Welcome to the online home of the Fahnestock Research Group within CEE at Illinois. Led by Prof. Larry Fahnestock, and collaborating with colleagues at Illinois and other universities, the group conducts research broadly related to behavior, design and performance of large-scale structural systems. We employ laboratory and field testing in conjunction with analytical and numerical models to illuminate critical aspects of behavior that inform advances in system configurations and design methods, ultimately leading to superior performance that contributes to infrastructure resiliency and sustainability. Research topics span across buildings and bridges, moderate and high seismic design, low and high ductility response, service and extreme load conditions. Current projects are sponsored by the National Science Foundation, American Institute of Steel Construction and Illinois Center for Transportation. This site provides a brief overview of the group activities, so please inquire for more details about anything posted here.
Hajjar Delivers Newmark Lecture
Last week Jerome Hajjar, University Distinguished Professor, CDM Smith Professor, and Chair of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Northeastern University, delivered the 2024 Newmark Distinguished Lecture, “Urban Engineering: New Strategies for a Resilient and Sustainable Future.” Congratulations to Jerry!
Prof. Jerry Hajjar with CEE Structures Faculty.
Spano Wins AISC Scholarship
Congratulations to Alec Spano for receiving an AISC/Associated Steel Erectors of Chicago Scholarship for the 2024-2025 academic year! Alec is an M.S. candidate and Karol Graduate Fellow working with Professors Fahnestock and LaFave on the project Seismic Damping Effects on Bridges, which is sponsored by the Illinois Center for Transportation.
New ASCE JPCF Paper
A new paper, “Long-Term Field Response of Skewed Steel I-Girder Bridge Superstructures under Thermal Variation,” is now available online in the ASCE Journal of Performance of Constructed Facilities. This paper documents research that is part of an ongoing project sponsored by the Illinois Center for Transportation.
Seismic Steel Design – Fall 2024
Spano Joins Group
Welcome to new MS candidate Alec Spano, who is a Research Assistant on the project Seismic Damping Effects on Bridges (sponsored by the Illinois Center for Transportation), which is being led by Professors LaFave and Fahnestock. Alec recently graduated from North Carolina State University with a BS in CE and Alec was awarded a Karol Graduate Fellowship for study in the field of structural engineering at Illinois. Congratulations!
Fahnestock Named Outstanding Reviewer
Larry Fahnestock has been selected as an ASCE 2023 Outstanding Reviewer for the Journal of Structural Engineering. As one of the oldest and most respected periodicals in the field, the Journal of Structural Engineering has a history of reporting on fundamental knowledge that advances the state-of-the-art and state-of-the-practice in structural engineering.
Schissler Receives MS and Enters PhD Program
Congratulations to Limo Schissler on completing an MS thesis entitled “Laser scan point cloud processing for displacement measurements of damaged steel I-girders” and receiving an MS in Civil Engineering last month! Limo is a Lewis Graduate Fellow in structural engineering and is conducting research – under the direction of Ahmed Elbanna, Larry Fahnestock and Jim LaFave – as part of a project supported by the Illinois Center for Transportation (ICT R27-225 “Strength and Serviceability of Damaged Steel Girders”).
Larry Fahnestock, Limo Schissler and Jim LaFave at CEE Graduation Reception.
ASCE JBE Editor’s Choice
Congratulations to Gaoyu Liu and Sunny Zhou for this recognition of contributions from their Ph.D. research!
Ibrahim Passes Prelim
Congratulations to Ahmed Ibrahim on passing the Ph.D. preliminary exam! Ahmed’s primary advisor is Professor Elbanna, and he is co-advised by Professors Fahnestock and LaFave, working on a collaborative research project “Strength and Serviceability of Damaged Steel Girders,” sponsored by the Illinois Center for Transportation. Ahmed is focusing on evaluation of steel bridge I-girders damaged due to over-height vehicle strikes using numerical simulations and machine learning.
Dorado Passes Prelim
Congratulations to Ricardo Dorado on passing the Ph.D. preliminary exam! Ricardo is co-advised by Professors Fahnestock and LaFave and is studying the influence of skew and integral construction on load distribution in steel I-girder bridges as part of a project sponsored by the Illinois Center for Transportation.
Ricardo Dorado presents Ph.D. research proposal.