DesignSafe Radio

Specializing in geotechnical engineering and coastal science, Nina Stark studies soil mechanics and soil responses to coastal and riverine stresses -- like hurricanes and related flooding. During hurricane season, you will find her in the field, collecting perishable data with NSF-supported extreme events reconnaissance teams. Today, she talks about recon missions, the importance of good datasets, and the types of data EER teams collect, including erosion, scour and sediment deposition, and water levels. 

Johns Hopkins earthquake engineer and cold-formed steel researcher Ben Schafer introduces the NHERI CFS10 project underway at the NHERI UC San Diego shake table facility. Tara Hutchinson, Schafer's co-PI on the project, is a research engineer at UC San Diego. (We will meet Hutchinson in an upcoming episode.) The CFS10 shake table experiment caps off a long-term collaboration between NSF researchers and industry. The goal: to understand seismic performance of taller cold-formed steel buildings. The structure on the shake table mimics an apartment building or hotel; it exceeds current height and system limits – which will help the team understand how far engineers can go designing for CFS structural elements, subsystems, and non-structural elements, like stairs, gas lines and sprinkler systems. The CFS10 shake table tests are slated for early June, 2025. Follow along on the UCSD live cameras: https://nheri.ucsd.edu/live-cams

The seemingly outsized strength of cold-formed steel is not well-known. In this episode, earthquake engineer Ben Schafer, Johns Hopkins University, describes a research-industry collaboration with the automotive industry resulting in code changes for high-strength sheet-steel. Sheet steel has also been successfully tested in flooring systems. The upcoming CFS10 shake table test at UC San Diego is the high-rise building test for cold-formed steel. Schafer addresses misconceptions that structural engineers have regarding CFS: Basically: cold-formed steel looks too thin to be strong. However, with high-strength sheet steel, deformations do not correlate to lack of strength, which is something that automotive and aircraft engineers have long understood.

Meet Johns Hopkins University engineer Ben Schafer, authority on cold-formed steel (CFS), also known as sheet steel or thin steel. Schafer explains that CFS is both strong and ductile – and therefore a remarkably high-performance structural framing material. Builders use CFS in a variety of ways – including as building-frame members, much like timber. Schafer's research centers on CFS as structural framing to resist wind and earthquake loading. Thin and lightweight, CFS members comprise relatively little material; in the US, all cold-formed steel is made from recycled materials.

Research engineer Erica Fischer wraps up by noting that engineers, such as those in the NSF NHERI natural hazards community, are working on multiple fronts to leverage their skills and knowledge to reduce damage from future urban-wildland conflagrations.Follow Erica Fischer on LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/fischererica/And on the X platform:https://x.com/erica_fischer

On the policy level, states first must define and map the wildland-urban interface; then states formally define risk-categories and mitigations required. Examples: clearing combustible material within five feet around the house and updating roof and siding with non-combustible materials. Fischer details these steps and ways research engineers seek to simplify risk-reduction for homeowners. 

To understand damage, engineers examine things like water-system piping. To understand the fire itself, they gather physical clues that help them determine “heat flux,” or fire intensity. They collect data such as distance and direction between structures, siding and roofing material, and the constituency of vegetation or structures adjacent the house. 

Interview with Oregon State University research engineer Erica Fischer. As wildfires increasingly affect communities and civil infrastructure, structural engineers apply their expertise in interdependent lifeline systems and structures. Fischer says engineers are primed to investigate “urban conflagrations” in all phases, including community adaptation and mitigation. She cites research findings from the 2018 Camp Fire in Paradise, CA, which led to valuable new understandings about water pipeline contamination.

University of Florida engineer Brian Phillips describes the procedure for installing the Sentinel mobile weather station directly on the beach. Assembly starts with drilling a 20-foot auger hole. Once the foundation is secure, the team raises the 33-foot carbon-steel-fiber mast, fully instrumented. The setup resists wind and wave impacts. During the hurricane, the station sends data in real time to servers at University of Florida. This year, the team deployed the Sentinel during Hurricanes Helene and Milton. Thanks to NSF MRI funding, the team will continue improving the design and build several more Sentinels.

University of Florida engineer Brian Phillips updates us on NSF-funded efforts to capture vital data during landfalling hurricanes. For decades, UF researchers have deployed mobile weather stations. Now, Phillips describes the newly designed Sentinel weather station. The 33 feet tall tower, anchored 20 feet into the shoreline, can withstand a Category 5 hurricane, including 16-foot surge and breaking waves. During Hurricane Helene, the Sentinel gathered data on wind speeds, surge, and the water's chemical and biological constituency.

The goal of the proposed NICHE facility: To understand the joint destructive forces of wind and waves —at full scale — in order to design infrastructure capable of resisting damage from hurricanes, tornadoes, surge flooding, and related natural hazards. Among its capabilities, NICHE will enable: testing full-scale residential structures to failure; testing protective capabilities of natural elements such as vegetation; testing of “gray” structures structures like seawalls and breakwaters; investigations and modeling of coastal processes, including sediment transport. This future NSF-funded research laboratory is called the “National Full-Scale Testing Infrastructure for Community Hardening in Extreme Wind, Surge, and Wave Events,” or NICHE.

