Friday, April 13, 2012

Engineers Put Five-story Buildling on Shake Table to Test for Earthquake and Fire Readiness


What happens when you put a fully equipped five-story building, which includes an intensive care unit, a surgery suite, piping and air conditioning, fire barriers and even a working elevator, through a series of high-intensity earthquakes?
Structural engineers at the University of California, San Diego are about to find out during a two-week series of tests conducted on the world’s largest outdoor shake table at the Englekirk Structural Engineering Center. The overarching goal of the $5 million project, which is supported by a coalition of government agencies, foundations and industry partners, is to ascertain what needs to be done to make sure that high-value buildings, such as hospitals and data centers, remain operational after going through an earthquake. Researchers also will assess whether the building’s fire barriers have been affected by the shakes.
More here

Shu Chien Honored by Columbia University

Bioengineering professor Shu Chien is being honored by Columbia University with an honorary Doctor of Science.

Columbia University will confer the honorary degree at commencement exercises on Wednesday, May 16. Chien is University Professor of bioengineering and medicine at UC San Diego and Director of the UC San Diego Institute of Engineering in Medicine.


From the Columbia University press release:

Shu Chien, Doctor of Science: As a doctor, researcher and professor, Chien has made seminal contributions to fields of biology, medicine and engineering. His primary areas of research are cardiovascular physiology, molecular and cellular bioengineering, and stem cell regulation. He is the author of more than 500 peer-reviewed scientific articles and editor of 11 books. He has been a leader of numerous professional societies and the recipient of countless awards, including the National Medal of Science, which he received from President Obama in 2011.

Learn more about Chien's research in this Jacobs School of Engineering story celebrating his National Medal of Science.

In San Diego on April 13? Shu Chien is giving the Richard Skalak Memorial Lecture today, April 13 from 4-6 p.m. at the Calit2 Atkinson Hall. Register here