ARCE CAL POLY architectural engineering department ? spring 2011 college of architecture and environmental design Global Insight arce program takes students to tanzania department head’s Message A Veritable Feast Our plate brims with generous friends, talented students H Al Estes demostrates his carving skills at SEAOC’s annual Thanksgiving feast (page 18). inside 3 8 11 13 15 24 24 26 Facilities Update Faculty Research Study Abroad Teaching Abroad Achievements & Activities 2011 ARCE Advisory Board Special Events Industry partner profile on the cover As part of professor Craig Baltimore’s research project, titled Long-Term Knowledge Transfer to Rural Areas of East Africa, students nichole Brandt (left) and Ashley Moraes surveyed the site of a proposed school in Samé, Tanzania. Read about this and other faculty research projects on page 8. 2 ? ARCE SpRInG 2011 ow do we go from good to great? That was a question the faculty asked themselves at the annual retreat in September. While we still struggle with the answer, I think we made some significant progress in that direction this year. For one, we need facilities and laboratory equipment that match the quality of our students. This year, we dedicated five design laboratories sponsored by generous industry partners and alumni. I offer my sincere gratitude to Computers and Structures Inc., Hilti, Mark Haselton, Simpson Strong-Tie and Verco Decking for making these lab renovations possible. I also thank Berridge Manufacturing and Degenkolb Engineers for committing to sponsor two additional laboratories. Thanks also to KPFF for sponsoring this year’s newsletter and the Fluor Corp. for its large annual contribution to scholarships and the student leadership fund. I continue to be grateful to all of our industry partners who attend Structural Forum, provide guest speakers for our students, and fund student scholarships. We successfully reached out to parents this year during Parents’ Weekend with our first ARCE reception, which has become a model for the rest of the university. Our master’s program took a more systematic approach to involving industry partners in our thesis projects. The Architectural Engineering Institute (AEI) annual conference was a huge success, as we sent 47 ARCE students to Oakland; Abe Lynn was a conference organizer; Craig Baltimore was on the AEI national competition Rules Committee; and our students won more prize money than any other school in the AEI national competition. I congratulate the students for hosting a Structural Forum that included such prominent speakers as Trailer Martin, Maryann Phipps and Kit Miyamoto. Despite budget constraints, we continue to offer all classes twice a year and have maintained the small class size that makes Learn by Doing possible. I hope that you read about all of this and more in this newsletter and continue to provide such wonderful support to this program. allen C. esTes, DepaRTmenT heaD dean’s Message ARCE’s menu boasts unique educational experiences ? T he Architectural Engineering Department continues to make our college unique. There are only 14 universities in the nation that offer architecture and construction management in the same college. We are the only university that adds architectural engineering to that combination, which presents unique opportunities. We are currently conducting upper division interdisciplinary experiences that are simply not possible in other places. I continue to admire the success and contribution that graduates of this program make to the entire design construction profession. I remain incredibly grateful for the financial support that industry partners and alumni have provided to the ARCE program this year. It is clear you have decided to back a winner. As the college moves forward with an emphasis on interdisciplinary collaboration, sustainability, materials and technology, and global awareness, the Architectural Engineering Department has a huge role to play. R. Thomas Jones, aIa facilities Update putting the fun in Fundraising ARCE festivities celebrate generous lab sponsorships Celebrating the CSI Lab opening (above, from left): Cal poly president Jeffrey Armstrong, CAED Dean R.Thomas Jones, CSI Director of Marketing and Communications Miriam Leigh, and ARCE Department Head Al Estes. T he ARCE Department dedicated the new CSI Computer Lab, equipped with top-of-the-line computers and software, on Feb. 12, during Structural Forum. A large crowd enjoyed a buffet lunch, cake, and talks by Cal Poly dignitaries to celebrate CSI’s generosity and foresight. The CSI Computer Lab is one of seven labs to be revamped and renamed under a five-year sponsorship program. Four of the newly refurbished labs – Hilti, Haselton, Simpson Strong-Tie and Verco – are complete, and two new partners have signed on to create the Berridge and Degenkolb labs. CSI’s founder and CEO Ashraf Habibullah (left) lab, which is named in the donor’s honor and includes special recognition. Next up? “C-lab, A-lab and the seismic lab are our next priorities for sponsors,” said ARCE Department Head Al Estes. The named sponsorship program provides an opportunity for companies and individuals to make a real difference in the lives of students. A $10,000-a-year commitment for five years will pay for needed upgrades and maintenance in the csi computer lab At the CSI lab unveiling, Al thanked those involved in the renovation, which, he noted, was done in record time. “The students left for the summer, and when continued www.arce.calpoly.edu ? 