Outstanding Journal Paper Awards for 2013

The ASCE Technical Council on Forensic Engineering (TCFE) traditionally selects one paper published in this journal during the previous calendar year for our Outstanding Paper Award. This year, the Publications Committee, the Awards Committee, and the TCFE Executive Committee unanimously selected two equally outstanding papers for the award. One paper is from our special issue Analysis of Structural Failures Using Numerical Modeling, and the other was chosen from the remaining five issues published in 2013. The award recipients are Gianni Bartoli and Michele Betti; and Clay Naito, Daniel Cox, Qi-Song “Kent” Yu, and Hillary Brooker. Award certificates will be given to each recipient, and they will be recognized at the Seventh ASCE Forensic Engineering Congress in New York City.

The Bartoli and Betti paper, “Cappella dei Principi in Firenze, Italy: Experimental Analyses and Numerical Modeling for the Investigation of a Local Failure,” appeared in the special issue, Analysis of Structural Failures Using Numerical Modeling January/February (Vol. 27, No. 1, pp. 4–26). The Journal Publications Committee noted that the well-written paper is an engaging account of the performance of the structural system in a historically significant building. The architectural qualities of the building are clearly described in high-quality figures, as are the types of damage under investigation. Detailed descriptions and images are included for the numerical modeling procedures used in the forensic study. The informative content of the paper makes it a useful contribution for both academicians and practitioners.

Gianni Bartoli, Ph.D. (Fig. 1) is Associate Professor at the University of Florence, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering (DICeA), in Florence, Italy. Graduated in 1988, he received his Ph.D. in structural engineering in 1993. His main research interests are wind and seismic structural engineering, with a particular focus on the analysis of static and dynamic behavior of monumental buildings. Bartoli is author or coauthor of several scientific publications and has been responsible for many research contracts from both private clients and public institutions. He is director of CRIACIV (Inter-University Research Center on Building Aerodynamics and Wind Engineering) and president of the degrees in civil, building, and environmental engineering at the University of Florence.

Michele Betti, Ph.D. (Fig. 2) is Assistant Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering (DICeA) at the University of Florence, Italy. His research interests include seismic vulnerability assessment, evaluation and rehabilitation of existing masonry buildings (with specific reference to monumental heritage), output-only systems identification, and data analysis. He has authored many scientific papers on the subject, and he often serves as a structural engineer expert witness. Betti has been involved in many European Union (EU) international projects regarding lifelong learning for engineering education and in the spread of the EU standards for the accreditation of higher education programs in engineering. Betti received his M.S.Eng. (five-year Laurea degree with thesis) and Ph.D. degrees in civil engineering in 1996 and 2001, respectively.

The paper by Naito, Cox, Yu, and Brooker, “Fuel Storage Container Performance during the 2011 Tohoku, Japan, Tsunami,” was published in the July/August 2013 issue (Vol. 27, No. 4, pp. 373–380). It is a timely, well written, concise, and nicely illustrated article. Included in the paper are photographs from field observations, numerical analyses, and recommendations for future practice.

Clay Naito, Ph.D., P.E. (Fig. 3) is Associate Professor of Structural Engineering and Associate Chair at Lehigh University, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. He is Chair of the Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute Blast Resistance and Structural Integrity Committee and an associate editor of the ASCE Journal of Bridge Engineering. His research interests include experimental, analytical, and numerical evaluation of reinforced and prestressed concrete structures subjected to extreme events, including earthquakes, intentional blast demands, and tsunamis. Naito has received support for his research endeavors from the National Science Foundation, the Department of Defense, Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, the Federal Highway Administration, and the Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute. He has worked on the ASCE Standards Subcommittee on Tsunami Loads and Effect, which has drafted a new chapter for the ASCE 7 Standard. He received his B.Sc. in civil engineering from the University of Hawaii in 1993 and his M.Sc. and Ph.D. from the University of California Berkeley in 1994 and 2000, respectively.

Daniel Cox, Ph.D. (Fig. 4) is Professor of Civil and Construction Engineering at Oregon State University. His research is in the area of coastal and ocean engineering, and includes topics such as wave forces on coastal and ocean structures; mitigation of coastal hazards, such as hurricane waves, storm surges, and tsunamis on coastal infrastructure; the role of coastal vegetation in reducing coastal hazards; and coastal processes, particularly near-shore hydrodynamics, sediment transport, surf zone turbulence, and boundary layer processes. Cox has worked on two ASCE Standards subcommittees for tsunami loads and effects and for flood loads. He participated in three field investigations following the 2011 Tohoku Tsunami, and he provided testimony to the U.S. Senate subcommittee on tsunami preparedness. He has served as an associate editor for three journals and has provided peer reviews for over 20 journals. He received his B.Sc., M.Sc., and Ph.D. in civil engineering from the University of Delaware in 1987, 1989, and 1995, respectively.

Qi-Song “Kent” Yu, Ph.D., P.E., S.E. (Fig. 5) is a principal engineer at SEFT Consulting Group in Portland, Oregon. He has 15 years of structural engineering and earthquake engineering experience. He has worked on projects of all construction types that include seismic evaluation and retrofit design of existing buildings, structural design of new construction, structural condition assessment, historic preservation, peer review, and postearthquake inspections. Much of his evaluation and strengthening design work has been for public/civic/government, healthcare, educational, and high-tech facilities that are required to meet stringent performance levels. Yu has extensive experience in large-scale structural testing and finite element analysis, along with incorporating these results into design and evaluation. He is well-known for his expertise in advanced performance-based analysis of structures, and his innovative solutions have saved hundreds of millions of dollars for owners on the West Coast of the United States. Yu was the chair of the Oregon Seismic Safety Policy Advisory Commission from 2011 to 2013, is a member of the ASCE Standards Subcommittee on Tsunami Loads and Effect, and has served as industry advisor for research projects at Oregon State University, Portland State University, and University of Hawaii.

Hillary Brooker, E.I.T. (Fig. 6) studied civil engineering as an undergraduate at Lehigh University. She participated in the Network for Earthquake Engineering Simulation Research Experience for Undergraduates program the summer of her junior year, where she studied the effects of tsunamis on fuel storage containers. She continued research in her senior year, studying the effects of soil structure interaction during earthquake events. While at school, Brooker was the secretary of Tau Beta Pi and Chi Epsilon. She completed her B.Sc. in civil engineering with honors in 2013 and obtained her M.Eng. in structural engineering at Lehigh University in 2014. Currently she is working as a structural engineer at Brooker Engineering in Suffern, New York, focusing on building design and restoration.

Other nominees for the Outstanding Paper Award were:

Congratulations are extended to each of these authors. Nominations submitted by journal readers were appreciated.