1CIVIL ENGINEERING at UBCSPRING 2003

spring 2003

From Dream to Reality

The Department of Civil Engineering ispleased to report that the new EarthquakeEngineering Research Facility (EERF) willbe in full operation in the fall of 2003.Construction was completed in May, andinstallation of the equipment will proceedthroughout the summer months. This hasbeen a 20-year dream in the making for theearthquake engineering team of theDepartment. “We are very excited by thenew opportunities for large-scale seismictesting that will be made available throughthe Facility,” says Dr. Carlos Ventura,Director of the Facility and Professor ofCivil Engineering.

Team members have established someof the finest and most active earthquakeengineering experimentation and researchactivities in Canada over the past 30 years,and this new facility will allow them totackle problems that have been outsidetheir reach until now. For instance, moreaccurate evaluations of seismic retrofit

techniques and methods will be conducted,providing more realistic representations ofthe behaviour of structures. For example,the team will investigate the advantagesand limitations of using “smart materials”for the seismic retrofit of structures.

The new EERF brings together underone roof an impressive array of testequipment for specialized research onearthquakes and their effects on structuresand the soil that supports them. The 30-foot-high overhead area of the EERF willenable the testing of large-scale structuralmodels. Three different earthquakesimulators (or shake tables) are housed inthe facility. The centre-piece of the facilityis the six-degrees-of-freedom shake table,with a footprint of about 3 m by 3 m and thecapacity to shake 30-ton structures. Thesix degrees of freedom allow researchers to

In this issue:

Message from the Acting Head

Student enjoys co-op placement

View from the marketplace

Engineering Management Educationat UBC

Construction and IT go hand in hand

People

Recent events & achievements

mimic more realistically the shakingproduced by actual earthquakes. There arealso plans to increase this table to afootprint of 4 m by 4 m in the near future.The second shake table has a footprint ofabout 6 m by 6 m, will have a payloadcapacity of about 100 tons, and will be usedfor the uni-axial testing of large-sizestructures. To put this in perspective, asmall, two-storey house weighsapproximately 50 tons. This shake table willalso be used for geotechnical studies oflarge-scale foundation models toinvestigate important problems in seismicdesign, such as the interaction between astructure and its supporting soil and soilliquefaction effects on structures. TheEERF will also have available to it a third,portable uni-axial shake table for testingsmall structures and building components.

UBC poised to lead Canada inearthquake research withversatile new facility

...continued on page 7

Above: Finished construction housingshake tables and state-of-the-art multi-media technology.

Left: Conceptual rendering by RamsayWorden Architects Ltd. as originallyproposed to CFI.

CIVIL ENGINEERING at UBC2 SPRING 2003

Message from the Acting HeadMuch hashappened in thepast year, andthis pace ofchange seemsto be in theworks for thefuture!

The mostvisible eventhas been theconstruction of

the new Earthquake Engineering ResearchFacility – our cover story. The plans andfunding for this valuable addition to theDepartment were in place over a year ago,thanks to the tireless efforts of the formerHead, Prof. Alan Russell, and Prof. CarlosVentura, with a lot of support from the restof the faculty and staff. By the time thisnewsletter is out, we’ll be occupying thebuilding and fitting out the equipment. Thebig day when all the shaking can take placeis still some months away. We are planningto hold a ribbon cutting in September.

Our Research Spotlight article in thisissue is on a topic dear to the hearts andminds of most civil engineers –construction. This is where almost everycivil engineering project takes physicalform, and it doesn’t just involve muddyboots and hardhats. Construction – one ofthe largest sectors in Canada’s economy –

Third-year Civil student enjoys exotic co-op placementIn June 2001, third-year UBC Civil Engi-neering student Divana Whitley leftCanada for a one-year co-op placementwith the Taiheiyo Cement Research andDevelopment Laboratory in Sakura City,Japan. Divana was involved in manyresearch projects during her work term,including testing a product made only inJapan called Eco-cement (a mixture ofmunicipal incinerated ash, sewage sludge,limestone and clay). She worked on findingways to improve the cement and to deter-mine the types of products for which itcould be used.

One of the reasons Taiheiyo Cementparticipates in UBC’s Co-op Program is toprovide its employees with experienceworking with North Americans.

