidize, and recondense as they are transported away from the
source. This new picture alters our understanding of the contribution of combustion sources to
urban and regional pollution and brings chemical transport model predictions into better
agreement with field observations. The talk will conclude with a brief discussion of future
research needs and the implications of this new conceptual model for our understanding of
source contributions to human exposures and the design of regulations to control organic
aerosols.
Biography: Allen Robinson: Dr. Allen Robinson is a Professor in the Departments of Mechanical
Engineering and Engineering and Public Policy and the director of the Center for Atmospheric
Particle Studies at Carnegie Mellon University. His research examines the impact of emissions
from combustion systems on urban and regional air quality and global climate, with a focus on
fine particulate matter. He was a visiting faculty fellow at the Cooperative Institute for
Research in Environmental Studies at the University of Colorado and NOAA in Boulder,
Colorado and a postdoctoral fellow at the Combustion Research Facility at Sandia National
Laboratories in Livermore, California. He received his Ph.D. from the University of California at
Berkeley in Mechanical Engineering in 1996 and a B.S. in Civil Engineering from Stanford
University in 1990. He received the Carnegie Institute of Technology Outstanding Research
Award in 2010, the Ahrens Career Development Chair in Mechanical Engineering in 2005 and
the George Tallman Ladd Outstanding Young Faculty Award in 200. He is the author of more
than 80 peer-reviewed publications on air pollution, atmospheric chemistry, and biomass
energy.
Host: Sonny Astani Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Location: Kaprielian Hall (KAP) - 209
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Erin Sigman
-
Engineering for the 21sr Century
Mon, Feb 14, 2011 @ 04:00 PM - 05:00 PM
Sonny Astani Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Dr. David Allen, Gertz Regents Professor and Director, Center for Energy and Environmental Resources, University of Texas
Talk Title: Engineering for the 21st Century
Abstract: The profession of engineering is in a period of rapid change. Although the most basic elements of engineering education and practice will remain relatively constant, engineers of the 21st century will need to operate in global environments and adapt to an explosion of knowledge. Engineers will need to design products and infrastructures for increasingly urban populations and will require innovation and entrepreneurship skills. And, as societies and their technologies become more intertwine engineers will need to become engaged in public policy development.
All of these changes have implications for engineering education and research. Leading departments of engineering will respond to these changes in the profession of engineering. This presentation will describe a vision for a leading engineering program addressing the engineering challenges of megacities
and their populations.
Biography: Dr. David Allen is the Gertz Regents Professor of Chemical Engineering, and the Director of the Center for Energy and Environmental Resources at the University of Texas at Austin. He is the author of six books and over 200 papers in areas ranging from coal liquefaction and heavy oil chemistry to the chemistry of urban atmospheres. For the past decade, his work has focused primarily on urban air quality and the development of materials for environmental education. Dr. Allen was a lead investigato for the first and second Texas Air Quality Studies, which involved hundreds of researchers drawn from around the world, and which have had a substantial impact on the direction of air quality policies in Texas. He has also developed environmental educational materials for engineering curricula and for the Universityâs core curriculum, as well as engineering education materials for high school students. The quality of his work has been recognized by the National Science Foundation (through the Presidential Young Investigator Award), the AT&T Foundation (through an Industrial Ecology Fellowship), the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (through the Cecil Award for contributions to environmental engineering and through the Research Excellence Award of the Sustainable Engineering Forum), the Association of Environmental Engineering and Science Professors (through their Distinguished Lecturer Award), and the State of Texas (through the Governorâs Environmental Excellence Award). He has won teaching awards at UCLA and the University of Texas.
Dr. Allen received his B.S. degree in Chemical Engineering, with distinction, from Cornell University in 1979. His M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Chemical Engineering were awarded by the California Institute of Technology in 1981 and 1983. He has held visiting faculty appointments at the California Institute of Technology, the University of California, Santa Barbara, and the Department of Energy.
Location: Kaprielian Hall (KAP) - 209
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Evangeline Reyes
-
The Texas Air Quality Studies: State of teh Science of air quality in Texas and implications for air qualilty policy
Tue, Feb 15, 2011 @ 04:00 PM - 05:00 PM
Sonny Astani Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: David Allen , Gertz Regents Professor and Director, Center for Energy and Environmental Resources. University of Texas
Talk Title: Engineering for the 21st Century
Abstract: The Texas Air Quality Studies (TexAQS I and II), conducted in the summers of 2000 and 2006 were the largest air quality field studies ever undertaken in Texas. During August and September of 2000 and 2006, approximately 300 air quality investigators from around the world converged on the eastern half of Texas. Multiple aircraft and a large research vessel were deployed; multiple ground sites were established for collecting meteorological and chemical data.