Plans are afoot to build the world's largest wind-wave research lab, capable of generating 200 MPH hurricane winds and 5-meter-high waves. This NSF-funded facility will enable full-scale investigations into structural and coastal resilience — and a secure future in the face of destructive natural hazards. On today's show, Florida International University wind engineer Arindam Chowdhury joins us to describe this facility, the National Full-Scale Testing Infrastructure for Community Hardening in Extreme Wind, Surge, and Wave Events — or NICHE, for short.About NICHE. The NICHE lab will have a 20-fan array capable of generating 200 MPH winds, that's a Cat 6 hurricane — as well as generating transient winds like tornadoes and downbursts. NICHE's enormous wind field will enable testing of full-scale two-story structures. It will have a 500-meter-long wave flume and be capable of generating five-meter-high waves. Significantly, the NICHE team is incorporating facility protocols for researchers to deliver expedient, real-world impact. 

Geotech engineer Diane Moug is an authority on microbially induced desaturation, known as “MID.” This technique, developed at Arizona State University, prevents soils from liquefying in an earthquake. Moug describes how microbes desaturate soils, the benefits of the process, and her own, ongoing experiments underway in the Pacific Northwest. These include a site in Oregon's Critical Energy Infrastructure hub – which is dangerously situated on liquefiable soil.

Obtaining an NSF CAREER Award is a milestone for academics in the sciences. Early-career geotechical engineer and researcher Diane Moug shares her experiences writing and applying for – and then (finally) successfully winning, a CAREER Award.

The cone penetration test (CPT) is a standard tool for geotechnical engineers; it's used for measuring soil sheer strength, stress history and type. Leveraging her NSF CAREER award, Portland State U researcher Diane Moug plans to improve the CPT, so engineers can make better interpretations of CPT data. Moug will employ NHERI at UC Davis centrifuges, numerical modeling, and lab experimentation.

CHEER researchers focus on understanding decision-making among all the players involved in sustaining a resilient coastal community. Davidson details how stakeholders – insurers, government agencies, and residents -- have different, reasonable, and conflicting goals. CHEER's goal is to find policy solutions that will manage hazard risks as well as ensure economic development in coastal communities vulnerable to hurricanes. It's a new approach to building a sustainable disaster risk management system in the U.S. Subscribe to the CHEER newsletter https://www.drc.udel.edu/cheer-chronicle-announcement-june-2024/ Follow CHEER on LInkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/cheer-hub/posts/?feedView=all CHEERHub website https://www.drc.udel.edu/cheer/ Read about the NHERI-CHEER partnershiphttps://www.designsafe-ci.org/community/news/2024/july/nheri-partners-cheer-hub-hurricane-decision-making-framework/ CHEERHub's NSF award summaryhttps://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2209190&HistoricalAwards=false Rachel Davidson is an accomplished academic and research engineer. Discover more about her career and work:https://ccee.udel.edu/faculty/rachel-davidson/

Working with the NHERI SimCenter and DesignSafe, the CHEER team is developing a software framework called Stakeholder-based Tool for the Analysis of Regional Risk, or STARR. STARR modeling extends regional loss models like R2D, INCORE, and Hazus to include a focus on decision making. STARR models describe the complex and often conflicting ways that stakeholders in vulnerable coastal areas make decisions. Stakeholders are households, insurers, and government agencies. If policies can account for positive outcomes for all stakeholders, they're more likely to be implemented and sustained. Learn more about the CHEERHub https://www.drc.udel.edu/cheer/ Read about the NHERI-CHEER partnership https://www.designsafe-ci.org/community/news/2024/july/nheri-partners-cheer-hub-hurricane-decision-making-framework/ HAZUS developed by FEMAhttps://www.fema.gov/flood-maps/products-tools/hazus INCORE developed by NISThttps://www.nist.gov/community-resilience/center-excellence NHERI SimCenter R2D toolhttps://simcenter.designsafe-ci.org/research-tools/r2dtool/ CHEERHub's NSF award summaryhttps://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2209190&HistoricalAwards=false CHEERHub on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/cheer-hub/posts/?feedView=all Rachel Davidson is an accomplished academic and research engineer. Discover more about her career and work: https://ccee.udel.edu/faculty/rachel-davidson/ ---------------------------------

Rachel Davidson is a research engineer at the University of Delaware and principal investigator for the “Coastal Hazards Equity, Economic Prosperity, and Resilience Hub,” or CHEERHub. The five-year, $16M, NSF-funded, multi-disciplinary research network is tackling the complexity of coastal resilience by focusing on stakeholder decision making. Davidson introduces CHEER and explains why so many good ideas for managing disaster risks do not get implemented. Learn more about the CHEERHub https://www.drc.udel.edu/cheer/ Read about the NHERI-CHEER partnershiphttps://www.designsafe-ci.org/community/news/2024/july/nheri-partners-cheer-hub-hurricane-decision-making-framework/ CHEERHub's NSF award summaryhttps://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2209190&HistoricalAwards=false CHEERHub on LinkedInhttps://www.linkedin.com/company/cheer-hub/posts/?feedView=all Rachel Davidson is an accomplished academic and research engineer. Discover more about her career and work:https://ccee.udel.edu/faculty/rachel-davidson/

Mentoring at UC Davis How do geotech students gain experience? Laura Luna and José Luis Caisapanta discuss the UC Davis Geotechical Graduate Student Society, a nationally respected mentoring program. In an intentional “laddering” fashion, grad students new to the UC Davis program learn from more experienced grad students and – in turn – pass their knowledge to undergrads and K-12 students. Luna and Caisapanta share their experiences as members of the GGSS. UC Davis GGSS website:https://ggss.ucdavis.edu/ Geo-Institute winning video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=BUQo3zy_mTY NHERI at UC Davis website:https://ucdavis.designsafe-ci.org/ Center for Geotechnical modeling on LinkedInhttps://www.linkedin.com/company/ucd-cgm/ Follow the Center for Geotechnical modeling on Facebookhttps://www.facebook.com/search/top?q=center%20for%20geotechnical%20modeling

