Doctoral student Zhandos Orazalin won the Geotechnical Master Thesis Competition sponsored by Plaxis software and presented his work at the European Plaxis Users Meeting in Karlsruhe, Germany earlier this month. Orazalin’s presentation, “3D Finite Element Analysis of the Stata Center Excavation,” simulated ground deformations, pore pressures and diaphragm wall deflections of the building site of MIT’s Stata Center. The presentation is based on his master’s thesis and research, done with Professor Andrew Whittle.