2008-2009 Bulletin – PDF - SEAS Bulletin - Columbia University

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• Structural control and health monitoring:
topics of research in this highly
cross-disciplinary field include the
development of “smart” systems for
the mitigation and reduction of structural
vibrations, assessment of the
health of structural systems based on
their vibration response signatures,
and the modeling of nonlinear systems
based on measured dynamic
behavior.
Fluid mechanics: solid-laden turbulent
flows, porous surface turbulence, flow
through porous media, numerical simulation
of flow and transport processes,
flow and transport in fractured rock.
Environmental engineering/water
resources: modeling of flow and pollutant
transport in surface and subsurface
waters, unsaturated zone hydrology,
geoenvironmental containment systems,
analysis of watershed flows including
reservoir simulation.
Structures: dynamics, stability, and
design of structures, structural failure
and damage detection, fluid and soil
structure interaction, ocean structures
subjected to wind-induced waves,
inelastic dynamic response of reinforced
concrete structures, earthquake-resistant
design of structures.
Geotechnical engineering: soil behavior,
constitutive modeling, reinforced soil
structures, geotechnical earthquake
engineering, liquefaction and numerical
analysis of geotechnical systems.
Structural materials: cement-based
materials, micro- and macro-models of
fiber-reinforced cement composites,
utilization of industrial by-products
and waste materials, beneficiation of
dredged material.
Earthquake engineering: response of
structures to seismic loading, seismic
risk analysis, active and passive control
of structures subject to earthquake
excitation, seismic analysis of long-span
cable-supported bridges.
Flight structures: aeroelasticity, aeroacoustics,
active vibration and noise control,
smart structures, noise transmission
into aircraft, and vibro-acoustics of
space structures.
Construction engineering and management:
contracting strategies; alternative
project delivery systems, such as
design-build, design-build-operate, and
design-build-finance-operate; minimizing
project delays and disputes; advanced
technologies to enhance productivity
and efficiency; strategic decisions in
global engineering and construction
markets.
Infrastructure delivery and management:
decision support systems for
infrastructure asset management;
assessing and managing infrastructure
assets and systems; capital budgeting
processes and decisions; innovative
financing methods; procurement strategies
and processes; data management
practices and systems; indicators of
infrastructure performance and service.
FACILITIES
The offices and laboratories of the
department are in the S. W. Mudd
Building and the Engineering Terrace.
Computing
The department manages a substantial
computing facility of its own in addition
to being networked to all the systems
operated by the University. The department
facility enables its users to perform
symbolic and numeric computation,
three-dimensional graphics, and expert
systems development. Connections to
wide-area networks allow the facility’s
users to communicate with centers
throughout the world. All faculty and student
offices and department laboratories
are hardwired to the computing facility,
which is also accessible remotely to
users. Numerous personal computers
and graphics terminals exist throughout
the department, and a PC lab is available
to students in the department in
addition to the larger school-wide facility.
Laboratories
The Robert A. W. Carleton Strength of
Materials Laboratory is a very large facility
equipped for research into all types
of engineering materials and structural
elements. The Heffner Laboratory for
Hydrologic Research is a newly established
facility for both undergraduate
instruction and research in all aspects of
fluid mechanics and its applications. The
Eugene Mindlin Laboratory for Structural
Deterioration Research is a teaching and
research facility dedicated to all facets
of the assessment of structures and the
processes of deterioration of structural
performance. The concrete laboratory is
SEAS 2008–2009