2021 NHERI REU Summer Program:
Student Projects

The 2021 Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program featured twenty-eight students throughout the network of NHERI facilities.

Near the conclusion of the ten-week summer program, each student traveled to the Unversity of Texas at San Antonio to present a research poster and give a presentation on their experience.  The posters and details of each project can be found below.  Students were encouraged to publish their research presentations and papers to the DesignSafe Depot.

Claire Sorensen

Home University:University of North Carolina, Wilmington

NHERI EF Site:University of California—Berkeley, SimCenter

Research team:Ajay Bangalore Harish, Matt Schoettler

Research project title:Coupling Processed-Based and Neural Network-Based Models for Studying Coastal Hazards

Research presentation: DesignSafe Data Depot publication #3235

Hillary Abordo

Home University:New York University

NHERI EF Site:University of Florida, Powell Family Structure & Material Lab

Research team:Mariela Ojeda Tuz, Kurt Gurley

Research project title:Investigating Fundamental Concepts of Wind Energy: Mitigating Climate Change for the Future

Research presentation: DesignSafe Data Depot publication #3284

Julia Arvizu

Home University:San Diego State University

NHERI EF Site:University of Texas at Austin, Large Mobile Shakers

Research team:Ahmed Mustafa Hussien, Tricia Clayton

Research project title:Code Development for the Ongoing Research of Axially Loaded Flowline Tests in the Gulf of Mexico Clay

Research presentation: DesignSafe Data Depot publication #3238

Jonathon Micali

Home University:University of Florida

NHERI EF Site:Florida International University

Research team:Ali Bakhtiari, Seung Jae Lee

Research project title:Dynamic Effect of Wind-Induced Vibrations on Curtain Wall Systems

Research presentation: DesignSafe Data Depot publication #3270

Zane Schemmer

Home University:University of California, Berkeley

NHERI EF Site:University of California—San Diego, LHPOST

Research team:Michael Morano, Tara Hutchinson, Gilbert Mosqueda, Chris Pantelides, Junwei Liu

Research project title:Modular Testbed Building (MTB2): A Shared-Use, Reconfigurable Earthquake-Resistant Design

Research presentation: DesignSafe Data Depot publication #3244

Alexandra Saccente

Home University:Oregon State University

NHERI EF Site:University of California—San Diego, LHPOST

Research team:Elide Pantoli, Tara Hutchinson

Research project title:Parametric Studies for Seismic Risk of Tall and Slender Vertical Pressure Vessels

Research presentation: DesignSafe Data Depot publication #3253

Tyler Waggle

Home University:Seattle Pacific University

NHERI EF Site:University of Washington, The RAPID Facility

Research team:Michael Grilliot, Andrew Lyda

Research project title:Merging 360° Streetview Images and LiDAR: A Usable Data Product for Future Analysis

Research presentation: DesignSafe Data Depot publication #3250

William Zakka

Home University:University of Texas at Austin

NHERI EF Site:University of California—Berkeley, SimCenter

Research team:Adam Zsarnoczay, Pedro Arduino

Research project title:High-Resolution Near-Surface Soil Model Developed for Site Response Analysis in Alameda, CA

Research presentation: DesignSafe Data Depot publication #3282

Gustavo Aguilar

Home University:University of Florida

NHERI EF Site:Lehigh University, RTMD

Research team:Liang Cao, James Ricles

Research project title:Development of a Next Generation Base Isolation System for Seismic Hazard Mitigation of Buildings

Research presentation: DesignSafe Data Depot publication #3236

Amina Meselhe

Home University:Louisiana State University

NHERI EF Site:University of Colorado—Boulder, CONVERGE

Research team:Tracy Kijewski-Correa, Lori Peek, Heather Champeau, Jessica Austin

Research project title:Design-Level Events and Residential Construction Performance: Hurricane Laura Case Study

Research presentation: DesignSafe Data Depot publication #3234

Tyler Rodrigues

Home University:University of California, Berkeley

NHERI EF Site:Lehigh University, RTMD

Research team:Liang Cao, James Ricles

Research project title:Investigation of Semi-Active Controlled Friction Dampers for Seismic Hazard Mitigation

Research presentation: DesignSafe Data Depot publication #3246

Krishna Teh

Home University:California State Polytechnic University, Paloma

NHERI EF Site:University of Texas at Austin, Large Mobile Shakers

Research team:Reihaneh Hosseini, Patricia Clayton

Research project title:Examining the Effect of Porosity on the Soil Water Retention Curve

Research presentation: DesignSafe Data Depot publication #3232

Chelsea Wilhite

Home University:Portland State University

NHERI EF Site:Oregon State University, HWRL

Research team:Pedro Lomonaco

Research project title:Reflection Estimation Using the Orbital Velocity Method

Research presentation: DesignSafe Data Depot publication #3280

Jesse Hernandez-Gonzalez

Home University:University of Puerto Rico - Mayaguez

NHERI EF Site:University of California—San Diego, LHPOST

Research team:Amanpreet Singh, Tara Hutchinson

Research project title:Contribution to Cold-Formed Steel Seismic Design within CFS-NHERI Project

