Editor’s Note

A new regular feature of the Journal is initiated in this issue. The Forum section includes a “Practices to Reduce Failures” article contributed by the Committee on Practices to Reduce Failures of the ASCE Technical Council on Forensic Engineering. The Committee has been collecting brief articles, checklists, and case-study examples involving improved practices, with the intention of eventually publishing an ASCE monograph. These brief summaries are expected to be of special value to readers who practice as consulting design professionals. The first contribution, submitted by Glenn Thater, is a checklist for avoiding common problems with finite element modeling for structural analyses.

The first four articles in this issue describe observations of damage caused by recent earthquakes, tsunami, and hurricanes. It is not the intention of this Journal to compete with the many outstanding technical and professional journals devoted to natural-hazard topics, such as ASCE’s Natural Hazards Review. However, we are committed to publishing useful articles on specific case studies and performance observations resulting from extreme loading events, such as those included here. These observations—and the recommendations emerging from them—can lead to valuable improvements in land-use planning and construction.

A number of manuscripts on similar topics are currently under review by our editorial review board; and we encourage further submissions, particularly those including recommendations for practitioners. I would be pleased to discuss potential submissions on these or other topics at any time. Please feel free to contact me by mail at Kenneth L. Carper, School of Architecture and Construction Management, College of Engineering and Architecture, P.O. Box 642220, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164-2220; by telephone at (509) 335-1229; by fax at (509) 335-6132; or by e-mail at [email protected]