Civil engineering grad students from NHERI UC Davis join Dan Zehner to discuss research at the renowned Center for Geotechnical Modeling, a geotech lab equipped with a nine-meter centrifuge. Master's student Jose Louis Caisapanta describes soil experiments with the centrifuge – which can deploy a shake table during its 50G spins. PhD student Laura Luna explains building physical models in the centrifuge. She uses resulting data to create a computer model that will predict soil behavior beneath a structure during an earthquake. About the equipment and people at the NHERI UC Davis laboratory:https://ucdavis.designsafe-ci.org/ Discover research, events, lab photos and more on the CGM Facebook page:https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063111107077 Follow NHERI UC Davis on Linked In:https://www.linkedin.com/company/ucd-cgm/ CGM Director Jason DeJong on DesignSafe Radio:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DlLTdPaOUFk

In our final episode with FIU meteorologist Erik Salna, we learn about the Wall of Wind Challenge, an annual event for high school students. NHERI researchers provide a specific wind mitigation challenge. Student teams design and build a protective structure, and then get the chance to test their designs in the Wall of Wind. It's an exciting competition, which is judged by engineers who are Wall of Wind alums! See below for links to the 2024 event and Salna's template for conducting this popular STEM competition for high schools.NHERI Wall of Wind website: https://fiu.designsafe-ci.org/2024 Wall of Wind Challenge, cool video and the winning designs: https://www.designsafe-ci.org/community/news/2024/june/2024-wall-of-wind-mitigation-challenge-high-school-teams-design-test-productive-wind-barriers/ Overview of the WOW Challenge event for educators, including a technical library: https://www.ihrc.fiu.edu/outreach-education/wall-of-wind-challenge/ The NSF NICHE facility, the future of wind engineering at FIU: https://www.designsafe-ci.org/facilities/experimental/niche/ Follow the Wall of Wind on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/FIUWOW Follow Erik Salna on X@ExtremeWxExp

FIU-based meteorologist and educator Erik Salna relates some unusual but important WOW experiments to test the effects of wind loading on civil infrastructure such as construction cranes and electrical power towers. One unique project used flying debris in the wind tunnel to derive an algorithm for determining wind speeds in video captures. Wall of Wind debris experiments to build an algorithm that will calculate wind speeds from social media-derived video: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2053935&HistoricalAwards=false Research on transmission towers: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1751844&HistoricalAwards=false Research on construction site equipment in windstorms: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1635378&HistoricalAwards=false See the WOW in action: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kkI0UjmFFDsVisit the NSF-NHERI Wall of Wind website for details on research underway: https://fiu.designsafe-ci.org/ Follow FIU Extreme Events Institute on X: @FIUExtremeEvent Follow the Wall of Wind on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FIUWOW

Meteorologist and educator Erik Salna provides nitty-gritty details on the gigantic, NSF-funded wind research lab called the Wall of Wind, or WOW. Located at Florida International University in Miami, the WOW facility is part of the NSF-funded NHERI network. Each of WOW's 12-fans are six feet in diameter and weigh nearly 15,000 pounds. Powered up together, the 720HP electric motors can reproduce category 5 hurricane wind speeds, 157MPH. See the WOW in action: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kkI0UjmFFDsVisit the NSF-NHERI Wall of Wind website for details on research underway: https://fiu.designsafe-ci.org/ Follow FIU Extreme Events Institute on X: @FIUExtremeEvent Follow the Wall of Wind on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FIUWOW

UC Davis professor Alejandro Martínez is moving his bio-inspired snakeskin piles into industry practice. The novel pile-surface employs “frictional directionality” characteristic of snakeskin. Field trials provided better than expected results, and Martínez is now working to get his new design into the hands of practicing geotechnical engineers. Much of his NSF-supported research took place at the NHERI at UC Davis Center for Geotechnical Modeling; the project is part of the NSF-funded Engineering Research Center, the Center for Bio-mediated and Bio-inspired Geotechnics, CBBG, at Arizona State University. Background info on Martínez's snakeskin-inspired piles: https://www.designsafe-ci.org/community/news/2022/august/piles-inspired-snakeskin/ Learn more about the NSF-funded Engineering Research Center (ERC) called the Center for Bio-mediated and Bio-inspired Geotechnics, CBBG, based at Arizona State University https://cbbg.engineering.asu.edu/ Engineering researchers use centrifugal force to study natural hazards at the NHERI at UC Davis Center for Geotechnical Modeling facility: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DlLTdPaOUFk Read up on Professor Martínez's research at UC Davis: https://faculty.engineering.ucdavis.edu/martinez/ Follow Alejandro Martínez on X: @MartVAlejandro Follow the NHERI Center for Geotechnical Modeling on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Center-for-Geotechnical-Modeling/10006311110707