Research presentation: DesignSafe Data Depot publication #3285

Kaylie Mattingly

Home University:University of Washington

NHERI EF Site:University of Washington, The RAPID Facility

Research team:Andrew Lyda, Jeffrey Burman, Michael Grilliot, Joe Wartman, Jacqueline Peltier

Research project title:Suitability of Panoramic Photographs for Developing Structure-from-Motion Models

Research presentation: DesignSafe Data Depot publication #3254

Daniel Taylor

Home University:The Catholic University of America

NHERI EF Site:University of Texas at Austin, DesignSafe in collaboration with UCLA

Research team:Scott Brandenburg, Tristian Buckreis, Kenneth Hudson

Research project title:Ground Motion Intensity Estimation Algorithm for Earthquake-Induced Soil Liquefaction Sites

Research presentation: DesignSafe Data Depot publication #3237

Adriana Lanza

Home University:Northeastern University

NHERI EF Site:Florida International University

Research team:Haithan Mohamed, Kenny, Amal Elawady

Research project title:Wind Load and Performance Elevated Structures

Research presentation: DesignSafe Data Depot publication #3231

Alexis Lipovich

Home University:University of Florida

NHERI EF Site:Oregon State University, HWRL

Research team:Kelty Kiernan, Pedro Lomonaco, Cox, Daniel

Research project title:Large-Scale Laboratory Observations of Transient Wave Dissipation from Idealized Mangrove Forest

Research presentation: DesignSafe Data Depot publication #3260

Carter Howe

Home University:North Carolina State University

NHERI EF Site:Oregon State University, HWRL

Research team:Julia Hopkins, Pedro Lomonaco

Research project title:Wave Energy Dissipation and Transmission across the Emerald TuTu Mats

Research presentation: DesignSafe Data Depot publication #3283

Miguel Payan

Home University:University of Oklahoma

NHERI EF Site:University of Florida, Powell Family Structure & Material Lab

Research team:Mariela Ojeda Tuz, Kurt Gurley

Research project title:Characterization and Analysis of Nonstationary Transient Wind Behavior

Annia Matthews

Home University:Howard University

NHERI EF Site:University of Texas at Austin, DesignSafe in collaboration with UCLA

Research team:Scott Brandenburg, Tristian Buckreis, Kenneth Hudson

Research project title:Interpolating Ground Motion Intensity at Sites in the Next Generation Liquefaction Database

Research presentation: DesignSafe Data Depot publication #3239

Kushnerniva Laurent

Home University:Scripps College

NHERI EF Site:University of Colorado—Boulder, CONVERGE

Research team:Lori Peek, Heather Champeau, Jessica Austin

Research project title:Learning from Hurricane Harvey: Analyzing Contributions from the Social Science Extreme Events Research (SSEER) Network

Research presentation: DesignSafe Data Depot publication #3228

Chidi Onyekwelu

Home University:Howard University

NHERI EF Site:University of Washington, The RAPID Facility

Research team:Laura Lowes, Jeffrey Burman, Andrew Lyda, Michael Grilliot

Research project title:Understanding the Utility of the iPad Pro LiDAR Sensor

Research presentation: DesignSafe Data Depot publication #3256

Daleen Torres Burgos

Home University:University of Puerto Rico - Mayaguez

NHERI EF Site:Lehigh University, RTMD

Research team:Phillip, Harvey, Liang Cao, Esteban Vega Villalobos, James Ricles

Research project title:Mitigation of Seismic Risk to Critical Building Contents via Rolling Pendulum Isolation Systems: Multi-Directional Hybrid Shake Table Tests

Research presentation: DesignSafe Data Depot publication #3227

Stephanie Azcuy

Home University:University of Florida

NHERI EF Site:Florida International University, The Wall of Wind

Research team:Johnny Estephan, Arindam Gan Chowdhury

Research project title:Peak Wind Effects on Rooftop Photovoltaic Arrays

Research presentation: DesignSafe Data Depot publication #3262

Mariana Marrero

Home University:University of Puerto Rico- Recinto de Mayagüe

NHERI EF Site:Florida International University, The Wall of Wind

Research team:Manuel Matus, Ioannis Zisis

Research project title:Codification of Wind-Induced Loads on Low-Rise Irregular Shaped Buildings

Research presentation: DesignSafe Data Depot publication #3265

Tomas Angel-Rodriguez

Home University:North Carolina State University

NHERI EF Site:University of Florida, Powell Family Structure Laboratory

Research team:Mariela Ojeda Tuz, Kurt Gurley

Research project title:Higher Order Turbulence in a Boundary Layer Wind Tunnel

Adithya Salil Nair

Home University:The Ohio State University

NHERI EF Site:University of California—Berkeley, SimCenter

Research team:Aakash Bangalore Satish, Sang-ri Yi, Pedro Arduino, Gregory Deierlein

Research project title:Uncertainty Analysis of Seismic Soil Liquefaction using quoFEM

Research presentation: DesignSafe Data Depot publication #3233