Dec. 2, 2024
Planning ahead of a collapse
Mizzou Engineer Sarah Orton is analyzing patterns in falling debris to halt building collapses and prevent fatalities.
Feb. 1, 2023
Mizzou Engineering STEM Scholars Program shows promising results
A scholarship program that began for civil and environmental engineering students in 2021 has proven so successful, it’s being expanded to other engineering majors. And eventually, the coordinator, Professor Vellore Gopalaratnam, would like a see a similar support system for students studying other STEM programs across Mizzou.
Aug. 31, 2022
Engineering team evaluates evacuation in event of earthquake near St. Louis
While minor earthquakes along the New Madrid Fault occur regularly without incident, there’s a small chance another large quake could rattle Missouri and surrounding states. That’s why Mizzou Engineering has teamed up with the Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) to begin to understand how residents in St. Louis could best evacuate the area. Praveen Edara, professor and chair of civil and environmental engineering, received funding from MoDOT to see how roads, bridges and other infrastructure might be impacted by a major earthquake. The St. Louis region has two seismic zones, including the New Madrid Fault line, which last caused…
Aug. 31, 2022
Mizzou Engineering welcomes STEM Scholars at meet and greet event
The 2022 and 2021 STEM Scholars. Mizzou Engineering has welcomed 12 aspiring civil engineers whose passion for the field helped earn them Scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). At a Meet and Greet event Thursday, Aug. 25, the incoming class of STEM Scholars had the opportunity to hear from Dean Noah Manring, civil and environmental engineering department Chair Praveen Edara and Jim Spain, vice provost for undergraduate studies. Also on hand were partners from the Missouri Department of Transportation, HDR and Kiewit and the STEM Project Team. Funded by the National Science Foundation, the Mizzou Engineering…
Aug. 30, 2022
Civil Engineering research looks at concrete under sustained loads
For the most part, buildings held up with reinforced concrete columns have the capacity to withstand the test of time. In a few cases, however, construction errors, material deterioration and misuse can lead to overloading, and at some point, that overloading can cause buildings to collapse. Sarah Orton, an associate professor of civil engineering, has spent the past year working with colleagues to understand why. In a recent series of papers, she and collaborators released findings from physical testing and computational modeling of reinforced concrete behavior subjected to sustained loads. These so-called gravity loads are mostly…
July 5, 2022
Civil engineer develops lesson plans around bridges as part of I-70 project
At a STEM Cubs event in June, students had the opportunity to build bridges out of candy and toothpicks. How do you construct a road over a river? Why do some bridges have steel arches over the roadway while others don’t? How do bridges work, anyway? Sarah Orton These are some of the questions Mizzou Engineering’s Sarah Orton will answer as she develops curriculum around bridge-building for K-12 schools across the state. Orton, an associate professor of civil and environmental engineering, is working on the lesson plans with the Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) and Lunda Construction, the…
March 20, 2022
College recognizes outstanding faculty, staff, students
Mizzou Engineering recognized faculty, staff and students for outstanding performance and dedication to the College.
Dec. 2, 2021
S-STEM Scholarship provides holistic support to new students
A new scholarship program within the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering provides students with more than tuition money.
Nov. 19, 2021
Orton focuses on STEM outreach efforts to inspire next generation
Sarah Orton, an associate professor of civil and environmental engineering, is helping promote STEM education across Missouri.
July 13, 2021
Researcher studying near-collapse behavior of reinforced concrete buildings
While it’s too early to determine what caused a condo to collapse in Florida, a Mizzou Engineer is looking into some possible causes of collapse of buildings under constant loads.