For Divana, working in Japan requiredthe ability to adapt to a very different

workplace culture. She was the only femalein her work group, which led to somechallenging situations. For example, her co-workers would tell her that many thingswere too dangerous for her to do.According to Divana, “being the onlyfemale in my work group also led to someinteresting conversations and interestinglooks when we went out after work.” Shehopes that working in a typically male-oriented job helped her Japanese co-workers realize that a woman is capable ofdoing the same job as a man.

Living in Japan for a year also offeredamazing opportunities to explore thecountry. The most grueling, but beautiful,experience was to watch the sun rise fromthe top of Mt. Fuji after a five-and-a-half-hour climb to the top in the dark.

Divana returned to Canada in June

2002 and was back to full-time studies atUBC in September. For her final work termthis summer, Divana is moving toLloydminster, AB to work for PFMEngineering, a structural consulting firm.

has gone high-tech, and in this globalworld, the competitiveness of Canadianengineers and companies depends on anintensive drive to utilize the besttechnologies that can be developed. Ourconstruction engineering and managementgroup is at the forefront of many excitingdevelopments in the use of informationtechnology for project management, riskassessment, construction planning,scheduling and resource allocation, andmany other aspects of the totalconstruction and management process.

Hopefully, most civil engineers becomeinterested in management as their careersdevelop. To jump-start this interest and todevelop potential managers, the Facultyhas established an EngineeringManagement Option. Program Coordinator,Prof. Sheryl Staub-French, explains theprogram on page 3. Also on page 3 is our“View from the Marketplace,” with somevaluable advice to young (and old)engineers from John Scott, P.Eng., CEO ofScott Canada. Certainly, our Faculty iscontinuously striving to place increasedemphasis on the management andcommunication skills that can be developedin our programs.

At the heart of every enterprise are thepeople who make everything happen. Otherpages of this newsletter feature a few of ournew additions to the Faculty, one of our

many Adjunct Professors, a Ph.D.student, a Co-op student, and a few ofthe many career events andachievements of department members.We seem poised for much more in thecoming year.

As I reach the end of my one-yearstint as Acting Head, I want to extend avery big Thank-You to Prof. AlanRussell, my predecessor, who set thestage for much that has occurred in thepast year, and who has provided muchadvice as “Head-Emeritus.” Equallyvaluable has been the loyalty andsupport of all the faculty and staff.

Robert SexsmithActing Department Head

3CIVIL ENGINEERING at UBCSPRING 2003

A view from the marketplace

“The construction marketplace is showing encouraging signs of recovery.Companies and engineers that see how the marketplace is changing will prosper.”

There are threeemergingtrendsassociated

with a new era of growth in BC’sconstruction industry – each withimplications for today’s civil engineers –consolidation, formation of alliances, and ashortage of engineers with leadership skills.

The construction sector has typicallysuffered from the small size of the players,low margins, high risk, and the fact that theindustry is fractured compared tomanufacturing and other industries. Thisappears to be changing due toconsolidation. Engineering groups such asStantec, SNC-Lavalin and AMEC are inacquisition mode – buying all types andsizes of engineering and architecturalcompanies. The German multi-national,Hochtief, has acquired significant interestsin major North American constructioncompanies, including Turner in the USAand Aecon here in Canada.

A second impact on our industry is theway construction and engineering servicesare now being purchased. Clients, oftenpublic entities, are looking for morecertainty when they build and are asking

by John Scott, P.Eng., Founder and CEO of Scott Canada Construction Group, a masterbuilder of high-rise condominiums, hotels, and commercial and light industrial projects.

for comprehensive, all-inclusive proposalswhen they tender for building projects.These requests are multi-dimensional,typically requiring expertise in design,construction, finance, businessmanagement, and maintenance. Companieshave had to respond by forming allianceswith groups outside their normal area ofexpertise, taking on new roles and risks thatwere seldom required under the traditionalformat. The forming and managing ofalliances will no doubt change the way theconstruction industry is structured, puttingpressure on traditional industry practices tochange and placing a new emphasis oncommunication and leadership skills.

Construction and engineeringbusinesses need bright people whounderstand how things work, know how tocommunicate clearly, and have the ability tomake things happen. Engineers focusedonly on technology and who prefer tospend significant portions of time in frontof a computer screen will need to developand cultivate relationships with multi-functional teams as well as customers.They must develop verbal and writing skillsto be effective and learn how to network,how to socialize, and what protocols to

follow. An engineer without these skills willnot be valued as highly as one who is ableto master them.

