Proposals

Abstract

Catastrophic seismic events are inevitable in Washington State. As the region’s leading producer of earthquake engineering researchers and practitioners, our university is responsible for providing modern facilities and a thorough education for students. The Geo-Institute Graduate Student Society (GIGSS) and the Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE) Department propose the acquisition of a strong uniaxial shake-table, an instrument capable of creating complex dynamic loadings (e.g. a 9.0 magnitude earthquake on a skyscraper). We expect to immediately service 140+ relevant students who previously had no access to a comparable machine. Planned student research projects include liquefaction mechanics, bioremediated soil testing, paleoseismic studies, and soil-structure interface analysis. When not slated for student projects the table will be used for K-12 outreach and to enhance course curriculums. The CEE Department will host and maintain the instrument, as it has an excellent track record in ensuring fair accessibility of STF equipment. GIGSS will coordinate oversight, training, and outreach for the equipment.