ASCE Establishes Teams to Study NY and DC Disasters

ASCE Establishes Teams to Study NY and DC Disasters

ASCE, using its Disaster Response Procedure, has authorized the formation of two teams to study the collapse of the World Trade Center in New York and the damage to the Pentagon in suburban Washington, DC. Each team is composed of ASCE members who are experts in the design of complex structures. Team members will use their contacts in their area of expertise and work with local officials in the disaster area to gain access to the site. When the teams complete their assignment their work will be documented in the form of a report that is made available to the ASCE membership and other interested parties. ASCE's Disaster Response Procedure has been in place for approximately 10 years. This is the fifth time in 2001 the procedure has been used to create study teams. Earlier teams, whose members were experts in earthquakes and lifeline engineering, were dispatched to study and document the devastation from the earthquakes in El Salvador, India, the Seattle area, and Peru. Funding for the teams is made available through the ASCE Voluntary Fund.

Team Members confirmed as of 11/14/01 are:

World Trade Center Data Collection Team
W. Gene Corley, Ph.D., P.E., Lead Senior Vice President, Construction Technologies Laboratories Skokie, Illinois Expert in building collapse investigations; principal investigator, Murrah Federal Office Building Study	Jonathan Barnett, Ph.D. Professor, Center for Fire Safety Studies Worcester Polytechnic Institute Worcester, Massachusetts Expert in building fire safety design and fire computer modeling
David T. Biggs, P.E. Ryan-Biggs Associates Troy, New York Expert in facades	Bill Coulbourne, P.E., S.E. Principal, URS Corporation Gaithersburg, Maryland
Edward M. DePaola, P.E. Partner, Severud Associates Consulting Engineers New York City Expert in structural engineering	Robert F. Duval Senior Fire Investigator National Fire Protection AssociationExpert in fire investigations
John T. Fisher, P.E. Joseph T. Stuart Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering Lehigh University Bethlehem, Pennsylvania Expert in metallurgy and connections	Richard G. Gewain Senior Engineer, Hughes Associates, Inc. Baltimore Expert in fire engineering
Ramon Gilsanz Managing Partner, Gilsanz Murray Steficek New York City Expert in structural engineering	John L. Gross, Ph.D., P.E. Leader, Structural Systems and Design Group Building and Fire Research Laboratory National Institute of Standards and Technology Gaithersburg, Maryland Expert in steel design and fire-structure interaction
Ronald Hamburger, P.E., S.E. Senior Vice President, EQE Structural Engineers Division ABS Consulting Belmont, California Expert in structural analysis and design	Nestor Iwankiw Vice President, Engineering and Research American Institute for Steel Construction Chicago Expert in steel design
Venkatesh Kodur, Ph.D., P.E. Institute for Research in Construction National Research Council of Canada Ottawa, Ontario Expert in fire effects on materials	Eric Letvin Department Head, Hazards Engineering Group Greenhorne & O'Mara Greenbelt, Maryland
Jon Magnusson, P.E. Chairman of the Board, Chief Executive Officer Skilling Ward Magnusson Barkshire, Inc. Seattle Expert in structural analysis and high-rise design	Christopher E. Marrion, P.E. Fire Strategist, Arup Fire New York City Expert in fire engineering
Therese P. McAllister, Ph.D., P.E. Senior Structural Engineer Greenhorne & O'Mara Greenbelt, Maryland	James Milke, Ph. D., P.E. Professor, Department of Fire Protection Engineering University of Maryland Expert in fire resistance analysis
James A. Rossberg, P.E. Director, Structural Engineering Institute ASCE Reston, Virginia	Saw-Teen See, P.E. Managing Partner Leslie E. Robertson Associates New York City Expert in structural analysis and high-rise design
Robert Smilowitz Principal, Weidlinger Associates New York City Expert in blast effects	Bruce Swiren Hurricane Program Manager, Region II Federal Emergency Management Agency New York City
Paul Tertell, P.E.Program Manager, Building Performance Assessment Team Federal Emergency Management Agency Washington, D.C.