Not only do engineers needcommunication skills, they must be able toblend their technical and managerial skillsto become effective leaders. In a new era ofconsolidation and alliances, these skills areessential to every engineer who is aimingfor the top of his or her profession.

While many approaches can bepursued, community and volunteer workprovides a superb training ground forbuilding leadership, communication andinterpersonal skills. However, whileprofessional engineers constitute one ofthe largest professional groups, lawyers,accountants, and physicians repeatedlyoutnumber them as volunteers, communityleaders, and politicians.

Engineering minds are amongst thebest in the world, but today’s marketplacedemands new levels of technical andinterpersonal skills. Success will bemeasured by how engineers adapt tochange, how they are perceived in thecommunity, and how effective they are atgetting across their ideas.

Engineering Management Education at UBC −−−−− a response to industry needsThe Department of Civil Engineering nowcoordinates an Engineering Managementoption for the Faculty’s M.Eng. programsfor graduate students of all engineeringdisciplines. This option was created inresponse to an emerging industry need forengineers with a management-orientededucation. Students will get a morebalanced education in technical andmanagerial subjects that will help them toeffectively manage engineering andtechnical enterprises in existing or newbusinesses.

The program aims to provide industrywith engineers who are• prepared to become managers and

leaders;• trained to work and think in an

entrepreneurial way;• equipped with specific skills in

accounting, finance, and businessdevelopment; and

• skilled in working as part of a multi-disciplinary team.Students will get their technical

education through their specific M.Eng.program and their managerial educationthrough the Engineering Managementoption.

In the program, students complete twocore courses: Business Decisions forEngineering Ventures and TechnologyEntrepreneurship for Engineers. They arethen able to customize their program byselecting from a variety of electives,covering important topic areas such asproject management, intellectual propertymanagement, technology-based productmarketing and development, operationsresearch, and modeling and optimization.

The content of these courses reflects ourbelief that we must educate engineers sothat they can leverage technology tosupport managerial decisions.

We have seen significant and growinginterest in the program from students whounderstand they will soon be heading intoa very competitive job market. Thesestudents benefit from our success inpartnering with industry leaders who joinus as sessional and guest lecturers andprovide “real world” contexts forengineering management issues.

If you are interested in enrolling as astudent or contributing as an industryparticipant, please contact ProgramCoordinator, Sheryl Staub-French, at 604-827-5118 or sherylsf@civil.ubc.ca.

CIVIL ENGINEERING at UBC4 SPRING 2003

Research SpotlightConstruction and IT go hand in handThe construction engineering and management group in the Department of Civil Engineering was started in 1982 with the hiring ofProf. Alan Russell; Prof. Thomas Froese joined in 1992; and Prof. Sheryl Staub-French joined in 2002 as a member of the groupand also as Coordinator of the Faculty’s graduate option in Engineering Management. Adjunct faculty include Brian Samuels ofSamuels & Co. and Bryan Shapiro of Shapiro, Hankinson & Knutson in the area of law, Dana Vanier of IRC-NRC in the areas offacilities management and municipal infrastructure, and Roger Woodhead of Woodhead Consultants in the area of projectmanagement. There are currently 30 M.Eng., five M.A.Sc., and 10 Ph.D. students enrolled in the program.

The group contributes to the competitiveness of Canada’s construction industry through the design and development of newand improved information technology tools and through a deeper understanding of construction industry processes (administrativeand technical) and supporting decision paradigms. The group pursues interaction with organizations in both the public andprivate sectors on an ongoing basis to ensure the responsiveness of its research program to industry needs.

THE PROJECT LIFE CYCLE ANDONGOING RESEARCH WORK

Research activities of the group span thecomplete life cycle of a constructionproject, from preliminary feasibility analysisto facilities management, and help toprovide answers to questions such as

• What procurement mode is best for agiven project context, and how shouldrisks be allocated?

• How do I know the cost implications ofmy design, and does my cost estimatereflect the special features of a project?

• What should the role of informationtechnology play in the tenderingprocess?

• How can I exchange data amongst thediverse range of computer tools usedthroughout the project life cycle withouthaving to enter and re-enter data manytimes?

• How can I visualize construction data toenhance my understanding of designand construction issues?

• How can the planning and schedulingtoolkit be improved to help with largeand complex civil and building projectsthat involve significant repetition?

• How can my firm encode experience andknowledge of key personnel for reuseon future projects and for training newemployees?