UC Davis professor Alejandro Martínez explains how biogeotechnical engineers leverage solutions from lifeforms like worms, trees, and bacteria. It starts with fundamental, cross-disciplinary work with biologists. Then, at the UC Davis Center for Geotechnical Modeling (CGM), centrifuge tests fill an important gap between laboratory ideas and full-scale field tests. For instance, by replicating ground stress and increased gravity in a centrifuge, geotechs can model and test designs at greater soil depths and across soil types. The NHERI CGM facility functions as a testbed for the NSF-funded Engineering Research Center (ERC) called the Center for Bio-mediated and Bio-inspired Geotechnics, CBBG, based at Arizona State University. Read up on Professor Martínez's research at UC Davis: https://faculty.engineering.ucdavis.edu/martinez/ Follow Alejandro Martínez on X: @MartVAlejandro Background info on Martínez's snakeskin-inspired piles: https://www.designsafe-ci.org/community/news/2022/august/piles-inspired-snakeskin/ Using centrifugal force to study natural hazards at the NHERI at UC Davis Center for Geotechnical Modeling:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DlLTdPaOUFk Follow the Center for Geotechnical Modeling on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Center-for-Geotechnical-Modeling/100063111107077/ Questions about NHERI or NHERI extreme events research? Contact us: nheri.communications@gmail.com

Geotechnical engineer Alejandro Martínez joins us to discuss a new and multidisciplinary engineering subfield called biogeotechnics. “Bioinspired” research examines and mimics ways that plants, animals and bacteria successfully interact with soil. For example: how tree roots successfully resist wind loads. “Biomediated” research uses biological elements to improve soil. For example, byproducts of certain bacteria can cement and desaturate soil — potentially preventing liquefaction in susceptible areas. Read up on Professor Martínez's research at UC Davis:https://faculty.engineering.ucdavis.edu/martinez/ Follow Alejandro Martínez on X: @MartVAlejandro Background info on Martínez's snakeskin-inspired piles:https://www.designsafe-ci.org/community/news/2022/august/piles-inspired-snakeskin/ Using centrifugal force to study natural hazards at the NHERI at UC Davis Center for Geotechnical Modeling:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DlLTdPaOUFk Follow the Center for Geotechnical Modeling on Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/people/Center-for-Geotechnical-Modeling/100063111107077/ Questions about NHERI or NHERI extreme events research?Contact us: nheri.communications@gmail.comKeywords: biocementation, biodesaturation, liquefaction, biogeotechnics, geotechnical engineering, ground improvement, soil improvement

Meet Nurullah Bektaş, engineering PhD candidate and research chair with the NHERI Graduate Student Council. He talks with Dan Zehner about the virtual GSC Mini Conference, slated for May 31, 2024. Bektaş, who is earning his PhD from Széchenyi István University in Hungary, encourages grad students in natural hazards get involved in sharing research and conducting post-event reconnaissance. He relates his own field experience helping householders in Turkey after the devastating 2023 earthquake series in Turkey and Syria.Find out about the GSC Mini Conference: https://bit.ly/2024NHERIGSCMiniConference Get details about the NHERI Graduate Student Council: https://www.designsafe-ci.org/learning-center/nheri-graduate-student-council/Bektaş is involved with StEER, the NSF-funded Structural Extreme Event Reconnaissance team:https://www.steer.network/ Bektaş worked with the UK-based group EEFIT, Earthquake Engineering Field Investigation Team, when conducting field work in Turkey:https://www.istructe.org/get-involved/supported-organisations/eefit/ For post-event debris management, Bektaş mentioned another NSF-funded extreme event group, SUstainable Material Management Extreme Events Reconnaissance, SUMMEER:http://summeer.org/

Episode 3: Sustainable Functional Recovery: A New Engineering Design Paradigm The novel Converging Design research project merges post-earthquake functional recovery with sustainability. Project PI Andre Barbosa discusses potential results from this effort, such as building code updates and new building products. Other tangible outcomes: successful industry-academia partnerships — and a cohort of engineering students who will take lessons about _sustainable functional recovery_ into the future. Barbosa welcomes individuals curious about sustainable design to contact or visit to the Tallwood Design Institute, located on the campus of Oregon State University in Corvallis, Oregon. Find out the Tallwood Design Institute, a collaboration between Oregon State University and the University of Oregon: https://tallwoodinstitute.org/ Get background info on the multi-institutional NHERI Converging Design project: https://tallwoodinstitute.org/converging-design-home-5663/ Read up on Professor Barbosa's research at Oregon State University: https://web.engr.oregonstate.edu/~barbosa/ The NHERI at UC San Diego shake table, LHPOST6, is the world's largest outdoor shake table: https://ucsd.designsafe-ci.org/ Follow Dr. Barbosa on X: @BarbosaRDGroup Collaborative Research: Converging Design Methodology: Multi-objective Optimization of Resilient Structural Spines NSF Award #2120683 https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2120683&HistoricalAwards=false Questions about NHERI or NHERI extreme events research? Contact us: nheri.communications@gmail.com.

Episode 2. Shake-Table Testing Earthquake-Resistant Building Components Earthquake engineer Andre Barbosa joins us to describe the fascinating NHERI Converging Design project, currently testing earthquake-resilient building components on the NHERI at UC San Diego shake table. Barbosa describes U-shaped flexural plates (UFPs), which can deform and dissipate energy – and with post-tensioning rods, recenter. Also, the team is testing buckling restrained braces, which function like replaceable “structural fuses.” Lastly, the project is examining traditional steel moment frames coupled with braced frames that include energy dissipating (“yielding”) fuse-like elements. These tests will guide the future of resilient structural design in earthquake-prone regions. Get background info on the multi-institutional NHERI Converging Design project: https://tallwoodinstitute.org/converging-design-home-5663/ Read up on Professor Barbosa's research at Oregon State University: https://web.engr.oregonstate.edu/~barbosa/ The NHERI at UC San Diego shake table, LHPOST6, is the world's largest outdoor shake table: https://ucsd.designsafe-ci.org/ Follow Dr. Barbosa on X: @BarbosaRDGroup Questions about NHERI or NHERI extreme events research? Contact us: nheri.communications@gmail.com.

