Metal buildings comprise almost 50 percent of all non-residential, low-rise construction in the United States. The most common configuration is the gabled frame with sets of exterior columns supporting rafters that form house-shaped peaks, and base plates serve as the load-resisting mechanisms that withstand horizontal forces, such as high winds.

The UH Cullen College of Engineering is proud to welcome Roberto Ballarini as the new Chair of the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department.

Ballarini comes to UH from the University of Minnesota, where he served as the James L. Record Professor of Civil Engineering for eight years in addition to heading the Department from 2007 to 2012.

Hyongki Lee, assistant professor in the Cullen College’s department of civil and environmental engineering, has won NASA’s New (Early Career) Investigator Award in Earth Science.

A team of researchers from University of Houston Cullen College of Engineering and Qatar University has won a $779,000 grant to develop a new way to rehabilitate deteriorating reinforced concrete structures.

Worldwide, dozens of nuclear power plants are scheduled for construction during the next decade, while hundreds more will be reviewed and examined by regulators. Thanks to the efforts of a University of Houston Cullen College of Engineering professor, the designers and operators of these facilities will have the most up-to-date guidelines on nuclear plant infrastructure available in one book.

A civil infrastructure that provides essentials like clean running water and passable roads is essential to a healthy and prosperous society. While concrete and steel remain the backbones of modern infrastructure, civil engineers are exploring ways to add advanced composite materials to the mix. These materials could increase the service life of existing structures in need of repair and new structures alike by decades.

Hyongki Lee, an assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering with the University of Houston Cullen College of Engineering, is part of an international team studying shrinking mountain glaciers and ice caps using satellite remote sensing measurements.

One of the biggest challenges following a natural disaster is simply getting help to where it’s needed. After an event like a hurricane or earthquake, debris and standing water can block roadways, making it nearly impossible for rescue crews to know which paths will lead them to people in need.

Dr. C.