Literally. This is not about another scientific paper but about a piece of magnificent art at the European Cultural Center of Delphi, Greece. Surprising how different a humble theme like a reinforced concrete casting may look from a number of different perspectives. Artist is K. Tsoklis.
After the Christchurch earthquake, a new initiative has been undertaken to mobilize the engineering community to quickly trace damage visually based on high resolution Google Earth maps. This volunteer work helps the authorities identify quickly on the areas of highest earthquake impact and manage the recovery and reconnaissance activities. This time Tomnod, the web-based tool used for for this purpose has initiated a campaign to help identify the impact of the two powerful earthquakes that have struck China’s north-west Gansu province, killing at least 75 people and leaving more than 400 others injured.
In my opinion this initiative is quite premature so far while the subjectivity of the visualization by individual volunteers increases the uncertainty of the macroscopic assessment. However, the large number of the people involved may somehow smooth the assessment discrepancy and provide some basic trends regarding the areas most heavily hit, a fact that is of paramount importance particularly in extended remote areas such as the Chinese provinces. I think it is worth giving it a try by connecting to the digital images here. Even the idea of contributing to human relief from the comfort of your office or home is quite rewarding.
Applications are invited for one (1) post-doctoral researcher position at the Department of Civil and Environmental (HKUST) under the supervision of Dr. Elias Dimitrakopoulos. The research will be focused on the investigation of the Seismic Behaviour of Rocking Bridge Systems and will involve collaboration with researchers at Cambridge University in UK. The primary role of the post-doctoral researcher will be a fundamental investigation of rocking bridge systems through analytical modelling. Preference will be given to candidates with expertise in (one or preferably more of the following fields): analytical dynamics, earthquake engineering, nonlinear dynamics and control of dynamical systems. For further information, please send an informal enquiry to ilias@ust.hk (Dr. DIMITRAKOPOULOS).
The work place
The Civil and Environmental Engineering Department at the HKUST is young and dynamic, and is one of the most creative and most innovative, Civil Engineering Departments in universities in the region. Our faculty and facilities are recognized internationally and rank among the very best in the world. In addition, our School of Engineering has been consistently ranked among top 20 in the world according to the Times Higher Education Supplement.
Eligibility
The successful candidate will have a PhD in Civil Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or a related field, and a proven track record of successful research. English Requirements: fluency in English is an indispensable requirement
Funding
The salary will be at least HK$20,000 per month, depending on experience and qualifications.
Employment
Form of employment: Time-limited
Work time: Full time
Starting date: 1 Oct 2013 (the latest)
How to apply
Applications should consist of a letter of application explaining your reasons for applying for the position, a detailed CV (including published or accepted for publication papers), together with the names and contact details of two academic referees who can be contacted prior to interview. The aforementioned documents (all in pdf format) should be sent by email to ilias@ust.hk (Dr. Dimitrakopoulos).
Application deadline: 16 August 2013
Interviews will be held with selected candidates as soon as possible after the application deadline
Within the frame of the project “Quantifying and reducing uncertainty in structural dynamics” (1 October 2013 – 30 September 2017), the Structural Mechanics Section of the Department of Civil Engineering of KU Leuven has vacancies for 3 PhD students. The project aims to identify, quantify and reduce uncertainty on models and input parameters in numerical predictions for vibration problems in the built environment, focusing on accurate prediction of railway induced vibration in buildings. More particularly, the project will focus on (1) the quantification and reduction of uncertainties related to building models, (2) the quantification and reduction of parameter and model uncertainties related to dynamic soil characteristics, and (3) a study of dynamic soil-structure interaction effects. Numerical developments will be supported by elaborate in situ testing. Each PhD student will concentrate on one of these topics, while strong collaboration will be pursued Three PhD students are sought, holding a MSc degree in Civil Engineering (or related) with a solid background in structural dynamics, stochastic dynamics, and/or geotechnical earthquake engineering that are motivated to complete a PhD within four years, starting 1 October 2013.
The Structural Mechanics Section of KU Leuven presently counts 3 professors (Guido De Roeck, Geert Degrande and Geert Lombaert), 6 post-doc researchers and 11 PhD students. We offer an excellent and international research environment in vibrations in the built environment, vibration based structural identification and evaluation, and shape and topology optimization of structures (www.kuleuven.be/bwm). We offer a competitive PhD grant of about 1870 euro per month (depending on family situation), subject to an annual increase of about 35 euro per month. We are working in a very nice environment, centrally located in Europe. More information on becoming a PhD student at KU Leuven and living in Leuven can be found at www.kuleuven.be/phd, set.kuleuven.be/phd (Leuven Arenberg Doctoral School) and www.kuleuven.be. Depending on their background (MSc diploma, research experience), students may need to pass a pre-doctoral test (e.g. selected courses and presentation of research plan) prior to being allowed to the PhD program. Interested persons are invited to email their application file (as a single pdf file) before 15 August 2013 to prof. Geert Degrande (geert.degrande@bwk.kuleuven.be), containing the following information: (1) motivation letter, (2) curriculum vitae, (3) list of publications, (4) transcript of records (BSc and MSc degrees), (5) copy of diplomas (BSc and MSc degrees), (6) proof of proficiency in English (TOEFL or IETLS certificate), and (7) contact details of two persons who can provide a reference on our request.
Bridge Wizard, is an interactive front-end software for the seismic analysis and assessment of bridge structures, that takes advantage of a sophisticated, Open-Source software for Earthquake Engineering Simulation (OpenSees) to provide: (a) conceptual assistance during the finite element analysis pre- and post-processing (b) finite element model development automations and (c) expert advice for modeling various bridge-specific issues that are key for the reliable prediction of structural response (such as boundary conditions, pier-deck connections, soil-structure interaction etc). Bridge Wizard improves the efficiency and credibility of the finite element modeling developed, particularly for the case of complex bridge structures and gives the designer more control in critical modeling decisions affecting the overall system response.
Software website: www.bridge-wizard.eu
Magnitude 5.9 earthquake rattled Crete at 19:11pm local time. Epicenter was located 143km south of the city of Ierapetra. Focal depth estimate of 14km.
More: Institute of Geodynamics
Οpening of two (2) job opportunities for post-doctoral grantholders at the European Laboratory for Structural Assessment (ELSA) of the Institute for the Protection and Security of the Citizen of the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission in Ispra, Italy:
Code: 2013-IPR-G-30-000-1466 – CAT 30 – ISPRA
Earthquake Vulnerability and Risk Assessment
Deadline for applications : 30 June 2013
Code: 2013-IPR-G-30-000-1467 – CAT 30 – ISPRA
Building vulnerability to blast and protection strategies
Deadline for applications : 30 June 2013
Information concerning the post and application procedures to follow can be found on:
http://recruitment.jrc.ec.europa.eu/
Sextos AG, Nalmpantis S, Faraonis P, et al. (2013) Probabilistic seismic hazard assessment through geometrically non-linear back-analysis of Byzantine and Roman Monuments. 10th HSTAM International Congress on Mechanics. Chania, Crete, Greece.
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| Eurocode 2 Presentation |
Powerpoint presentation on Eurocode 8 – Part 2 for bridges, delivered during the Workshop organized by the Hellenic Association for Earthquake Engineering (Athens, December 2, 2011). Available in Youtube.
All the Greek Doctoral Thesis are now available online at www.didaktorika.gr An excellent initiative by the National Documentation Center of Greece. The National Archive of Ph.D. Theses is fully searchable in both Greek and English and the manuscripts can be either downloaded in pdf format or viewed online.