• How can I integrate all of the functionsinvolved in planning and controlling aproject and conducting a post-projectanalysis more effectively?

• How can information technology helpme with the facilities managementprocess?

Finding answers to these and otherquestions drives the research program.

For the feasibility phase, ongoing workby Russell is focused mainly on the topic ofpublic-private partnerships – a topic ofkeen interest to government on a globallevel. Specific research projects arefocused on assessing (1) the innovationand efficiency potential of differentprocurement modes, (2) risk identificationand management as a function of aproject’s environmental context (naturaland man-made), physical configuration, andorganizational/contractual arrangements,(3) the formulation and use of public-sectorcomparators (see Figure 1) with emphasison the pricing of risks, and (4) theallocation of risk to optimize value formoney.

For the design and bidding phase,Staub-French’s research is directed atimproving the capability of designers andcontractors to determine the costconsequences of different design features,both during the design phase whenopportunities exist to input constructabilityexpertise and during the tendering phasewhen estimators seek to ensure thatcosting is fully reflective of design features.Of special interest are those design features

that require a change in methods to beused, i.e., one seeks to identify break pointswhere conventional methods no longerapply, because productivity, safety, orquality concerns render them inefficient orsimply infeasible. Such features can oftenbe missed during the pressure of thetendering phase, resulting in difficultiesduring the construction phase or during thevalue-engineering phase, when costs needto be brought in line with a client’s budget.For example, Figure 2 depicts the design ofpart of an office building floor, withoversized and inconsistent wall heights andcurved walls, which affected productivityand required the use of additionalequipment for drywall studding andapplication. The challenge becomes how todevelop a language for representing designfeatures that can be incorporated into 3-DCAD representations and that can in turnbe interpreted for purposes of giving cost-specific and design-specific feedbackimmediately and accurately in computer-based estimating tools. Other work for thisphase deals with exploring the best use ofinformation technology for the tenderingprocess, with special reference to assessing

Fig. 2. Providing construction-specificdesign-specific cost feedback on designfeatures using feature-based costestimating tools.

Fig. 1. Public-sector Comparators fortraditional delivery vs. FDBOM (finance,design, build, operate, maintain)procurement.

5CIVIL ENGINEERING at UBCSPRING 2003

the completeness of a bid and itscompliance with tendering instructions.

A number of challenges provide thebasis for Froese’s projects directed at theexecution phase of a project. Manycomputer-based tools exist to assistconstruction personnel in the delivery ofprojects. However, each tool tends to be astand-alone application, and the transfer ofinformation from one tool to another can bea tedious and error-prone process. What isdesired is the notion of interoperabilityamongst systems – so the challengebecomes how to develop standards thatallow each tool to serve its intendedpurpose while making the exchange of databetween tools seamless. An organizationcalled the International Alliance forInteroperability (IAI) is tackling this issuethrough the development of industryfoundation classes (IFCs) that reflect theneeds of construction. Froese has taken aleadership role in this effort, and the currentspectrum of activities includes thefollowing: specifications, materialsmanagement, document management, anddata exchange protocols. The potentialscope for interoperability is shown inFigure 3.

Other work by Russell that isapplicable to a project’s execution phaserelates to (1) a planning paradigmapplicable to projects of all types, withspecial capabilities for treating large,complex, repetitive projects, and (2) the useof a multi-view representation of projects to

facilitate the exchange of information withina single system to leverage management’sability to gain insight on projectperformance and to permit informeddecision-making. Project views beingtreated within an integrated system includephysical, process, cost, as-built (seeFigure 4), quality, change, organizational/contractual and regulatory. Integrationallows value-added functions, such asproductivity analysis and explaining the as-built construction story, to be included in asystem. Other construction-phase-relatedwork treats knowledge management forconstruction methods and technologies,data visualization strategies, and simpleautomated reasoning strategies to assistmanagement personnel to cope with themass of data and information thataccompanies modern construction projects.

For the facilities management phase ofa project, research by Froese has examined

the use of an extension ofIFCs to model thecondition of variousphysical systems and themanagement ofmaintenance and repairactivities.

Fig. 3. Integrated Project Information Browser. This“project manager’s workbench” combines a 3-D view of abuilding with schedule, cost, resource, and cash flow viewsof the project. All information can be exchanged with othertypes of software through project data standards (from thePh.D. work of Kevin Yu).

