Speaker: Professor Murat Saatcioglu, Department of Civil Engineering University of Ottawa, Canada

Time: 4:00p–5:00p

Location: 1-131

Henry L. Pierce Laboratory Seminar Series

The frequency of terrorist bomb attacks on civil engineering infrastructure has increased during the last two decades. At no time in our history has the need been greater to protect these vital assets against maliciously intended acts of terror. Government facilities, residential and office buildings, as well as transportation facilities and other critical infrastructures are vulnerable to blast-induced impulsive forces, raising concerns over safety and security of their occupants.

A Blast Research Laboratory has been established at the University of Ottawa, equipped with a blast simulator in the form of a Shock Tube, suitable for large scale testing of structural and non-structural infrastructure components. Experimental and analytical research is being conducted in this unique Canadian facility. The performance of building components; such as reinforced concrete columns, walls and slabs, as well as masonry walls; building envelop elements, such as blast-resistant windows and doors are investigated with the objective of developing blast-resistant design procedures for both new construction, and retrofitting existing substandard infrastructure components. Professor Saatcioglu will provide highlights of his research in the area, while also introducing design concepts that are outlined in the Canadian Standard CSA S850 on Design and Assessment of Buildings Subjected to Blast Loads.

Dr. Murat Saatcioglu is a Distinguished University Professor and University Research Chair in the Department of Civil Engineering of the University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Canada. He is the current Director of the Hazard Mitigation and Disaster Management Research Centre of the same university. Dr. Saatcioglu received his B.S. degree in Civil Engineering from the Middle East Technical University, Ankara, Turkey; his M.A.Sc. from the University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada; and his PhD from Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, USA. His research interests include analysis, design and retrofit of structures subjected to extreme loads with a specific focus on earthquake and blast loads. He contributed significantly to building code and standard development in Canada and the US for design and retrofit of buildings against seismic and blast loads.

Professor Saatcioglu is the recipient of numerous national and international research and teaching awards and medals, including the 2015 A.B. Sanderson Award and 2014 Whitman Wright Award both from the Canadian Society for Civil Engineering,   2004 Wason Medal from the American Concrete Institute, the 2000 Raymond C. Reese Research Prize from the American Society of Civil Engineers, 2001 and 2004 Casimir Gzowski Medals from the Canadian Society for Civil Engineering, and the  1989 Charles Whitney Medal from the American Concrete Institute. He is a Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Engineers, a Fellow of the Engineering Institute of Canada, a Fellow of the American Concrete Institute, a Fellow of the Canadian Society for Civil Engineering. Dr. Saatcioglu is the editor and ca-author of three books, author or co-author of 32 book chapters and over 220 technical papers.  He holds two patents and he is a registered Professional Engineer in the Province of Ontario.

Open to: MIT-only

Sponsor(s): Civil and Environmental Engineering

For more information, contact:
Latoya Oliver
617-324-7567