UB-NEES Hosts 2009 Young Researcher Symposium
34 students participated in the REU Symposium.
The UB-NEES Site hosted the Research Experiences for Undergraduates Program (REU) Young Researcher Symposium at the University at Buffalo, August 20-22, 2009. Thirty-four REU students from across the continental United States, Hawaii and Puerto Rico participated in this three-day event, which was also attended by several NEES-site REU coordinators.
Following a welcome by A. Scott Weber, Chair of UB’s Department of Civil, Structural and Environmental Engineering, the group toured the UB-NEES Structural Engineering and Earthquake Simulation Laboratory (SEESL) and watched a test demonstration on one of the two shake tables.
The tour and test demonstration were followed by four UB faculty and graduate student presentations on NEES research projects and related topics, including:
Undergraduate student Denise Muramoto presents her research during the poster session.
- Professor S. Thevanayagam, “Geotechnical Earthquake Engineering”
- M.S. candidate Jessica Fuchs, “Seismic Performance of Nonstructural Systems”
- M.S. candidate Daniel Gavahi, “Performance Based Design of Reinforced Concrete Walls”
- Professor Gilberto Mosqueda, “Hybrid Simulation of Structures to Collapse”
The heart of the Symposium commenced on Saturday morning at UB’s Center for Tomorrow. Here, the REU students presented posters based on their respective 10-week summer research experiences and answered questions from fellow REUs and NEES-site coordinators.
The Symposium culminated with an evening dinner featuring MCEER partner and guest speaker, Doug Taylor, CEO of Taylor Devices, Inc. Mr. Taylor spoke on “Research and Development Engineering - An Industry Perspective,” and shared many stories and experiences as an engineer and inventor.
Participants enjoyed a ride on the Niagara Whirlpool Jet Boat in the lower Niagara River.
While in Buffalo, the group had an opportunity to visit Niagara Falls, where in addition to seeing the mighty Niagara River, they also rode the whirlpool jet boat. The fast-paced boat ride takes participants on an exciting journey into the Niagara Gorge, the famous whirlpool and through Devil’s Hole Rapids.
The event was planned and coordinated by UB-NEES Site Operations Manager, Tom Albrechcinski, with assistance from Sofia Tangalos, of MCEER’s Information Service.