3 facilities Update named Labs from page 3 they returned in September, the new lab was waiting for them,” he said. The former Scarab lab was in dire need of a transformation. “We literally gutted it,” Al said. “We took it to bare bones.” And in just a few months, they created an enviable Hilti’s Marcus Oden unveils the new lab sign before the dedication ceremony (below). computer lab that allows students to do their creative best. The renovation was made possible by a generous donation by Computers & Structures Inc., the leading developer of software for structural and earthquake engineering. CSI’s gift included $80,000 up front, which enabled the immediate transformation, and $10,000 a year for five years to maintain the lab. Unfortunately, CSI’s founder and CEO, Ashraf Habibullah, was unable to attend the dedication, but Miriam Leigh, director of marketing and communications, spoke on his behalf. “Ashraf recognizes that Cal Poly has extraordinary students,” Miriam said, “and he is a man of exquisite taste. He wanted the students to be the best they can be and train on the best equipment. He wanted to make an impact.” Cal Poly President Jeffrey Armstrong also delivered remarks at the ceremony, as did CAED Dean R. Thomas Jones. hilti design lab The first thing visitors notice is the striking mural depicting engineers and construction trades people caught in the 4 ? ARCE SpRInG 2011 act of building. It covers an entire wall in what used to be the B-lab. The mural celebrates the donor, explains Al. More significantly, according to Frank Brown, human resources director at Hilti, “We wanted to create a space that is conducive to innovation and quality. The lab’s bare white walls were transformed with help from a graphic artist, who created a unique wallpaper design featuring many of Hilti’s innovative products and highquality materials. We wanted to remind students when they are creating, it’s about quality, innovation and solutions.” The lab also received fresh paint and new window treatments. “The desks were in total disrepair, so we cannibalized the worst for parts and installed new tops to enhance the drafting surfaces,” Al said. The lab was dedicated in October 2010, in conjunction with the weekly SEAOC/ AEI luncheon. Marcus Oden, vice president and general manager of the Western Marketing Organization for Hilti, spoke and presented a $50,000 check to Al, CAED Associate Dean Dick Zweifel, and SEAOC/AEI student chapter president Caelen Ball to represent full commitment. haselton lab Mark Haselton (ARCE ’63 and D i s tinguished Alumnus ’07), owner of Continental Concrete Structures, is the only individual so far to sponsor a lab, which was dedicated in April. “Sponsoring the lab was personal,” Mark said. “We did it out of compassion for the college, students, faculty and the entire program, as well as all the other departments. The idea was looking to the future.” On a recent visit to the lab, he introduced himself to a group of students. “They thanked me for the lab. That was the coolest compliment I could have gotten,” Mark said. His gift so far has funded new tables, blinds and wallpaper. Pictures from Mark’s structural engineering career and of senior projects that Mark has sponsored over the years decorate and personalize the space. One of those images is the second 20-foot “flower” Students, faculty and staff turned out to celebrate the dedication of the Haselton Design Lab in May (above). Alum Mark Haselton (at left with his wife, pam,) was “looking to the future” when he sponsored the lab. built to replace the deteriorating original concrete blade structure that Mark and three architecture students built in Poly Canyon for their senior projects in 1963. Ken Minor, Steve Gilmore and the late Dan McMann were part of the original team. Recently Ken, Steve and Mark funded and coached students in building a second Blade Sculpture in Poly Canyon. Steve and Ken attended the lab dedication along with longtime friends Luis and Estonia Ruf. Mark hopes to return to the lab from time to time to discuss with students “design and construction issues normally not found in textbooks.” continued www.arce.calpoly.edu ? 5 facilities Update named Labs from page 5 simpson strong-tie lab Formerly known as E-lab, the renovated Simpson Strong-Tie Lab is easily recognizable by the large wall display created as a senior project using nothing but Simpson Strong-Tie products. “It was the obvious choice for Simpson to sponsor,” Al said. Simpson Strong-Tie hosts an annual symposium for ARCE, construction management and civil engineering students that features technical presentations and hands-on opportunities for students to use and still to come ... Berridge Lab – “We have labs where we design things and labs where we break them,” explained Al Estes. The Berridge Lab falls into the latter category, operating 6 ? ARCE SpRInG 2011 its products. The formal dedication of the Simpson Strong-Tie Design laboratory was held in conjunction with the symposium on May 14th. The company employs many ARCE graduates. “We