This presentation, by one of the lead investigators for the Texas Air Quality Studies, will provide an overview of the studies and will discuss, in more detail, both the overall policy implications of the studies and the enhanced understanding of urban atmospheric chemistry that emerged from the studies. Specifically, the role of routine and episodic emissions of highly reactive volatile organic compounds (HRVOCs) will be discussed, and the emission cap and trade program developed to limit the emissions of HRVOCs will be described.
Biography: Dr. David Allen is the Gertz Regents Professor of Chemical Engineering, and the Director of the Center for Energy and Environmental Resources at the University of Texas at Austin. He is the author of six books and over 200 papers in areas ranging from coal liquefaction and heavy oil chemistry to the chemistry of urban atmospheres. For the past decade, his work has focused primarily on urban air quality and the development of materials for environmental education. Dr. Allen was a lead investigator for the first and second Texas Air Quality Studies, which involved hundreds of researchers drawn from around the world, and which have had a substantial impact on the direction of air quality policies in Texas. He has also developed environmental educational materials for engineering curricula and for the Universityâs core curriculum, as well as engineering education materials for high school students. The quality of his work has been recognized by the National Science Foundation (through the Presidential Young Investigator Award), the AT&T Foundation (through an Industrial Ecology Fellowship), the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (through the Cecil Award for contributions to environmental engineering and through the Research Excellence Award of the Sustainable Engineering Forum), the Association of Environmental Engineering and Science Professors (through their Distinguished Lecturer Award), and the State of Texas (through the Governorâs Environmental Excellence teaching awards at UCLA and the University of Texas.
Dr. Allen received his B.S. degree in Chemical Engineering, with distinction, from Cornell University in 1979. His M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Chemical Engineering were awarded by the California Institute of Technology in 1981 and 1983. He has held visiting faculty appointments at the California Institute of Technology, the University of California, Santa Barbara, and the Department of Energy.
Location: Kaprielian Hall (KAP) - 209
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Evangeline Reyes
-
A Bright Future for The Sonny Astani Department of Civil and
Wed, Feb 16, 2011 @ 04:00 PM - 05:00 PM
Sonny Astani Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Stanley Grant, Professor, University of California, Irvine
Abstract: With this talk I would like to initiate a dialog among faculty, students, staff, alumni, and the professional community about the future of Civil and Environmental Engineering at USCâ where it should be going, and how best to get there. Much effort and thought has gone into crafting the departmentâs Megacities theme, which I believe is pitch perfect for this time and place. Translating the theme into action will require, sine quo non, departmental consensus and commitment, and I suspect willingness to partner with other successful urban research programs at USC, such as the USC Sea Grantâs Urban Ocean Program, and the Wrigley Institute for Environmental Studies. By adopting the Megacities theme, the department has taken a bold step toward redefining civil and environmental engineering education, and becoming a campus and international leader in this exciting new research domain.
Biography: Dr. Stanley Grant is a Professor in the Departments of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science (primary) and Civil and Environmental Engineering (courtesy) at the University of California, Irvine. Dr. Grant also has a summertime appointment as a Visiting Chair of Hydrology and Water Resources in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Melbourne (Australia). Dr. Grant received a B.S. in Geology from Stanford University, and M.S. and Ph.D. in Environmental Engineering Science (minor in Applied Biology)from the California Institute of Technology. His professional interests include coastal water quality, environmental dispersion of pathogens, and fate and transport modeling. Professor Grant served on the US EPAâs Science Advisory Board (Drinking Water Panel, Science and Technological Achievement Awards Panel) from 2000 to 2009.
