PENN STATE COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING

The Earthquake Engineering Research Institute Penn State Student Chapter

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PENN STATE COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING

Department of Architectural Engineering Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering

EARTQUAKE ENGINEERING RESEARCH INSTITUTE PENN STATE STUDENT CHAPTER

(EERI‐PSU)

ANNUAL REPORT 2011‐2012


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General Chapter Information: Address: 104 Engr Unit A University Park, PA 16802‐1416

E‐mail: [email protected]

Website: http://www.eeripsu.weebly.com

2010‐2011 Officers (Executive Committee): President: Michael Payne ( [email protected] ) Vice‐President: Justin Kovach ( [email protected] ) Treasurer: Jessel Elliott ( [email protected] ) Secretary: Bradford Oliver ( [email protected] ) EERI‐PSU Outreach: Thomas Klienosky ( [email protected] )

Design Team Leader: Brian Rose ( [email protected] ) Webmaster: Matt Snyder ( [email protected] ) CE Graduate Rep: Kyle Karschner ( [email protected] ) CE Undergraduate Rep: Jose Izquierdo ( [email protected] ) AE Rep: Nicole Trujillo( [email protected] )

AE Undergraduate Rep: Ksenia Tretiakova ( [email protected] )

Faculty Advisor: Dr. Gordon Warn ( [email protected] ) Assistant Professor of Civil Engineering Department of Civil Engineering Pennsylvania State University

Student Chapter Members: 1. Pat Allen 2. Kyle Karschner 3. Ryan Solnosky 4. JieJian Zhu 5. Nate Babyak 6. Cadell Calkins 7. Jonathan Coan 8. Punit Das 9. Jessel Elliott 10. Brad Frederick 11. Christian Glaug 12. Cody Gunther

13. Jose Izquierdo 14. TJ Kleinosky 15. Justin Kovach 16. Nathan McGraw 17. Thaison Nguyen 18. Brad Oliver 19. Michael Payne 20. Brian Rose

21. Matt Snyder 22. David Tran 23. Ksenia Tretiakova 24. Nicole Trujillo 25. Mitch Collins 26. Brandon Rupert

* Indicates a non‐national EERI member


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EERI‐PSU Student Chapter News: EERI‐PSU is now in its second year of existence at Penn State. Through hard work, fundraising, and recruiting more members, the club was able to repeat several of the successful events as last year, accomplish some of their goals. One of the clubs main priorities was providing their members with some distinguished lectures which they accomplished by hosting Stephanie Chang. EERI‐PSU also visited the EERI chapter at the University of Buffalo. The trip allowed students to network with other graduate students and see one of the nation’s most renowned shake tables. Club President, Mike Payne, has also been conversing with University of Buffalo to host a mini conference for the EERI chapters along the East Coast, hosting several lectures, shake table demonstration, and networking opportunities.

EERI Annual Conference:

EERI‐PSU attended its second EERI conference in Memphis, Tennessee. The club spent most the year raising funds in order to send 8 of their members to the event to represent EERI‐PSU. Six students were participating in the design team seismic competition, while two others were taking part of the conference and lectures.


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EERI‐PSU Competition Team:

Going into the second year of the competition, the team had a go big or go home mentality. They wanted to create a much more architecturally compelling structure while maintaining a high level of success. Through learning from the previous year, the team was able to create and test 10 small scale models. They tested several components such as the strength of varying wood gradations, different types of glue, beam size, cross bracing, and connection configurations. They took the results of these tests and applied them to the final model. Building the structure during the semester promoted teamwork and comradeship amongst those who participated. It also provided a learning experience for all those involved. They learned to design and conduct experiments, build a model, and create a SAP model. The team didn’t place as well as they did in last year, but it still proved to be an invaluable experience that the club is looking to repeat for the following year.


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2010‐2011 EERI‐PSU Activities:

Most of the activities this year included speakers and webinars. Next year EERI‐PSU plans to expand these seminars to occur on a monthly basis to keep our members educated and interested. Stephanie Chang – EERI distinguished lecture. Dynamic of Urban Earthquake Risk.

University of Buffalo and Cannon Design visit – Networked with the University of Buffalo’s EERI chapter and toured their research facility. Also visited Cannon Design where they talked about some earthquake design issues they have encountered. Humberto Caudana –Visiting PHD Candidate gave a lecture on “Friction Based Passive Control of the Seismic Response of Multi‐Story Buildings”.


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EERI‐NEES sponsored webinars

Seismic Design Methodology for Precast Concrete Floor Diaphragms.

Improving the Seismic Performance of Concentrically Braced Frames: Proposed Design and Analysis Procedures

Knex shake table competition – EERI‐PSU hosted 2 semi‐annual informal design competitions for its club members. The gathering allowed undergraduate members and officers to socialize and learn more about earthquake design in an informal setting by designing several structural frames and testing them on the shake tables.

Goals for Next Academic Year:

EERI‐PSU is looking forward to a remodeled look to next year. New officers in many of the primary positions will be graduating and moving on, giving a leadership opportunity to the younger classes. Some of the things they will strive to do for next year is make events more regular to encourage more member participation. The undergraduate seismic competition is a big deal in our club, so gaining an interest in that with new member will also be a priority. The club will also be looking to continue having premier speakers at least once a semester, and coordinating an event with the University of Buffalo once again. We will also be raising funds to update seismic research equipment that has become outdated or in disrepair. Finally, we hope to once again pursue an outreach program to students outside of the club and/or university.

PENN STATE COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING

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