like the CAED’s interdisciplinary approach, which gives students great exposure,” said Simpson Strong-Tie’s Sales Manager Alan Hanson. Simpson Strong-Tie has a long history of support to the ARCE Department that ranges from supporting senior projects and establishing a scholarship fund to sponsoring student attendance at conferences and attending Structural Forum. Simpson Strong-Tie‘s Alan Hanson (above, left) and Cal poly provost Robert Koob attended the lab dedication in May (top). as a classroom, an activity room and an experimental lab. Jack Berridge (ARCE ’59) owns Berridge Manufacturing, a Houston-based company that makes wall siding and ceiling panels. In addition to its $10,000-a- year, five-year commitment, Berridge will also provide and install its own materials in the renovation. Degenkolb Lab – Degenkolb Engineers is sponsoring the Graduate Laboratory for students in the master’s program. “It’s a verco design laboratory Improvements to the lab previously known as D-lab include new paint, window treatments and tabletops. The dedication ceremony was held May 26 in conjunction with the SEAOC/AEI lunch. Keith Cullum (ARCE ’07), an engineer with Verco Decking Inc., hopes the donation will “improve the classroom and equipment, and that the learning tools will promote a better understanding of steel design and construction.” Verco is a big believer in Cal Poly. “Our engineering manager, in his 19 years with the company, has hired only four engineers, two of which were from Cal Poly,” Keith said. “He specifically went to Cal Poly for his first hire because of the reputation its grads have among the design community. We needed to be able to hire people who can contribute immediately. That would seemingly preclude most new grads, but input from West Coast design firms suggested otherwise when considering those from Cal Poly. It is by far the best at preparing students for the real world. “The Learn by Doing credo, the outstanding faculty, and the vast array of upper division courses all contribute immensely to the program and its grads,” Keith continued. “I’m not alone in saying this; you can ask anyone in the industry, and they’ll tell you the same thing.” Students anticipated the opening of the Verco Lab.Top, from left: Jose Chig, Jean-Luc A’breau, ? Caelen Ball, Linda Huang, Joshua Batham, ? Yoni Sadka and Devin Daniel ? At the cake-cutting (right, from left): ? Verco’s Jeff Martin, Holly Schaubert, ? Keith Cullum and Chris Brown with Cal poly’s Al Estes and Dean R. Thomas Jones space where students live, breathe, eat and play,” Al said. “Instructors literally come to them to teach.” The lab, which houses classroom, individual study, and computer areas, was in really bad shape when ARCE inherited it two years ago. “I asked each successive class of graduate students to leave the room in better shape than when they found it,” Al said. “And they did. They painted the walls and ceiling and cleaned it up.” But there is only so much students can do. Initial plans include new window treatments and new computers. “Degenkolb has hired so many of our master’s graduates and has participated in so many master’s thesis projects, they were an ideal match to sponsor this lab,” Al said. www.arce.calpoly.edu ? 7 faculty Research Discovery ? focus on Faculty members make a difference through outreach and research ? Outreach efforts with local school children, building relationships with tribal leaders in East Africa, identifying buildings vulnerable to earthquakes, finding better teaching methods, and strengthening building materials to withstand earthquakes are some of the ways ARCE faculty members are trying to make the world a better and safer place. hanna ellis helps survey a potential school site in tanzania (above). students Jean-luc d’abreau (left) and caelen Ball use a shake table device atop a campus building to simulate an earthquake. a matter of trust Professor Craig Baltimore and ARCE students Nichole Brandt, Hanna Ellis and Ashley Moraes spent two weeks last September in Samé, Tanzania, surveying land where the goal is to build a school. The first two years of the three-year project were an investment in relationship building, said Craig. “Before ground can be broken, the trust of tribal leaders and government officials must be earned.” This is one of the valuable lessons learned from the overall project Long-Term Knowledge Transfer to Rural Areas of East Africa, now in its sixth year. “When people from developed countries travel to developing countries, they bring new technology and the best of intentions, but too often the knowledge doesn’t stick,” Craig said. “They fail to infuse their knowledge into the lifestyle, skill set, and culture of the people who will be using it. The most important aspect to make knowledge stick is to develop relationships.” “Our trip,” Craig said, “was two days of travel, two days to say ‘hello,’ six days of work, two days to see the sights, two days saying ‘goodbye,’ and two days traveling home. That is what the culture demands. Now that they know we are the good guys, we can start the design and planning.” To that end, a group of students is building a structure in Poly Canyon. “It’s a dry run to see if our techniques will work for the skill set in East Africa,” Craig