Andre BarbosaProfessor, Structural EngineeringOregon State University Episode 1. The NHERI Converging Design project merges functional recovery with sustainability. Project PI Andre Barbosa of Oregon State University joins us to discuss how the shake table experiments at UC San Diego shake table will lead to improved building codes in seismically vulnerable zones like the Pacific Northwest. Get background info on the multi-institutional NHERI Converging Design project: https://tallwoodinstitute.org/converging-design-home-5663/Read up on Professor Barbosa's research at OSU: https://web.engr.oregonstate.edu/~barbosa/ The NHERI at UC San Diego shake table, LHPOST6, is the world's largest outdoor shake table: https://ucsd.designsafe-ci.org/ Follow Dr. Barbosa on X: @BarbosaRDGroup Questions about NHERI or NHERI extreme events research? Contact us: nheri.communications@gmail.com.

Alia AmerPostdoctoral ResearcherNHERI Lehigh FacilityATLASS Research CenterLehigh University   Hybrid simulation at Lehigh tests structural resilience In our second episode with NHERI Lehigh engineer Alia Amer, find out how this engineering lab performs real-time hybrid simulation, RTHS. This sophisticated, cost-effective testing method connects a numeric model of a substructure — with a physical model or device. Then researchers apply a natural hazard – wind, earthquake or waves – to test device resilience. Lehigh website: https://lehigh.designsafe-ci.org/facility/overview/ Follow NHERI Lehigh on X: https://twitter.com/NHERILehighRTMD Read more about Alia Amer, PhD, an up-and-coming researcher in the field of natural hazards engineering and resilience: https://www.designsafe-ci.org/community/news/2023/november/researcher-alia-amer-is-all-about-resilience-large-scale-structures/ Questions about NHERI or NHERI extreme events research? Contact us: nheri.communications@gmail.com.

Alia AmerPostdoctoral ResearcherNHERI Lehigh FacilityATLASS Research CenterLehigh University Research engineer Alia Amer gives us an overview of ATLSS research center, core of the NHERI facility at Lehigh University. Amer shows examples of complex, large-scale tests – multi-hazard simulations – at Lehigh. The lab designs accurate, complete simulations, including soil-structure-interactions, of natural hazard events such as earthquakes and windstorms. Dynamic, quasi-static, and hybrid simulations! Lehigh website: https://lehigh.designsafe-ci.org/facility/overview/Follow NHERI Lehigh on X: https://twitter.com/NHERILehighRTMD Questions about NHERI or NHERI extreme events research? Contact us: nheri.communications@gmail.com.

Makris episode 2Testing novel pressurized sand dampers at NHERI Lehigh Nicos Makris explains his innovative protective damper system made with pressurized sand, which obviates problems presented by traditional dampers that use oil. In partnership with the NHERI Lehigh experimental facility, Makris is performing component testing and developing the numerical model in preparation for hybrid simulation testing, also at Lehigh. The cyber-physical tests allow researchers great flexibility when developing large-scale engineering devices. #dampers #CLT #sustainabiility #crosslaminatedtimber #seismic #earthquakeengineering #hybridsimulation #RTHS #naturalhazards #engineering #LehighUniversity #SouthernMethodistUniversity #SMU Read about Makris's research and testing at the NHERI Lehigh website:SMU-Lehigh Collaboration: Supplemental Energy Dissipation Through Pressurized Sand Dampers to CLT Rocking Structureshttps://lehigh.designsafe-ci.org/projects/supplemental-energy-dissipation-through-pressurized-sand-dampers-to-clt-rocking-structures/ Nicos Makris at Southern Methodist University: https://www.smu.edu/Lyle/Departments/CEE/People/Faculty/Nicos-Makris NSF Award: Investigation of a Novel Pressurized Sand Damper for Sustainable Seismic and Wind Protection of Buildings: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2036131&HistoricalAwards=false Learn more about the NSF-funded Natural Hazards Engineering Research Infrastructure, NHERI:https://www.designsafe-ci.org/ Contact us: nheri.communications@Gmail.

Nicos Makris,Professor and Chair of Civil, Environmental and Construction EngineeringSouthern Methodist University Makris episode 1 Dampers: shock absorbers for buildingsEarthquake engineer Nicos Makris joins us to discuss protective dampers, large-scale devices that function like shock absorbers for buildings and bridges. Dampers built into a structure absorb and isolate earthquake, wind, and traffic vibrations. Prof Makris reveals a new type of damper he's designed that uses pressurized sand to address hydraulic failures in oil-based dampers. More info on Professor Makris's sand damper research at NHERI Lehigh:SMU-Lehigh Collaboration: Supplemental Energy Dissipation Through Pressurized Sand Dampers to CLT Rocking Structureshttps://lehigh.designsafe-ci.org/projects/supplemental-energy-dissipation-through-pressurized-sand-dampers-to-clt-rocking-structures/ Investigation of a Novel Pressurized Sand Damper for Sustainable Seismic and Wind Protection of Buildings https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2036131&HistoricalAwards=false NHERI Lehigh facility: https://lehigh.designsafe-ci.org/facility/overview/ NHERI on Xhttps://twitter.com/NHERIDesignSafe NHERI on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/nheri-designsafe/ Questions about NHERI or NHERI extreme events research? Contact us: nheri.communications@gmail.com.

