Editor’s Note

It is with great honor and humility that I accepted the ASCE Structural Engineering Institute’s offer to become chief editor for the Journal of Structural Engineering (JSE). Honor because (1) JSE is one of the leading journals worldwide in our field and (2) JSE’s Editorial Board comprises some of the most highly respected scholars and engineers in the world. Humility because over the past $136\text{years}$ the pages of the Journal have blazoned with an incredible range of ideas that have transformed our field and influenced specifications, codes, and indeed, the very practice of structural engineering.

Professor Sherif El-Tawil, incoming editor of JSE

My journey with JSE started a couple of decades ago. My first experience was as a researcher flipping through well-read issues of the Journal in Cairo University’s graduate library as I was pursuing my M.S. degree. I also spent countless hours at Cornell University’s engineering library again voraciously reading through JSE issues as I plowed through my Ph.D. research. As a brand new faculty member at the University of Central Florida, I again relied heavily on JSE for many of the ideas that eventually became the mainstay for my current research program. Finally, as an established faculty member at the University of Michigan, I still seek out ideas within the pages of JSE, and I encourage all of my students and postdocs to do so as well. Of course, it has been and will always be a great thrill and privilege to see one of my papers appear in the Journal and to know that it will be accessed by readers across the globe.

My involvement with JSE has not only been as a reader and contributor, but I have also served on the Editorial Board for many years now, almost for the entire duration of my academic career. I served as associate editor for metals during the period 1998 through 2004. During this time I handled hundreds of papers on the topic of metals. In 2004 I was guest editor for the Special Issue on Composite and Hybrid Structures, which documented the results of the National Science Foundation-backed U.S.-Japan research program on hybrid systems. Also in 2004 I started serving as managing editor, and I have been in that position since.

I would like to share some information about my research and professional interests. The central theme of my work is exploring how structures behave under the extreme loading conditions generated by man-made and natural hazards such as seismic excitation, collision by heavy objects, and blast. I am interested in new materials and technologies and how they can be used to create innovative structural systems that mitigate the potentially catastrophic effects of extreme loading. Much of my research is focused on the computational and theoretical aspects of structural engineering, although I am also very interested in large-scale structural and small-scale material testing. My work has been recognized through several teaching, service, and research awards, the most prominent of which are ASCE’s Wellington Award, Huber Prize, Moisseiff Award, and Norman Medal. Within ASCE, I have served as chair of the Composite Construction Committee, and I am the outgoing chair of the Technical Administrative Committee on Metals. My work has not been entirely academic as I have worked in industry for many years now as a consultant to large companies and government agencies.

During my tenure with JSE, I was privileged to work closely with Professor Sashi Kunnath, the outgoing editor. Professor Kunnath’s history with the Journal is long. He started as associate editor for seismic effects in 1996 and then became the managing editor in 1998, the senior managing editor in 2000, and the editor in 2003. His dedication is evident in the length of time he has devoted to serving the Journal. However, his contributions have gone beyond longtime service. He developed a strategic vision and effectively used it to transform and grow the Journal. All the while JSE maintained its position as one of the premier scholarly structural engineering journals in the world. Professor Kunnath was awarded the 2009 ASCE Richard Torrens Award for his dedication, vision, and outstanding service contributions to JSE.

I must also mention that Professor Kunnath’s papers have enriched JSE. He has published extensively on a number of topics but has focused most prominently on areas in the earthquake engineering field. In fact, one of his papers in this area received the 2008 ASCE Raymond Reese Research Prize. Professor Kunnath is also active in SEI, having served as chair of the Seismic Effects Committee, and he is about to begin his tenure as chair of the Technical Administrative Committee on Dynamic Effects.

While his term as chief editor is over, Professor Kunnath will remain on the Editorial Board as advisory editor for a one-year period. He has accepted my request that he stay for this period to share his experience as chief editor with me and the Editorial Board and therefore ensure a smooth and glitch-free transition. He is presently serving as chair of his department at the University of California–Davis during one of the most challenging times in the university’s history because of the budget crisis in California. His willingness to continue on the Editorial Board in this capacity is thus additional evidence of his deep-seated dedication to the Journal.

I am grateful to Professor Kunnath for his guidance and help in the past, the time he will put in during the transitory period, and his enrichment of the Journal as contributor, associate editor, managing editor, and chief editor. I am certain that he will remain a friend of the Journal while continuing to contribute high-quality papers and reviews.

Professor Sashi Kunnath, outgoing editor of JSE

There are many opportunities for the future. Some will be easy to exploit, while others will require more effort. Some are currently being taken advantage of and will be expanded in the future.

The review process in JSE is very rigorous and proceeds as outlined next. There is no intention to change this process, which has been working smoothly for the past several years.It is most telling that the 2009 acceptance rate for the Journal was 37%, which is one of the lowest of all the ASCE journals. Also, the papers published in JSE are in high demand. The Journal sees well in excess of 100,000 downloads per month, which implies that papers published in the Journal have extremely high visibility.

I would like to close by thanking the outgoing editor, Professor Sashi Kunnath, for his longtime dedication and outstanding leadership of the Editorial Board of JSE. As incoming editor, I am committed to maintaining the uncompromisingly high quality that is the hallmark of the Journal. Working in collaboration with the Editorial Board, I pledge that only the very best papers will make it to the pages of JSE and that we will work hard to achieve that goal in the most expedient manner. Of course, your feedback and constructive comments are always welcome!