Congratulations to Shitao Shi for receiving a Student Travel Grant from the American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC) to attend the November Task Committee and Committee on Specifications meetings in Chicago! This program connects students with AISC Staff mentors and provides the opportunity to meet some of the leading engineers and researchers in the industry and to see firsthand how AISC’s specifications and standards are made. Shitao’s Ph.D. research on seismic stability assessment and design of steel buildings is partially funded by AISC.
Category Archives: News
Journal Special Issue Opportunities
Submissions are currently being accepted for two journal special issues related to innovations in earthquake engineering:
Schissler Wins AISC Scholarship
Congratulations to Lauren Schissler for receiving an AISC/Associated Steel Erectors of Chicago Scholarship for the 2023-2024 academic year! Lauren is an M.S. candidate and Lewis Graduate Fellow working on a collaborative research project with Professors Elbanna, Fahnestock and LaFave. The project, Strength and Serviceability of Damaged Steel Girders, is sponsored by the Illinois Center for Transportation.
Fahnestock Visits Bangladesh
In late July, Larry Fahnestock visited Dhaka, Bangladesh for the Second International Conference on Advances in Civil Infrastructure and Construction Materials, where he delivered a keynote lecture and spoke at the closing ceremony about the legacy of Dr. Fazlur Rahman Khan. CICM 2023 focused on the theme of Resilience and Sustainability, and it was organized in honor of Dr. Khan, who earned his Ph.D. in Civil Engineering from the University of Illinois in 1955 and went on to design iconic structures around the world. Along with all of his engineering accomplishments, Dr. Khan was known for his heart for people. He said, “The technical man must not be lost in his own technology. He must be able to appreciate life, and life is art, drama, music, and most importantly, people.”
Zhou Deposits Dissertation
Congratulations to Sunny Zhou for depositing her Ph.D. dissertation! Best wishes to Sunny as she moves to Texas next month and starts a tenure-track Assistant Professor position at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley!
Zhou Defends Dissertation
Congratulations to Sunny Zhou for defending her Ph.D. dissertation! Sunny’s doctoral research, “Evaluation of Superstructure Response and Load Distribution in Skewed Steel I-Girder Bridges,” was co-advised by Jim LaFave and Larry Fahnestock as part of a project funded by the Illinois Center for Transportation.
Liu Receives PhD
Congratulations to Gaoyu Liu for being hooded and receiving his doctoral degree this past weekend!
Liu Defends and Deposits Dissertation
Congratulations to Gaoyu Liu for defending and depositing his Ph.D. dissertation! Gaoyu’s doctoral research, “Structural Behavior of Integral Abutment Bridge Approach Slabs,” was co-advised by Jim LaFave and Larry Fahnestock as part of a project funded by the Illinois Tollway. Best wishes to Gaoyu in his post-Illinois pursuits, which already have begun as a Software Development Engineer at Amazon in Seattle!
Steel Building Site Visit
Prof. Fahnestock and students in CEE462, Steel Structures II, toured the under-construction University of Illinois Foundation Philanthropy Center and learned about the fast-track design/build delivery that will bring this 60,000 sq. ft. facility online by the end of 2023. Thanks to the project team members from Perkins Eastman and Berglund Construction who made this visit possible!