said. The Tanzania project is a collaboration among academia, industry (ARUP - Los Angeles) and non-governmental organization The Mbesese Initiative, founded by alumnus David Lambert (B.S. ’06, M.S. ’10). The final project is a polytechnic high school for 500 students that will offer housing, support buildings, athletic facilities and classes in computer technology, automotive repair, construction and hotel management. good vibrations on campus It’s small, portable and weighs only about 100 lbs., yet it has the potential to change the way structural dynamics is taught. Professors Graham Archer and Cole McDaniel found the shaking device by chance and are using it to teach structural dynamics. The shaker lets students explore the phenomenon of resonance of buildings that experience earthquake shaking and may pinpoint areas of the building that are likely to be damaged in an earthquake. Also by chance, the professors found the device could shake actual buildings, like the Kennedy Library. Most shakers used in these tests are massive. “They have to be brought in by truck,” Graham said. According to Cole, the computer models created by students in structural dynamics classes are often flawed. “The buildings look good on the computer, but they haven’t been modeled accurately,” he said. With the portable shaker, students can shake buildings on campus and compare the results with their computer models. “When a good model has been created, it matches very well,” Graham noted. With additional funding for their Forced Vibration Testing project, Graham and Cole would like to explore damage detection in buildings that have undergone a major seismic event. Building Blocks Professor Peter Laursen is testing how well interlocking compressed earth Students Brian planas, Megan Hanson and Kaitlin Ransford shake the Bridge House. block (CEB) masonry walls hold up in earthquakes and strong wind conditions. Peter is expanding on research carried out in collaboration with civil engineering professors Dan Jansen and Bing Qu, who initially were looking more at the material properties of the CEBs. “No one was looking at how well the CEBs were performing structurally,” Peter explained. CEB masonry is widely used in Thailand, mostly to build one-story structures. “The blocks can be manufactured locally, inexpensively, and without much technology,” Peter said. With $11,000 funding from Cal Poly’s Extra-Mural Funding Initiative, Peter, Dan, Bing and two graduate students started last year testing the performance of structures made of CEBs. “We are finding that they are fairly robust,” Peter said. “They stand up reasonably well considering they are made of dirt.” continued www.arce.calpoly.edu ? 9 Discovery from page 9 Peter and two ARCE graduate students hope their continuing research will lead to design guidelines that ensure consistent and safe design of CEB wall structures. sizing up seismic data Professors Jill Nelson and Jim Guthrie have been collaborating with the City & Regional Planning Department to prepare the 2010 State Hazard Mitigation Plan for the California Emergency Management Agency. That work has led to related work with Cal EMA on the California Vital Infrastructure Vulnerability Assessment (Cal VIVA) project. The pair was awarded a $300,000 grant to assess the seismic vulnerability of state-owned buildings. It has the potential for additional grants in the future. This FEMA-funded project will help Cal EMA prepare for natural disasters by identifying state-owned buildings that house critical functions and are vulnerable to earthquakes. The project will include developing a prioritization process for all state-owned buildings and preparing 10 ? ARCE SpRInG 2011 seismic evaluations and upgrade concepts for at-risk buildings. The work includes funding for faculty members and graduate students in ARCE. There will be opportunities to bring aspects of the project into the classroom in the form of seismic evaluation and upgrade, and public policy decision making. The project will also serve as a springboard for master’s degree projects involving seismic vulnerabilities. hands-on engineering for Kids Professors Ed Saliklis and Pamalee Brady are unwavering in their commitment to teach children about engineering. They have separately pursued K-12 outreach by combining visual images and engineering principles. “Unfortunately, a lot of typical outreach efforts are simply show-and-tell,” Ed said. “Kids come to a campus and basically see a magic show.” Ed’s outreach efforts focus on sixth graders because they “have the ability to read an engineering scale, divide numbers, and draw parallel lines.” Consequently Ed has designed an actual engineering project for them to do. professor pamalee Brady and Equipment Technician Ray Ward with junior high students In addition to this hands-on work, he also tries to make tangible connections to the children’s lives by telling them about Rafael Guastavino and Felix Candela, two Hispanic engineer/architects from Spain. The thread connecting the children’s project to Candela and back to Guastavino is the use of graphical statics, which is what Ed presents to the children, allowing them to re-create structural engineering calculations graphically. “They actually do number crunching!” Ed said. Ed and