News
2013
Dennis Fillip Receives Outstanding Staff Award
April 2013
Thirty university employees and two supervisors were honored at the 52nd Annual President's Staff Awards this month. FSEL is pleased to announce that Dennis Fillip is one of two Cockrell School staff members who received an award this year. more →
Dr. Sharon Wood Elected to National Academy of Engineering
March 2013
The National Academy of Engineering (NAE) announced today that Dr. Sharon L. Wood from the Department of Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering at The University of Texas at Austin has been elected as a member. more →
Go Structural Interviews Eric Sammarco, Ph.D. Student, as an "Up-and-Coming" Engineer
January 2013
"Once Eric Sammarco decided he wanted to be a structural engineer, he never looked back. At only 28, Sammarco has already had a solid start to his career, has passed the P.E. exam and is working on his Ph.D. at the University of Texas at Austin." more →
2012
UT Austin Graduate Students Win the National Competition of PCI 2012 Big Beam Contest
October 2012
UT Austin Structural Engineering Graduate Students Scott McCord, Vasilis Samaras, Hamel Patel, Kostas Belivanis, Federico Aguayo, Candice Kou, James Felan, and Trey Dondrea, win the National Competition of the PCI 2012 Big Beam Contest. more →
Ogzuhan Bayrak Receives UT Regents Outstanding Teaching Award
August 2012
The Board of Regents of the University of Texas System recognized Ogzuhan Bayrak, Professor in structural engineering, mechanics, and materials, for outstanding teaching. more →
FSEL Doctoral Student Wins ACI-James Instruments Student Award
March 2012
Xiaowei Dai, a doctoral student in the structural engineering program, is the winner of the ACI-James Instruments Student Award for Research on NDT of Concrete. more →
2011
Breen Inducted Into Class of 2011 ASCE Distinguished Members
October 2011
Dr. Breen was among those honored at the ASCE Annual Conference.more →
PCI Announces 2011 Big Beam Contest Winners
September 2011
Several FSEL students were among the winning teams at the annual PCI Big Beam Contest.more →
Protecting Bridges from Terrorist Attacks
September 2011
Associate Professor Eric Williamson developed the first-ever national guidelines for building and retrofitting bridges so that they can better withstand a terrorist attack. more →
Oguzhan Bayrak and FSEL Alumni Receive 2011 George D. Nasser Award
September 2011
Paper Co-Authored by Professor Bayrak and Alumni Robin Tuchscherer and David Birrcher receive the 2011 George D. Nasser Award from the Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute. more →
Mike Engelhardt Receives UT Regents Outstanding Teaching Award
June 2011
The Board of Regents of the University of Texas System recognized Mike Engelhardt, Professor in structural engineering, mechanics, and materials, for outstanding teaching. more →
Karl Frank Receives Lifetime Achievement Award
June 2011
Karl Frank, professor emeritus in structural engineering, received an AISC (American Institute of Steel Construcction) Lifetime Achievement Award. more →
FSEL Students Receive Outstanding Paper Awards
June 2011
Miguel Forero Henao and Seongwoo Jo, both recent UT graduates, received awards for their contributions to papers that were presented at the 11th North American Masonry Conference. more →
FSEL Doctoral Student Wins ACI-James Instruments Student Award
April 2011
Seong-Hoon Kee, a doctoral student in the structural engineering program, is the winner of the ACI-James Instruments Student Award for Research on NDT of Concrete. more →
2010
Shear Studs Win Soccer Championship
November 2010
The Shear Studs, the Ferguson Lab Soccer Team, are the Fall 2010 UT Coed Intramural Soccer Champions! The intramural soccer league included a four-game regular season and a single elimination tournament. more →
Yura, Helwig and Herman receive Moisseiff Award
October 2010
Joe Yura, Professor Emeritus and Todd Helwig, Associate Professor; both in Civil Engineering at the University of Texas at Austin, and Reagan Herman, Resident Assistant Professor in Civil Engineering at Johns Hopkins University received the award at the 2010 Joint NASCC Steel Conference and Structures Congress this past May 2010. more →
FSEL Graduate Elected Mayor of Beirut
July 2010
Bilal S. Hamad, Professor at the American University of Beirut won the postion of Mayor in a recent municpal election. more →
Jeremiah Fasl receives Nevada Medal
May 2010
Jeremiah Fasl, a doctoral student in CAEE and a Graduate Research Assistant at Ferguson Lab is the recipient of the Nevada Medal for Distinguished Graduate Student Paper in Bridge Engineering for 2010. more →
Eric Williamson receives grant from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS)
April 2010
Eric Williamson will receive a grant totaling $750,000 from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for a project that will focus on the progressive collapse resistance of steel structures. The project aims to characterize the contribution of floor systems in mitigating collapse, which is an area of research yet to be addressed. What is unique about the project is that it will involve large-scale testing of 3-D structures that are 2-bays by 2-bays in plan and 2 stories in height. more →
Richard Klingner Authors New Textbook
February 2010
McGraw-Hill Professional has just announced the publication of a new textbook on the structural design of masonry. The author is Richard E. Klingner, the L. P. Gilvin Professor of Civil Engineering in our Department of CAEE, and an international expert on masonry. more →
Wassim Ghannoum Visits Haiti
January 2010
