Preparing the Next Generation of Bridge Engineers
Okumus represents UB IBE at events throughout the country
By Peter Murphy
Published August 21, 2018 This content is archived.
Assistant professor Pinar Okumus led the Accelerated Bridge Construction (ABC) Technology Applied in Seismic Regions workshop at the 2018 International Bridge Conference in June, where she introduced experiments and analytical research conducted at UB.
Okumus shares UB bridge research at different conferences in different states
The conference’s attendees include bridge owners and engineers, senior policy makers, government officials, bridge designers, construction executives and suppliers throughout the U.S. and abroad.
Okumus discussed her research on seismic-resistant precast concrete bridge columns, and the differences between conventional cast-in-place systems; precast concrete systems design to emulate cast-in-place systems; and precast concrete systems that have connections to reduce damage due to earthquake shaking.
Okumus joined UB in 2013 after receiving her PhD in civil engineering from the University of Wisconsin in 2012. Her research focuses on highway bridge engineering, specifically regarding precast prestressed concrete bridges.
Since the start of 2018, Okumus and her students have represented UB’s Institute of Bridge Engineering (IBE) and the Department of Civil, Structural and Environmental Engineering during three different major presentations.
She gave a closeout presentation to the Wisconsin Department of Transportation (DOT). During this presentation, Okumus gave recommendations on how to analyze and design bridges with a high skew. Her recommendations will be incorporated into the Wisconsin DOT’s bridge design manual.
Okumus also discussed the longevity of prestressed concrete structures from service life to extreme events during a seminar for graduate students at the Lyles School of Civil Engineering at Purdue University.
Okumus’ PhD student, Cancan Yang, presented during a session focusing on accelerated bridge construction at the American Concrete Institute Convention in March. Yang discussed post-tensioned precast concrete pier systems that allow application of accelerated bridge construction in seismic regions.