Pamalee have inspired numerous groups of K-12 students by inviting them into their classrooms for creative hands-on exercises. In response to one visit, a Santa Maria school principal wrote, “Our students saw how what they are learning is applied in the real world. Equally important was the interaction with college students. Most of their families work in agriculture and have not thought about college for their children. These college students gave the sixth graders a glimpse into what could be in their future if they work hard and learn all they can.” study Abroad W hen Jonathan ‘Yoni’ Sadka, a fourth year ARCE student, decided to “take a step back from the focused life at Cal Poly and see what else life had to offer,” he didn’t opt for the more-ordinary study abroad programs in England or Italy. He traveled to Israel to attend Tel Aviv University. Yoni arrived in Israel in the summer of 2010 and began an intensive-two month Hebrew language course. During the fall, he studied Israel and the environment, modern Jewish history, business ethics, the Israeli economy, and Israeli politics. “It was nice having a break from math and science,” Yoni said. “Most of the stu- six months in israel = New York and San Francisco, and the four of them soon became inseparable. But Yoni wanted more than new friends and a culturally different university life. He wanted new and interesting life experiences, and he found it in Tel Aviv, when he and his roommates met Itamar, Ido and Gilad, who had been recently discharged from the military. They met over music. “One of my best friends is a singer, and they had open mic night at a club coincidentally called Mike’s Place,” recalls Yoni. “My friend sang. Itamar also sang, and we all just clicked.” The Israelis and the Americans bonded quickly. The Israelis drove Yoni and his American friends all over, “introducing us to their families, showing us the cities, and – most importantly – the local night life.” During Yoni’s six-month stay, he traveled all over Israel, visited Egypt, and spent two weeks in Italy. The experience changed his life. “Meeting all these people, seeing how important family and friends are in their lives, and their indifference to material things made me rethink the necessities in life. Over there, it’s about enjoying life – enjoying the important things.” A Lifetime of Lessons ? dents there were liberal arts and business majors, so living with them gave me a different point of view.” Yoni was one of 200 students from around the world to take part in the program. His “suitemates” were from Texas, Yoni with friends at the El Al Stream (left) and above Tiberius on the Sea of Galilee (below) study Abroad W hen third-year ARCE student Florian Barth chose to study in Australia, he made the uncommon decision to do it on his own, without friends or classmates. “It took some adjusting to, being all alone in a country 7,000 miles from home and not having any friends,” Florian admitted. “But I wanted to experience the adventure alone to see if I could adapt to a new environment far from home.” Turns out, he could. “I learned to be more self-reliant,” said the Los Gatos native. “I had never lived outside the country before, and it was interesting to see how others viewed the United States.” florian Barth goes it alone Down Under Having vacationed in Australia with his family before, Florian was familiar with the friendliness of the people and liked the “inviting weather.” He studied at Griffith University Gold Coast on Australia’s east coast just minutes from pristine beaches, taking government business relations, botany and zoology, and soil mechanics. “A typical day was much like Cal Poly,” he said, “except class sizes were larger and we didn’t have as much hands-on experience.” There wasn’t a language barrier, but Florian faced other challenges, such as driving on the opposite side of the road and dealing with Florian Barth experiences a market in Bali, Indonesia (above), and Australia’s exotic wildlife (left). 12 ? ARCE SpRInG 2011 less-than-reliable public transportation. “Buses often do not arrive on time and sometimes not at all.” He said students eager for a change of scenery should study abroad. “More importantly, experiencing different cultures and educational styles broadens everyone’s horizon.” To add to that experience, Florian combined his exchange with a trip to Bali, Indonesia. Department Head Al Estes said he is often asked if there are opportunities for international study in the ARCE program. “There are,” he said, “and the ideal time to go is fall quarter of the third year. Students are comfortable enough with college to appreciate a study abroad program, but are not yet into the highly specialized ARCE courses. Fall is the best time to go because students only miss one quarter. If they go in the spring, they miss two.” teaching Abroad y o u c a n Go Home Again ? Ansgar neuenhofer enjoys a change of pace teaching in Germany F or two decades, Professor Ansgar Neuenhofer has been bouncing back and forth from California to Germany. He first came out West in 1990 to pursue a master’s degree at UC Berkeley. He returned to Germany to work on his Ph.D. Then back to Berkeley to teach and conduct research, do a short stint in private practice in Sacramento, then back to