Structural Engineering Assistant Professor Wassim Ghannoum arrived in Haiti on January 21, 2010 to assess structures in the earthquake-torn area. His week-long safety assessment will focus mainly on hospitals and ports and will help determine which structures remain safe to re-enter. more →
2009
PCI Announces 2009 Big Beam Contest Winners
December 2009
Several FSEL students were among the winning teams at the annual PCI Big Beam Contest more →
Oguzhan Bayrak elected Fellow of ACI
November 2009
Oguzhan Bayrak has been elected a Fellow of the American Concrete Institute (ACI) more →
Joe Yura inducted into the Academy of Distinguished Alumni
October 2009
Joseph A. Yura, emeritus professor, was inducted as an honorary member into the Adademy of Distinguished Alumni. Although he did not attend UT-Austin, his outstanding service to the department as a faculty member is recognized more →
Klingner Shares Expertise on CNN
July 2009
Richard E. Klinger, Professor, discussed an an eco-friendly masonry material that can withstand a 2,000-degree fire for four hours. more →
ASCE 2009 T.Y. Lin Award
April 30, 2009
John E. Breen, Professor, was selected in April to receive the 2009 ASCE T.Y. Lin Award. more →
Eric Williamson Selected to Receive ASCE Research Prize
March 11, 2009
Eric B. Williamson, Associate Professor, was recently selected to receive the 2009 ASCE Walter L. Huber Civil Engineering Research Prize. more →
Joe Yura is Recipient of Rare Amercian Institute of Steel Construction Award
February 24, 2009
Joseph A. Yura, FSEL Researcher and Professor Emeritus in CAEE, has been awarded the Geerhard Haaijer Educator Award from the American Institute of Steel Construction. more →
FSEL Engineers awarded $6.8 million research project from NIST
January 15, 2009
The research team will develop a pair of complementing sensor networks for bridge inspection, including an active, self-powered system for continuous monitoring for cracks or defects in fracture critical bridges and a passive system for monitoring corrosion in reinforced concrete bridge decks. more →
2008
Quan Chen receives Yura Prize
September 12, 2008
The Texas Structural Steel Institute established the Yura Research Prize in 2005 in recognition of Dr. Yura's distinguished career as a faculty member at the University of Texas. The Yura Research Prize is awarded annually to recognize an outstanding thesis or dissertation. more →
Dean Deschenes receives Moden Award
September 12, 2008
The George E. Moden Award was established in 2003 by the technical staff at FSEL to honor a graduate student who has demonstrated outstanding commitment to experimental research and dedication to the laboratory. George served as the manager of FSEL from 1973 to 1985 and inspired many students through his practical contributions to their research. more →
FSEL students participate in CANstruction
December 5, 2008
A group of students representing FSEL participated in the SDA Central Texas Chapter first annual Austin CANstruction event in November by designing the promotional structure. more →
Oguzhan Bayrak appointed director of FSEL
November 19, 2008
Oguzhan Bayrak has been appointed director of FSEL. He replaces Sharon L. Wood who was named chair of the CAEE Department early October. more →
Robert L. "Bob" Reed Endowment established for Structural Engineering.
November 11, 2008
Friends, family, and professional colleagues of the late Bob Reed (BSCE, 1946) have established the Robert L. "Bob" Reed Endowed Excellence Fund for Structural Engineering. more →
Sharon L. Wood appointed chair of CAEE Department
October 20, 2008
Sharon L. Wood has been appointed chair of the Department of Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering in the Cockrell School of Engineering. She replaces Gerald E. Speitel Jr., who was named the Cockrell School's associate dean for academic affairs earlier this semester. more →
Simulated Fracture Test of Full-Size Bridge
June 6, 2008
A destructive test of a 120-ft twin box girder bridge was conducted in June. The test is designed to determine if the concrete deck and rails are sufficient to transfer load from the damaged girder to the intact girder. more →
FSEL Personnel receives Staff Excellence Award
May 15, 2008
Barbara Howard received the Cockrell School of Engineering Staff Excellence Award at a reception held at ECJ in May. more →
FSEL Researcher receives OTC Hall of Fame Award
May 6, 2008
Dr. Joseph Yura received the Offshore Technology Conference Hall of Fame award at the annual conference in Houston. more →
FSEL Researchers receive Siess Award at ACI Spring Convention
March 30, 2008
Keith Thompson, Jim Jirsa, and Jack Breen received the Chester Paul Siess Award for Excellence in Structural Research at the 2008 ACI Spring Convention in Los Angeles. more →
National Council of Structural Engineers Association tours FSEL
February 29, 2008
More than 100 structural engineers from around the country toured FSEL on Friday, the 29th of February as part of the National Council of Structural Engineers Associations' Winter Institute. more →
UT Steel Bridge Team wins regional Steel Bridge Competition
January 31, 2008
The University of Texas Steel Bridge Team finished first overall at the 2008 Texas-Mexico regional competition in Beaumont, Texas. The competition is sponsored by The American Society of Civil Engineers. more →
FSEL "Shear Studs" soccer team wins Men's Intramural Championship
November 18, 2007
Shear Studs, the Ferguson Lab Soccer Team, has won the Men's Intramural Soccer Championship. The soccer league consists of a four-game regular season, followed by a single elimination tournament.more →