Shannon Appleby, fourth-year AE, was elected President of the National Student Chapter of the Architectural Engineering Institute (AEI).  She will serve a one-year term beginning January 1, 2001 and will represent all student chapters in the United States at the organization’s national board of directors meetings.  In addition, she will facilitate monthly teleconferences with all chapter presidents to revise society bylaws, trade ideas for chapter activities, coordinate ideas for the national design competition, and plan for the group’s conference. 

Shannon and fellow classmates, Bob Mason, Sara Lappano and Georginna Lucas (L-R above) also participated the AEI Annual Conference held at Kansas State University from September 28 through October 1, 2000.  The next AEI Annual Conference will be hosted by PSU AE in State College in fall 2001.
 

AE graduate student Jonathan Dougherty was selected as a winner of the Graduate Assistant Award for Outstanding Teaching in a competition sponsored jointly by the Graduate School and the Office of the Vice Provost and Dean for Undergraduate Education.  He will be recognized at a Student Awards Reception in spring 2001 and will be presented with a check for $500. 
 

Benjamin Roberts, M.S., 1999 was recognized for the best master's thesis on the topic of masonry structures in the year 1999. The Masonry Society is the leading technical society in masonry construction in the U.S.  Ben was recognized at the awards luncheon of the annual meeting of the society in November 2000 in Albuquerque, NM.  Ben's thesis is entitled: “Transverse Behavior of Masonry Arch Bridges,” and presents the results of a three-dimensional, non-linear finite element model that can predict transverse effects in masonry arch bridges.  The research is a valuable contribution to the literature on masonry arch bridge assessment, as it identifies some of the more commonly occurring causes of failure of masonry arch bridge superstructures and provides a basis for the prediction of the failure load associated with these failure modes.  The research also gives insight into the bridge geometries that are vulnerable to transverse effects.  A summary of this research, and practical guidelines for assessment of bridges for transverse strength, will appear shortly in The Structural Engineer (London). 

This is the third time in the last five years that a student supervised by Dr. Thomas Boothby has received this honor. Previous awardees are Daniel Domalik, M.S.C.E, 1995, and Jose Medero Navedo, M.S., 1995.

AE 5th year, Benjamin Basom was the recipient of the 2000 Mickey Woods Award sponsored by Lithonia Lighting in Conyers, Georgia.  The award is presented to the top Besal Scholar from the five universities that receive support from this fund.