myUTSAUTSA TodayVisitDirectorySearch
myUTSAUTSA TodayVisitDirectorySearch

UTSA College of EngineeringUTSA College of Engineering

  • About CoE
    • Dean’s Message
    • Calendar
    • News & Announcements
    • Faculty & Staff
      • Business Service Center
      • College of Engineering Organizational Chart
      • Research Support
      • Resources for Faculty
        • Policies
        • Forms
        • College Committees
    • Accreditation
    • Visit Us
    • Contact
  • Students
    • Tech Symposium
  • Research
    • Centers
    • Facilities
  • Undergraduate
    • Overview
    • Admissions
    • Advising Center
    • Degrees Offered
    • Forms
    • Resources
    • Scholarships
      • Other Scholarships
    • Student Success Center
  • Graduate
    • Overview
    • Admissions
    • Certificate Program
    • Master’s Degrees
    • Doctoral Degrees
    • Graduate Scholarships
      • Other Scholarships
    • Resources
  • Departments
    • Biomedical
    • Chemical
    • Civil & Environmental
    • Electrical & Computer
    • Mechanical
  • Advisory Council
    • Advisory Council News and Announcements
    • Advisory Council Leadership: Fast Facts
    • Advisory Council Service Expectations
    • Advisory Council Bylaws
    • Advisory Council Minutes
 December 15, 2019

NIST Funds twelve projects to make communities more resilient to disasters

NIST Funds twelve projects to make communities more resilient to disasters

by UTSA CoE / Wednesday, 16 August 2017 / Published in COE Announcements

Using biological materials as flame retardants, defining the characteristics of soil liquefaction during earthquakes and collecting disaster data with aerial drones are among the twelve disaster resilience research projects awarded just over $6 million by the U.S. Commerce Department’s National Institute of Standards and Technology(NIST). The University of Texas at San Antonio received $798,892 for research being done by Wassim Ghannoum, associate professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. The grants support NIST’s efforts to strengthen the ability of communities to prepare for anticipated hazards, adapt to changing conditions, and withstand and recover rapidly from disruptions.

The twelve awards, selected from 172 proposals, are being made through NIST’s Disaster Resilience Research Grants Program. Projects funded under the program must support research that will:

  • Help advance the principles of disaster resilience in the design of building and infrastructure systems; or
  • Facilitate the development of building codes and standards to reduce the impact caused by windstorms—primarily hurricanes and tornadoes—and coastal inundations, wildland fires and earthquakes; or
  • Lead to the development of innovative measurement methods and technologies to collect and evaluate building and infrastructure performance data in the wake of a hazard event.

Funded for up to three years each, the grant recipients are:

University of Texas at San Antonio (San Antonio, Texas) – $798,892
Decision-Oriented Column Simulation Capabilities for Enhancing Disaster Resilience of Reinforced Concrete Buildings
For the development of a new generation of computer simulation models that will characterize the impact of severe earthquake conditions on reinforced concrete columns.

American University (Washington, D.C.) – $128,000
Biomacromolecules as Flame Retardants for Wood-Based Construction
For a study of the durability, weatherability and long-term effectiveness of flame retardants based on biomacromolecules (such as proteins, lignin, cellulose and other carbohydrates) when applied to building products such as lumber, pressed wood and wood-plastic composites.

Applied Research Associates Inc. (Raleigh, North Carolina) – $412,718
Development of Tornado Design Criteria for Buildings and Shelters Subject to Tornado Induced Loads
For the development of improved loading criteria (the forces that a structure and/or its components must be designed to withstand) for structures that must resist tornadoes, such as shelters and power generation facilities.

Clemson University (Clemson, South Carolina) – $300,807
Improving Disaster Resilience by Quantifying WUI Community Ember Exposure
For using wind tunnel test data to develop a method for measuring the firebrand (ember) exposure risk of homes in the wildland-urban interface (WUI), the area where residential communities and undeveloped wildlands meet.

Stanford University (Stanford, California) – $580,477
Seismic Assessment, Retrofit Strategies and Policy Implications for Vulnerable Existing Steel Buildings
For the development and application of a comprehensive method to assess the safety risks of earthquake-vulnerable tall steel buildings.

University of Alabama in Huntsville (Huntsville, Alabama) – $563,276
Development of Methodology for Determination of Ignition Propensity by Firebrands in Wildland-Urban Interface
For the development of a computer model that will define patterns for firebrand distribution during WUI fires and their likelihood of igniting nearby structures.

University of California, San Diego (San Diego, California) – $749,924
Improving Disaster Resilience Through Scientific Data Collection with UAV Swarms
For the development of a method by which a “swarm” of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) can be used to collect field data on the health of structures and infrastructure lifelines (such as water, electrical and gas) before, during and after a natural disaster.

University of Colorado (Boulder, Colorado) – $400,461
Integrating Aging Effects in Performance-Based Seismic Design and Assessment of Reinforced Concrete Structures
For a study of the effects of aging on the mechanical properties of concrete and steel, and on the overall seismic performance of reinforced concrete.

