November 25, 2007
Dear Congress Delegates,
On behalf of the Analysis & Computation (A&C) Technical Administration Committee of the Structural Engineering Institute of ASCE, we are pleased to invite researchers and practitioners to attend the 18th A&C Specialty Conference being held in conjunction with the 2008 Structures Congress, April 24-26, 2008 Vancouver, BC. The conference will highlight recent education and research issues in the broad areas of applied structural analysis, optimal structural design, structural control, and emergent computing technology. Five sessions will be focused on education, while the remaining sessions will concern research and practice of all forms of computations related to the analysis and design of engineering structures.
The technical program for the 18th A&C Specialty Conference opens on April 24 with a plenary session with presentations by Dr. Nelson Baker, Associate Professor of Structural Engineering and Associate Vice Provost for Distance Learning and Professional Education, Georgia Institute of Technology and Dr. Bruce Finlayson, Professor Emeritus of Chemical Engineering at the University of Washington. Dr. Baker will address challenges and opportunities for structural engineers related to distance learning and professional education. Dr. Finlayson will provide the structural engineering profession with a look into a future where nonlinear finite element analysis is coupled with phenomena such as heat transfer, fluid flow, and acoustics. The plenary session will be followed on April 24-26, 2008 by fifteen technical sessions in two tracks involving forty-four paper presentations. Each paper underwent peer review to secure a place in the program.
The 18th A&C Specialty Conference continues a long tradition of holding such conferences in conjunction with the Structures Congress. They are intended for practitioners and researchers alike, and are held every two years.
We hope to see you in Vancouver.
Yours sincerely,
Asghar Bhatti, Finley Charney & Chris Foley
STEERING COMMITTEE
M. Asghar Bhatti (Chair), University of Iowa
F. A. Charney (Co-Chair), Virginia Tech
C. Foley (Co-Chair), Marquette University
A. Agrawal, City College of New York
D. E. Grierson, University of Waterloo, Canada
A. Gupta, North Carolina State University
M. Hoit, University of Florida
S. Nagarajaiah, Rice University
S. Pezeshk, University of Memphis
E. Spacone, Universita "G. D'Annunzio," Italy
C. Swan, University of Iowa
E. Sotelino, Virginia Tech
M. Symans, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
18th A&C Specialty Conference Plenary
THURSDAY, APRIL 24, 2008 2:15 PM – 3:45 PM
Distance Learning and Professional Education for Structural Engineers
Addressing the Conference will be Nelson Baker, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Structural Engineering and Associate Vice Provost for Distance Learning and Professional Education, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta. He will focus on challenges
and opportunities for structural engineers related to distance learning and professional education. Dr. Baker is widely recognized for his innovations in engineering education. Some of his numerous awards include Outstanding Innovative Use of Education Technology Award, Georgia Institute of Technology (1997); ENR Educator for Construction’s Next Generation (1996); W.M. Keck Foundation Award for Engineering Teaching Excellence (1994); W. Roane Beard Georgia Institute of Technology Outstanding Teacher Award (1994); and National Science Foundation National Young Investigator (1992-1998).
Also addressing the Conference will be Bruce Finlayson, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus of Chemical Engineering at the University of Washington where he has taught chemical engineering and applied mathematics for 40 years. He has authored four books and more than 100 papers and serves on four editorial boards for technical journals. In 1994, he was inducted into the National Academy of Engineering. In 1998, he was elected Vice-President of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers and in 2000 served as President.
His recent experience involves multiphysics simulations, aided by the existence of high-level computer programs allowing the user to specify the pertinent physics while the mathematical details are performed by the computer program. The emphasis thus shifts from writing those programs to showing that the simulations are correct. His own work involves fluid flow, heat transfer, and mass transfer, and his work with undergraduate and graduate students allows them to be creative and solve problems that are realistic and go far beyond their textbooks.
Dr. Finlayson’s plenary lecture will provide the structural engineering profession with a look into a future where nonlinear finite element analysis is coupled with phenomena such as heat transfer, fluid flow, and acoustics. He will provide examples of work with his students that range from biopharmaceutical mixing to mixing polymer and sludge to fluid-solid interactions.
SPECIALTY TRACK
16 sessions: Thursday, April 24 through Saturday, April 26
Organized by the Analysis & Computation Technical Administrative Committee of the Structural Engineering Institute, the 18th A&C Specialty Conference, to take place in conjunction with the 2008 Structures Congress, continues a long tradition of holding such conferences every two years. In addition to highlighting recent research issues in the broad areas of applied structural analysis, optimal structural design, structural control, and emergent computing technology, the 18th A&C Specialty
Conference will provide a forum to discuss educational concepts and practice of all forms of computations related to the analysis and design of engineering structures.
This specialty conference within the Congress consists of 16 dedicated sessions on the following topics:
- Educational Concepts (Applied Structural Analysis, Integration of NewMethodologies into Curriculum, Practical Case Studies)
- Creative Applications of Structural Analysis (New Methodologies, Case Studies that Indicate the Impact of Analysis on the Performance and Economy of Structures)
- Emergent Computing Technology (Parallel and Distributed Computing, Database and Information Systems, Web-Based and Collaboration Technologies, Artificial Intelligence, Field-Based Computing, Automation, Hybrid Simulations, Grid Computing, Visualization)
- Optimal Structural Design (Performance-Based Design, Evolutionary Computing, Conceptual Design, Topology and Geometry Optimization, Decomposition Methods, Multi-Objective Design, Life-Cycle Cost Optimization, Soft Computing)
- Structural Control (Protective Systems, Intelligent Structures, Control Devices and Sensors, Damage Detection, System Identification and Health Monitoring, Teleoperation and Telecontrol)