Special Episode 2November 13, 2023SCIENCE PLAN SPECIAL EPISODE: Moving civil engineering research into practice Editor Ian Robertson provides details on using the NHERI Science Plan, Third Edition, as a practical guide to successful civil engineering research, including technology transfer and interdisciplinary research teams. NEW in the third edition:· NHERI SimCenter simulation software for estimating damage and simulating mitigation measures.· NHERI CONVERGE social science resources, for incorporating social science methodologies.· PLUS extreme events teams who conduct post-event reconnaissance missions.Download the NHERI Science Plan: https://www.designsafe-ci.org/data/browser/public/designsafe.storage.published/PRJ-4240 Learn more about the Natural Hazards Engineering Research Infrastructure, NHERI: https://www.designsafe-ci.org/ #techtransfer #researchtopractice #NSFfunded #Scienceplan #naturalhazardsEngineering #naturalHazards #extremeEvents #disasterScience #NHERISimCenter #simulationSoftware #hazardModeling #hazardsEngineering #engineeringResearch

SPECIAL EPISODE! Introducing the NHERI Science Plan, Third EditionWays to leverage NSF-funded facilities in natural hazards research Just released: the NHERI Science Plan, 3rd Edition! This comprehensive, 130-page research guide outlines ways researchers can use NSF-funded facilities to study natural hazards damage and prevention. With lead author Ian Robertson, research engineer with the University of Hawaii. NEW in the third edition:· NHERI SimCenter simulation software for estimating damage and simulating mitigation measures.· NHERI CONVERGE social science resources, for incorporating social science methodologies.· PLUS extreme events teams who conduct post-event reconnaissance missions.Download the NHERI Science Plan: https://www.designsafe-ci.org/data/browser/public/designsafe.storage.published/PRJ-4240 Learn more about the Natural Hazards Engineering Research Infrastructure, NHERI: https://www.designsafe-ci.org/ #NSFfunded #Scienceplan #naturalhazardsEngineering #naturalHazards #extremeEvents #disasterScience #NHERISimCenter #simulationSoftware #hazardModeling #hazardsEngineering #engineeringResearch

Episode 3 Understanding major storms: key to coastal resilience Understanding the behavior of coastal systems requires specialized researchers, including engineers, to instrument shorelines before a major storm — and to collect and analyze the resulting data. Woods Hole scientist Britt Raubenheimer reiterates the vital importance of federal funding, including NSF funding, which allows for multidisciplinary teams like NEER to perform nested, coordinated reconnaissance missions with NHERI engineers and agencies like USGS and NOAA. NEER website: https://neerassociation.org/ NHERI extreme events organizations: https://www.designsafe-ci.org/facilities/converge/Follow Britt Raubenheimer on Twitter: @BrittRaubenhei1Twitter: @NHERI_EER Questions about NHERI or NHERI extreme events research? Contact us: nheri.communications@gmail.com. Entender las grandes tormentas: clave de la resistencia costera Comprender el comportamiento de los sistemas costeros exige que investigadores especializados, entre ellos ingenieros, instrumenten las costas antes de una gran tormenta y recojan y analicen los datos resultantes. Britt Raubenheimer, científico de Woods Hole, reitera la importancia vital de la financiación federal, incluida la de la NSF, que permite a equipos multidisciplinares como el NEER llevar a cabo misiones de reconocimiento anidadas y coordinadas con ingenieros del NHERI y organismos como el USGS y la NOAA.

Britt Raubenheimer, PhDSenior Scientist, Applied Ocean Physics and EngineeringWoods Hole Oceanographic InstitutionPrincipal Investigator, Nearshore Extreme Event Reconnaissance team, NEER  Episode 2 NEER: Nearshore breakwaters and unintended consequences Coastal scientist Britt Raubenheimer describes NEER's data reconnaissance missions before, during, and after Hurricane Laura, which struck southwestern Louisiana in 2020. NEER data revealed that breakwater structures could slow storm-surge inundation – but then they would also retain floodwaters passing through it, significantly slowing recovery of the shoreland marsh. NEER website: https://neerassociation.org/ NHERI extreme events organizations: https://www.designsafe-ci.org/facilities/converge/Follow Britt Raubenheimer on Twitter: @BrittRaubenhei1Twitter: @NHERI_EER Questions about NHERI or NHERI extreme events research? Contact us: nheri.communications@gmail.com. NEER: Rompeolas cercanos a la costa y consecuencias imprevistas El científico costero Britt Raubenheimer describe las misiones de reconocimiento de datos del NEER antes, durante y después del huracán Laura, que azotó el suroeste de Luisiana en 2020.Los datos del NEER revelaron que las estructuras de rompeolas podían ralentizar las inundaciones provocadas por las tormentas, pero también retendrían las aguas de crecida que las atravesaran, lo que ralentizaría considerablemente la recuperación de las marismas costeras.