University of Maryland (College Park, Maryland) – $377,213
Temperature Measurements of Airborne Firebrands
For the development of a single tool to measure characteristics of airborne firebrands to improve the fire resistance of communities in WUI areas.

University of Michigan (Ann Arbor, Michigan) – $684,987
Resilience of Steel Moment Frame Systems with Deep Slender Column Sections
For a study of the performance during seismic events of deep slender column sections within a steel special moment frame structure (where beams, columns and beam-column connections are designed to be more earthquake resilient).

University of Notre Dame (South Bend, Indiana) – $715,550
Coastal Inundation Events in Developed Regions
For the development and testing of methods to improve predictions of how inundations such as storm surges and tsunamis will impact developed regions.

University of Washington (Seattle, Washington) – $347,479
Liquefaction-Targeted Ground Motion Parameters
For a study to better understand and define the characteristics of soil liquefaction (where a saturated or partially saturated soil loses strength and stiffness in response to earthquake shaking) to enable more accurate predictions of hazards to structures and infrastructure lifelines.

For more information, see the Disaster Resilience Research Grants Program webpage.

As a non-regulatory agency of the U.S. Department of Commerce, NIST promotes U.S. innovation and industrial competitiveness by advancing measurement science, standards and technology in ways that enhance economic security and improve our quality of life. To learn more about NIST, visit www.nist.gov.

Categories

  • Archived Graduate Scholarships
  • Archived Undergraduate Scholarships
  • Biomedical Engineering
  • Civil and Environmental Engineering
  • COE Announcements
  • Electrical and Computer Engineering
  • General
  • Highlights
  • Home Slider
  • Innovation Magazine
  • Mechanical Announcements
  • Mechanical Engineering
  • News
  • Photo & Video Gallery
  • Uncategorized
  • Unused Sliders
  • UTSA COE

Upcoming Events

No event found!

Recent Posts

  • New Employee – Carlos Velez

    ...
  • New Employee – Desmond Graham

    ...
  • Faculty Spotlight – Lyle Hood

    ...
  • Staff Spotlight: Monica Casanova

    ...
  • Researchers’ nanodisk could restore function for Lou Gehrig’s disease patients

    ...

Archives

  • December 2019
  • November 2019
  • October 2019
  • September 2019
  • August 2019
  • July 2019
  • June 2019
  • April 2019
  • March 2019
  • February 2019
  • January 2019
  • December 2018
  • November 2018
  • October 2018
  • September 2018
  • August 2018
  • July 2018
  • June 2018
  • April 2018
  • February 2018
  • January 2018
  • December 2017
  • November 2017
  • October 2017
  • September 2017
  • August 2017
  • July 2017
  • June 2017
  • May 2017
  • April 2017
  • March 2017
  • February 2017
  • January 2017
  • December 2016
  • November 2016
  • October 2016
  • September 2016
  • August 2016
  • July 2016
  • June 2016
  • May 2016
  • April 2016
  • March 2016
  • February 2016
  • January 2016
  • December 2015
  • November 2015
  • October 2015
  • September 2015
  • August 2015
  • July 2015
  • June 2015
  • May 2015
  • April 2015
  • March 2015
  • February 2015
  • January 2015
  • December 2014
  • November 2014
  • October 2014
  • September 2014
  • August 2014
  • July 2014
  • June 2014
  • May 2014
  • April 2014
  • March 2014
  • February 2014
  • January 2014
  • December 2013
  • November 2013
  • October 2013
  • September 2013
  • August 2013
  • July 2013
  • June 2013
  • May 2013
  • April 2013
  • March 2013
  • February 2013
  • January 2013
  • October 2012
  • September 2012
  • August 2012
  • July 2012
  • June 2012
  • May 2012
  • March 2012
  • February 2012
  • January 2012
  • December 2011
  • October 2011
  • September 2011
  • June 2011
  • May 2011
  • April 2011
  • February 2011
  • January 2011
  • December 2010
  • November 2010
  • April 2010

College of Engineering
BSE Building, Room 2.106
One UTSA Circle
San Antonio, TX 78249
Phone: 210-458-4490
Fax: 210-458-5515

Contact Engineering Webmaster
College of Engineering Employment

UTSA Mission
The University of Texas at San Antonio is dedicated to the advancement of knowledge through research and discovery, teaching and learning, community engagement and public service. As an institution of access and excellence, UTSA embraces multicultural traditions and serves as a center for intellectual and creative resources as well as a catalyst for socioeconomic development and the commercialization of intellectual property – for Texas, the nation and the world.

UTSA Vision
To be a premier public research university, providing access to educational excellence and preparing citizen leaders for the global environment.

© 2017 The University of Texas at San Antonio | One UTSA Circle San Antonio, TX 78249 | Information 210-458-4011
Campus Alerts | Jobs | Required Links | Policies | UT System | Report Fraud
Produced by University Communications and Marketing

TOP