INTERACTION WITH INDUSTRY

Interaction with firms such as ScottCanada and Intertech has provided theopportunity for groups of graduatestudents to monitor and documentconstruction activities over an extendedtime period, collect detailed data setspertaining to productivity and siteconditions, and interact with seasonedconstruction engineers (see Figure 5).Data collected are used both in theclassroom and in the research effort.

Recently, personnel from firms such asStuart Olson, EFCO, Ted NewellEngineering Ltd., Gastaldo Concrete Ltd.and Scott Canada have generouslyprovided insights on reasoning processesused for methods selection, and proceduresused for quality control and documentmanagement. Members of the groupinteract regularly with project owners,designers, and contractors, as well as otherindustry service providers, to addressresearch topics of mutual interest.

If you are interested in finding out moreabout any of these research projects,please contact Alan Russell atadr@civil.ubc.ca, Thomas Froese atfroese@civil.ubc.ca, or Sheryl Staub-French at sherylsf@civil.ubc.ca.

Fig. 4. Visualizing as-built data for activitystatus and problems encountered to date.

Fig. 5. Progressphoto from aproject on whichthe detailedmonitoring ofthe excavationand substructurephase wasconducted.

CIVIL ENGINEERING at UBC6 SPRING 2003

Dr. Ken Elwood, P.Eng., Assistant Professor

In January 2003, Dr. Ken Elwood joined the Department as an Assistant Professor, returning to his Alma Materafter a ten-year absence. After completing his B.A.Sc. degree in Civil Engineering at UBC in 1993, Ken wasawarded a 1967 Science and Engineering Scholarship from NSERC. In 1995, Ken completed the M.S. program inCivil Engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and returned to Vancouver to work forBuckland & Taylor, Ltd. During his three years at Buckland & Taylor, Ltd., Ken worked on several seismicretrofit projects, including historic concrete arch bridges on the central California coast and the Lions GateBridge. Ken completed his Ph.D. at the University of California, Berkeley, where he conducted research at thePacific Earthquake Engineering Research Center.

Ken’s research focuses on the response of structures during earthquakes and the application of performance-based seismic designmethodologies. In particular, he has developed models for the shear and axial load capacity of reinforced concrete building columnsdesigned prior to the mid-1970s in western North America. Such models will help practising engineers evaluate the capacity of the gravityload resisting system to resist collapse during severe earthquakes. Ken is heavily involved in the new Earthquake Engineering ResearchFacility at UBC.

PeopleMeet the faces of Civil Engineering at UBC

Dr. Pierre Bérubé, P.Eng., Assistant Professor

Dr. Pierre Bérubé joined the Department as an Assistant Professor in September 2002. Prior to joining UBC,Pierre was an Assistant Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at West VirginiaUniversity and subsequently a senior research engineer for a membrane manufacturer, where he contributed tothe development of a number of membrane technologies for water and wastewater treatment. Pierre received hisB.A.Sc. and M.A.Sc. degrees from the University of Toronto and his Ph.D. from The University of BritishColumbia. He also has several years of consulting experience with the design, upgrade and optimization ofwater and wastewater treatment systems.

Pierre’s research focuses on the development of membrane and advanced oxidation technologies for theremoval of trace organic contaminants from water. The development of these technologies is essential to address current and emergingwater quality issues, such as the presence of disinfection by-products, endocrine-disrupting compounds and pharmaceutically activecompounds in the aquatic environment and in drinking water sources.

In addition to his activities within the Department of Civil Engineering, Pierre is also involved with the teaching of design-basedcourses in the Integrated Engineering Program at UBC.

Dr. Dawn Shuttle, C.Eng., Associate Professor

In October 2002, Dr. Dawn Shuttle joined the Department as an Associate Professor, following seven years inSeattle. She received her B.Sc. degree in Civil Engineering and Ph.D. in Soil Mechanics from the University ofManchester, England, before joining that faculty as a member of the numerical modelling/geotechnical group.Dawn then joined Golder Associates to work on a wide range of international projects in geotechnicalengineering and hydrogeology, becoming an Associate in the firm. During this time, she used numericalmodels to improve the efficiency of ground improvement techniques, particularly grouting. She is a member ofthe ASCE Geo-Institute Committee on Grouting, and she chairs the Geo-Institute Compaction Grouting GuideSubcommittee.

Dawn’s research interests at UBC focus on the use of numerical models to improve our understanding of ground behaviour (bothsoil and rock), with particular application to ground improvement and soil-structure interaction. Models range from advanced finiteelement plasticity to discrete fracture network simulation.