Britt Raubenheimer, PhDSenior Scientist, Applied Ocean Physics and EngineeringWoods Hole Oceanographic InstitutionPrincipal Investigator, Nearshore Extreme Event Reconnaissance team, NEER NEER: Improving resilience of the nearshore during extreme eventsWoods Hole scientist Britt Raubenheimer talks with host Dan Zehner about coastal resiliency. Raubenheimer is principal investigator for NSF-funded Nearshore Extreme Event Reconnaissance team, NEER. NEER deploys multi-disciplinary researchers to collect data on nearshore systems before, during and after extreme events. She discusses the 2020 NEER mission during Hurricane Laura – which made useful discoveries about the efficacy of breakwater structures in the Delta marshlands. NEER website: https://neerassociation.org/ NHERI extreme events organizations: https://www.designsafe-ci.org/facilities/converge/Twitter: @NHERI_EER  NEER: Mejora de la resistencia de las zonas costeras en caso de fenómenos extremos El científico de Woods Hole Britt Raubenheimer habla con el presentador Dan Zehner sobre la resistencia costera. Raubenheimer es el investigador principal del equipo NEER (Nearshore Extreme Event Reconnaissance), financiado por la NSF. NEER despliega investigadores multidisciplinares para recoger datos sobre los sistemas costeros antes, durante y después de los fenómenos extremos. Habla de la misión NEER 2020 durante el huracán Laura, que permitió hacer útiles descubrimientos sobre la eficacia de las estructuras de rompeolas en las marismas del Delta

Episode 3: A new experimental facility for simulating windstormsThe National Science Foundation is funding a new, multihazard experimental facility called “NICHE,” still in the planning stages. As a co-principal investigator, Frank Lombardo is to helping to design methods for re-creating non-synoptic winds and wind profiles — storms of short duration and limited in space, like thunderstorms, derechos, and tornadoes. Learn more about NSF-funded NICHE, the National Full-Scale Testing Infrastructure for Community Hardening in Extreme Wind Surge and Wave Eventshttps://www.designsafe-ci.org/facilities/experimental/niche/ Subscribe to the DesignSafe Radio audio podcast! Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/designsafe-radio/id1267927535 Stitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/show/designsafe-radio Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2Vn6sM7YP28aYgVUqjV5Vu --------------Una nueva instalación experimental para simular tormentas de viento La National Science Foundation financia una nueva instalación experimental para riesgos múltiples llamada "NICHE", aún en fase de planificación. Como co-investigador principal de NICHE, Frank Lombardo está ayudando a diseñar métodos para recrear vientos y perfiles de viento no sinópticos -tormentas de corta duración y limitadas en el espacio, como tormentas eléctricas, derechos y tornados.

Frank LombardoAssistant Professor, Civil and Environmental EngineeringDirector, Wind Engineering Research LabCo-director, Extreme Wind Resilience CenterUniversity of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign Wind Engineering Research Lab, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign https://publish.illinois.edu/ftlombardo/about/ Keep up with Lombardo and the UIUC Wind Engineering Lab on Twitter:https://twitter.com/WindLaboratory/@WindLaboratory Subscribe to the DesignSafe Radio audio podcast! Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/designsafe-radio/id1267927535 Stitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/show/designsafe-radioSpotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2Vn6sM7YP28aYgVUqjV5Vu

Episode 1: Wind engineers hunt dust devils Dust devils! Understanding how these short-lived whirlwinds behave may help wind engineers understand tornadoes. In field studies, U of Illinois wind engineer Frank Lombardo collects data on dust devils, which occur more frequently – and are easier (and safer) to capture – than their high-powered relatives. Lombardo's team has recorded more than 50 of these brief, 45 MPH windstorms. Find out how, where, and what the data show. Wind Engineering Research Lab, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign https://publish.illinois.edu/ftlombardo/about/ Keep up with Lombardo and the UIUC Wind Engineering Lab on Twitter: https://twitter.com/WindLaboratory/ @WindLaboratory Subscribe to the DesignSafe Radio audio podcast! Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/designsafe-radio/id1267927535 Stitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/show/designsafe-radio Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2Vn6sM7YP28aYgVUqjV5Vu

Wind engineer Pedro Fernández-Cabán conducts experiments at the NHERI University of Florida wind tunnel, trying to discover how to prevent roof failure in low-rise buildings during hurricanes. In this episode he describes how he uses a special component of the UF wind tunnel that creates large and long-lasting wind gusts: the Flow Field Modulator.See it in action: a cell from the Flow Field Modulator. Hold your ears! https://www.youtube.com/shorts/ErHtAUU8WnsPedro Fernández-Cabán also describes specific ways roofs can be altered to redirect wind flow and reduce suction pressure – and roof damage. Parapets, for instance. Another goal for his project: use the UF Flow Field Modulator to develop a roadmap for wind conditions, revealing how different locations are subject to specific sorts of damaging wind fields – and to provide mitigation advice to builders and homeowners based on that roadmap. Fernández-Cabán on Google Scholar: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=nzBOhdoAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=aoSubscribe to the DesignSafe Radio audio podcast! Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/designsafe-radio/id1267927535 Stitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/show/designsafe-radioSpotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2Vn6sM7YP28aYgVUqjV5Vu

Episode 2: Wind tunnel research to protect low-rise buildings from hurricane winds In this episode, Pedro Fernández-Cabán describes specific ways roofs can be altered to redirect windflow and reduce suction pressure – and roof damage. Parapets, for instance. Another goal for his project: use the UF Flow Field Modulator to develop a roadmap for wind conditions, revealing how different locations are subject to specific sorts of damaging wind fields – and to provide mitigation advice to builders and homeowners based on that roadmap. Fernández-Cabán on Google Scholar: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=nzBOhdoAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao Fernández-Cabán on LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/plferndz/ See it in action: a cell from the Flow Field Modulator. Hold your ears! https://www.youtube.com/shorts/ErHtAUU8Wns Subscribe to the DesignSafe Radio audio podcast! Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/designsafe-radio/id1267927535 Stitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/show/designsafe-radioSpotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2Vn6sM7YP28aYgVUqjV5Vu