Location: Kaprielian Hall (KAP) - 209
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Evangeline Reyes
-
Fecal pollution in urban streams: ecology, transport, and policy
Thu, Feb 17, 2011 @ 04:00 PM - 05:00 PM
Sonny Astani Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Stanley Grant, University of California, Irvine
Talk Title: Fecal pollution in urban streams: ecology, transport, and policy
Abstract: Fecal indicator bacteria (FIB) are the number one cause of river and stream impairment in the
United States. In this talk I describe field and modeling studies aimed at identifying dry weather
sources of FIB in the Santa Ana River, a wastewater effluent dominated stream in southern
California. Multiple lines of evidence support the hypothesis that FIB in this stream originate
primarily from in situ growth in streambed sediments. The measured flux of FIB from the
streambed is >10 times the flux predicted from prevailing models of interfacial mass transfer
across turbulent boundary layers, but similar to the flux of water between the stream and its
hyporheic zone estimated from dye injection experiments. Thus, hyporheic exchange appears
to control the trafficking of fecal bacteria, and perhaps other types of particulate organic
matter, across the sediment‐water interface. From a policy perspective, in situ growth of FIB in
riverbed sediments may lead to a decoupling of FIB and pathogen concentrations, and thus
limit the utility of FIB as an indicator of recreational waterborne illness in southern Californiaâs
inland and coastal waters. These results also point to a possible environmental trade‐off
associated with hyporheic zone restoration, in which increased nutrient processing by riverbed
sediments is accompanied by increased flux of FIB to the overlying water column.
Biography: Dr. Stanley Grant is a Professor in the Departments of Chemical Engineering and Materials
Science (primary) and Civil and Environmental Engineering (courtesy) at the University of
California, Irvine. Dr. Grant also has a summertime appointment as a Visiting Chair of Hydrology
and Water Resources in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the
University of Melbourne (Australia). Dr. Grant received a B.S. in Geology from Stanford
University, and M.S. and Ph.D. in Environmental Engineering Science (minor in Applied Biology)
from the California Institute of Technology. His professional interests include coastal water
quality, environmental dispersion of pathogens, and fate and transport modeling. Professor
Grant served on the US EPAâs Science Advisory Board (Drinking Water Panel, Science and
Technological Achievement Awards Panel) from 2000 to 2009.
Host: Sonny Astani Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Location: Kaprielian Hall (KAP) - 209
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Erin Sigman
-
Multiscale Analysis of Multifunctional Nano- and Bio- Materials
Wed, Feb 23, 2011 @ 02:00 PM - 03:00 PM
Sonny Astani Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Vinu Unnikrishnan, Texas A&M University
Talk Title: Multiscale Analysis of Multifunctional Nano- and Bio- Materials
Abstract: An understanding of the structure-property relationships involving coupling of physics
occurring at different length and time scales are necessary for the estimation of mechanical
properties of complex nano- and bio- materials. In the first part of this talk, a multiscale
computational analysis of nano-polymers would be discussed. Nano-polymeric materials are
used in applications ranging from tissue engineering scaffolds in biomechanics to self-healing
smart materials for civil engineering structures. The mechanical characterization studies of
nano-polymers discussed in this talk involves atomistic-scale modeling of the nano-structures,
followed by a systematic and rigorous up-scaling of the mechanical properties using nonlinear
homogenization models.
In the second part of this talk, a mechano-biological computational model to analyze the
effect of varying micro-structural constituents on the mechanical behavior of breast and tumor
tissue would be presented. Since lobular density variation with age is a major risk factor in
breast carcinoma, a correlation of the change in breast density with the corresponding change in
the mechanical response of breast tissue has to be established. This study aims at providing
clinical diagnostic tools to supplement current breast examination guidelines, and can be
enhanced using information from imaging techniques. The development of novel mathematical
computational formulations not only helps in understanding and providing patient-specific
diagnosis of pathological conditions of the human body, but also helps in developing
biomedical hazard mitigating standards.
Biography: Dr. Vinu Unnikrishnan is a post-doctoral research associate in the Department of Mechanical
Engineering at Texas A&M University, College Station, TX. He received his Ph.D. in Civil
Engineering from Texas A&M University in 2007. His doctoral research was carried out under
the supervision of Professor J. N. Reddy on the multiscale modeling of nano- and biological systems,
where he developed multiscale methods for the mechanical and thermal characteristics of
carbon-nanotube and polymeric based composite systems for use in advanced bio-medical,
industrial and civil engineering applications. He is currently focused on developing
computational models for the bio-mechanical characterization of human pathological
conditions like breast tumor, pelvic prolapse, uterine scarring, atherosclerosis, etc. His research
focus also involves developing nonlinear homogenization methods using continuum mechanics
principles together with advanced computational techniques.
Host: Sonny Astani Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Location: Kaprielian Hall (KAP) - 209
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Erin Sigman