Numerical models provide a tool for understanding ground behaviour and, hence, have great potential for developing more efficientand effective ground improvement and construction techniques. The increasing use over the last five years of real-time monitoring makeshigh-quality numerical analysis of site operations viable and can potentially reduce construction costs markedly while improving thequality of the achieved result. The combination of monitoring and numerical modelling is particularly important for construction in silts,which respond under partially drained conditions that are difficult for standard practice to understand or account for.

7CIVIL ENGINEERING at UBCSPRING 2003

Dr. Roger Woodhead, P.Eng., Adjunct Professor

Roger Woodhead is currently an Adjunct Professor in the construction management area, teaching productivityin construction, project management, motivation and leadership. He is also a structural P.E. in Washington stateand an internationally registered Lead Quality Auditor. He taught prestressed concrete to the final-year Civilclass at UBC from 1985 to 1988. He has made presentations at Memorial University of Newfoundland and theUniversity of Bath in the U.K. He was selected by the CSCE to present the National Lecture Tour in 1997-98.

Roger immigrated to Canada in 1967 after gaining a B.Eng. degree from the University of Sheffield and M.Sc.(1969) and Ph.D. (1973) degrees in Structural Engineering from the University of Calgary. Roger has worked forboth consulting engineering and construction companies in Vancouver, Newfoundland and Norway, including

the position of Technical Services Manager for construction of the Hibernia Gravity Base Structure, where he managed a multi-nationalstaff of over 50 people and a labor force of 100 people with an annual budget of $10 million.

In 1995 Roger started his own consulting practice, Woodhead Consultants Inc., in Vancouver, specializing in the technical aspects ofproject management, construction and engineering. He has worked on an eclectic mix of projects, including the following: a $50 millioncut-and-cover tunnel in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; three “Sinking Caissons” and several sheet-piled excavations for conveyor tunnels atVancouver Wharves; and the $1.2 billion SkyTrain Millennium Line.

Asad Udaipurwala, Ph.D. Student

After obtaining his Bachelor’s degree in Construction Engineering from the University of Bombay, India in 1993,Asad Udaipurwala worked for two years in the management office of a developer of large residential townshipsbefore coming to UBC for his M.A.Sc. degree and continuing on to the doctoral program.

His research work, under the supervision of Prof. Alan Russell, addresses the construction industry’spressing need for ways to better plan and manage complex construction projects in an environment of continu-ous innovation in construction technologies and equipment. His work has led to the development of powerfulnew computer algorithms to hierarchically plan, schedule and control construction projects with an integratedability to leverage the latest developments in construction methods collected and catalogued from both themarketplace and internally within an organization.

He has worked as a project management consultant on construction projects and is currently an IT consultant with a number oforganizations. Upon completion of his Ph.D., he plans to pursue a career that develops a close symbiotic relationship between academicconstruction research and industry.

From Dream to Reality... continued from page 1

In addition to housing world-classequipment, the EERF is designed withstate-of-the-art Internet, multimedia andvideo-conferencing technology. A uniqueaspect of the EERF will be its capability forlong-distance connectivity with otherresearch centres in Canada and abroad.Prof. Ventura explains, “this technology willallow researchers from other universitiesaccess to a ‘virtual laboratory,’ where theycan actively interact with EERF researchersduring the various phases of a researchproject. As well, the strengths of ourresearch team, combined with the beautifulsetting of Vancouver, will make this facilityvery attractive to visiting researchers,particularly from the Pacific Rim, whereabout 90% of the world’s earthquakesoccur. We are very much looking forward toenhanced collaboration with researchersfrom around the world.”

This dream has been made possible by$2.5 million in support from the CanadaFoundation for Innovation, the BCKnowledge Development Fund, and theUBC Blusson Fund. Additional funding of$350,000 has generously been provided bythe Department of Civil Engineering, theFaculty of Applied Science and severaldonors. However, funding alone was notsufficient to attain this dream. Theenthusiasm and strong collaborationamong members of the Department of CivilEngineering, UBC personnel, the projectcontractor, and the design team − led byDoug Ramsay of Ramsay WordenArchitects Ltd. − was instrumental inmaking this dream a reality. Prof. Venturaalso credits the significant support of Prof.Alan Russell, former Head of CivilEngineering, who oversaw the delivery ofthe Facility, and staff members Max Nazar,

Felix Yao and Scott Jackson. “This hasbeen a tremendous team effort,” concludesProf. Ventura.