Pedro Fernandez-CabanAssistant ProfessorFlorida A&M University-Florida State UniversityCollege of Engineering Episode 1: Designing roofs to resist hurricane windsWind engineer Pedro Fernández-Cabán conducts experiments at the NHERI University of Florida wind tunnel, trying to discover how to prevent roof failure in low-rise buildings during hurricanes. In this episode he describes how he uses a special component of the UF wind tunnel that creates large and long-lasting wind gusts: the Flow Field Modulator.See it in action: a cell from the Flow Field Modulator. Hold your ears! https://www.youtube.com/shorts/ErHtAUU8Wns Subscribe to the DesignSafe Radio audio podcast! Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/designsafe-radio/id1267927535 Stitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/show/designsafe-radioSpotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2Vn6sM7YP28aYgVUqjV5Vu

Episode 2: StEER reconnaissance: how does it work?StEER's Stephanie Pilkington covers virtual damage assessments, travel and data-sharing logistics, and the business of deciding the types of damage data to collect. Field-mission complexities include coordinating w/local authorities and EM teams – and federal agencies like FEMA, the Army Corps of Engineers, and in the case of hurricanes, NOAA (the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration). Visit the StEER website https://www.steer.network/ Join StEER on the NHERI Slack board: https://www.designsafe-ci.org/community/slack-online-collaboration/ Follow StEER leaders on Twitter:Stephanie Pilkington (@PhDisaster_) UNC engineer David Rouche (@auburn_windengr) Auburn University wind engineer Interested in extreme events recon and research? Follow NHERI Extreme Events on Twitter: @NHERI_EER Keywords: extreme events, engineering reconnaissance, perishable data, natural hazards Subscribe to the DesignSafe Radio audio podcast! Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/designsafe-radio/id1267927535 Stitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/show/designsafe-radioSpotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2Vn6sM7YP28aYgVUqjV5Vu

Episode 1: Post event reconnaissance with StEER, the Structural Engineering Extreme Events Reconnaissance network Engineer and UNC professor Stephanie Pilkington introduces the StEER network, a group of volunteer experts who perform post-event recon missions after extreme events like hurricanes and earthquakes. Learn about StEER data collecting and how you can get involved. Visit the StEER website https://www.steer.network/ Connect with StEER leaders on Twitter:Stephanie Pilkington (@PhDisaster_) UNC engineer David Rouche (@auburn_windengr) Auburn University wind engineer David Prevatt (@DavidPrevatt2) U Florida wind engineer Interested in extreme events recon and research? Follow NHERI Extreme Events on Twitter: @NHERI_EER Keywords: extreme events, engineering reconnaissance, perishable data, natural hazards Subscribe to the DesignSafe Radio audio podcast! Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/designsafe-radio/id1267927535 Stitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/show/designsafe-radioSpotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2Vn6sM7YP28aYgVUqjV5Vu

Reid Zimmerman, PE, SETechnical Director, KPFF Consulting EngineersTwo approaches to engineering. For the NHERI Tallwood research project, practicing engineer Reid Zimmerman has been working with engineers in academia to produce a full-scale, 10-story wood building. The Tallwood structure is an experimental specimen that also looks and functions like a “real,” engineer-designed building. In this episode, Zimmerman talks about working with fellow engineers in the “applied research” capacity.  KPFF Consulting https://www.kpff.com/ Tallwood Design Institute https://tallwoodinstitute.org

NHERI Tallwood Megaproject: a research and industry partnership. DesignSafe Radio host Dan Zehner catches up with Jeff Berman, NHERI Tallwood co-PI and earthquake engineer from the University of Washington. Berman explains how “mega-projects” like Tallwood simply can't be done without significant collaboration between academia and industry experts at companies such as Simpson Strong-Tie, Swinerton and others with expertise in building construction, engineering, and mass timber design. The NHERI Tallwood project is funded by the National Science Foundation, with support from many industry partners. The shake table experiment is slated for early April, 2023. Follow the NHERI Tallwood project via the live video stream at UC San Diego: http://nheri.ucsd.edu/video/. More #NHERITallwood partners on Twitter: @NHERI_UCSD @UCSanDiego @UCSDJacobs @NSF @slpei @commresilience @MinesCEE @coschoolofmines @CEMCO_steel @csinconline @strongtie @TechGlassProd @uwengineering #NHERITallwood #CLT #Crosslaminatedtimber #massTimber #rockingwalls #naturalhazards #resilience #NSFfunded #earthquakeEngineering #NSFStoriesGet the backstory on NHERI Tallwood: http://nheritallwood.mines.edu/ Looking for earthquake shaking data? Visit the NHERI DesignSafe Data Depot, a public repository of natural hazards research data. https://www.designsafe-ci.org/data/browser/public/ On Twitter: Follow Shiling Pei (@slpei), Principal Investigator for #NHERITallwood. While you're at it, follow NHERI DesignSafe (@NHERIDesignSafe) for all things related to natural hazards engineering. DYK? UC San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering is home the world's largest outdoor shake table. It's called LHPOST, the Large High-Performance Outdoor Shake Table.