One of the immediate goals of theEERF is to attract industry and governmentpartners interested in collaborativeopportunities. The research team is poisedto develop methods and technologies thatwill help reduce the seismic risks facing oursociety. This facility is providing the teamwith the additional tools necessary tominimize the devastating effects ofearthquakes − ensuring a safer future for usall.

For more information about the EERF orearthquake engineering researchactivities at UBC, please contact Prof.Carlos Ventura at (604) 822-6946 orventura@civil.ubc.ca.

CIVIL ENGINEERING at UBC8 SPRING 2003

Civil Engineering at UBC is a publication ofthe Department of Civil Engineering in theFaculty of Applied Science at The Universityof British Columbia.

Production Contributors:Dr. Robert Sexsmith, Acting Department HeadMs Clare Quirk, Administrative AssistantMs Sherry Green, Faculty Communications

Officer, Dean’s OfficeMrs. Donna Shultz, Director, Technical

Communication Centre

For further information about the Departmentof Civil Engineering and its programs, contactus at

Department of Civil EngineeringCEME Building, Room 20102324 Main MallVancouver, BC V6T 1Z4CANADATel: (604) 822-2637www.civil.ubc.ca

Recent events & achievementsRecent events

Tarek Sayed organizes two-dayTraffic Safety Evaluation SeminarDr. Tarek Sayed and the transportationgroup organized two, two-day trainingseminars in Traffic Safety Evaluation onbehalf of ICBC. The seminars focussedon how to make safety an explicitcomponent of highway and road design.

Achievements

Dr. Nemy Banthia has been elevated toFellow of the American Concrete Insti-tute International; he has also beendesignated a UBC Distinguished Univer-sity Scholar in recognition of his excep-tional scholarship in the fields of ad-vanced materials and structural engineer-ing.

Dr. Jonathan Fannin has received theVisiting Senior Scientist Award from theMinistry of Research, Government ofFrance.

In March, Dr. Thomas Froese receivedthe Best Paper Award at the 2003 Ameri-can Society for Civil Engineers’ Con-struction Research Congress for hispaper “Future Directions for Model-based Inter-operability.”

Dr. Don Mavinic has been elected Fellowof the Canadian Academy of Engineer-ing.

Dr. Frank Navin was awarded theLifetime Achievement Award from theVancouver Section of the Institute ofTransportation Engineers; he will also bepresented with an honorary Doctor ofScience degree from McMaster Univer-sity in June.

Dr. Alan Russell has received the 2002Walter Shanly Award from the CanadianSociety for Civil Engineering.

Dr. Robert Sexsmith has received the2002 Meritorious Achievement Awardfrom APEGBC.

Dr. Carlos Ventura has received the D.J.Michele Award from the Society ofExperimental Mechanics and the JaiKrishna Gold Medal Award from theIndian Society of Earthquake Technol-ogy (ISET) for best paper published inISET publications during the period1997-2000.

Dr. Helmut Prion was recognized by hispeers with a UBC Killam Teaching Prizeand by his students with his second UBCCivil Engineering Students’ TeachingAward; he was also appointed AssociateChair of the NSERC Chair in DesignEngineering.

Graduate student Daniel Potts wasawarded a Gold Medal from the Associa-tion of Professional Engineers andGeoscientists of BC (APEGBC).

Graduate student Vikki Ngan receivedthe Best Thesis Award from the Cana-dian Institute of Transportation Engi-neering for her thesis entitled “A Com-prehensive Strategy for Transit SignalPriority.”

Celebration for Ricardo Foschiupon his retirementA retirement party was held for Dr.Ricardo Foschi in January to mark histwo decades of service and outstandingresearch contributions to Civil Engineer-ing at UBC. Ricardo has not gone faraway, however, as he continues to teachas a sessional and emeritus facultymember.

Alan Russell honoured withoutgoing receptionDr. Alan Russell was guest of honour ata reception held by the Department onJuly 3, 2002, to thank him for his fiveyears of service as Department Head. Inattendance were many colleagues,friends and family. Dean Isaacson spokewith appreciation of the many contribu-tions that Alan has made to the Depart-ment during his term. Alan has spent thepast months on administrative leave buthas continued in service and research,and he has provided many hours ofvalued advice to the Acting Head. He’llbe back to full-time teaching and re-search in the fall term.