Germany in 2000. But the job there wasn’t a good fit, and in 2001, Ansgar landed at Cal Poly. Ten years later, he and his wife, Beate, and their five children are back in Germany, where Ansgar is teaching at the University of Applied Sciences at Cologne for the academic year. He wanted to return to Germany to expose his children to the culture and the school system. “It’s our roots,” Ansgar said. Ansgar said German students differ from their American counterparts. “They are not as well behaved,” he said. “The students think nothing of leaving class 20 minutes early to catch a bus.” Even the young children at his kids’ school show little respect. “They come late, they jump on the desks and chairs,” he said. “It’s shocking really.” Ansgar is happy the family settled a bit south of Cologne in Bonn, near Ansgar’s childhood home. “Meeting kids who grew up where I did 30 years ago is interesting. It’s not always easy because things change. It’s no longer your home.” Germany is a beautiful country for bike riding, and the family is taking full advantage. “We ride these paths along the Rhine with beer gardens along the way. We spend long, mild summer nights riding bikes. It is wonderful,” Ansgar said. When he returns, Ansgar might miss those long summer nights, but he will be Ansgar neuenhofer, ready to roll (above) and hiking with Cal poly student Brian planas (below) happy to be back teaching at Cal Poly. “It is such a rewarding experience at Cal Poly, where the focus is on teaching,” he claimed. “Everyone who teaches here has a passion. The quality of teaching is better here. There is no doubt about that.” Ansgar admits he gets homesick. “When we are in the United States, we miss Germany; when we are there, we miss the United States. That is our fate.” teaching Abroad Haitian trades people work with professor James Mwangi (below, left) to rebuild the country’s earthquake-ravaged buildings. BuildingHo In Haiti Amid the country’s natural beau James Mwangi teaches better c to help the trades people restor earthquake-damaged villages A rchitectural Engineering Professor James Mwangi is on a mission – a mission to rebuild the homes and lives of Haitians who are still without shelter more than a year after the fateful Jan. 12, 2010, earthquake devastated their island nation. “When I first came to Haiti in March 2010, the amount of destruction in Portau-Prince and surrounding cities was indescribable,” James says. “A year later, not much has changed. There is still a lot of rubble, and not many home repairs are going on.” James, a certified disaster service worker with the California Emergency Management Agency, last year traveled to Haiti over spring break to inspect buildings for structural safety. He spent two weeks there via Engineers Without Borders and the Mennonite Central Committee (MCC). After the first week, the Haitian government launched its own building inspection program, so James began conducting workshops on how to repair damaged structures. The program became so popular that the MCC extended the workshops for a 14 ? ARCE SpRInG 2011 Hope uty, construction re their year, with the understanding that James would conduct them while on sabbatical from Cal Poly. He returned to Haiti in July to resume the workshops. “There is a lot of interest in the building industry to learn how to build safer, better and different from the past,” he says. James hopes to have a lasting impact in Haiti by “changing the way the building construction process is conducted,” he says. “If the status quo remains, more people will die in future earthquakes.” To that end, James is reaching out to government officials responsible for enforcing building regulations in the country. “My message is the need for introduction and implementation of enforcement of building regulations.” In his workshops for architects and engineers, the emphasis is on building earthquake- and cyclone-resistant buildings. He stresses the importance of correct detailing of reinforced concrete columns, beams, slabs and unconfined masonry construction, as well as the quality of materials and the construction process. James spends most of his time with construction trades people (bos masons) because they build most of the family dwellings. The bos masons work directly with the homeowners to build the concrete confined masonry structures, explains James. “Most of the bos masons do not have high school diplomas, and French Creole is the only language we can communicate in,” he says. Students spend the first day in the classroom, learning about correct building layouts and sites, the quality of building materials, reinforced concrete detailing and correct construction process for earthquake- and cyclone-resistant buildings. “Each session is limited to 16 participants,” James says, “because four days is devoted to hands-on repair of damaged concrete homes under my watch, and I do not want observers in this exercise.” The group is split into teams of four, with each group writing a list of materials they need for their specific building repair task. This teaches them how to do a cost estimate of a construction process, James says. “After the workshops, the graduates help me with home repair projects.” James’ sabbatical isn’t your typical sabbatical, which is often defined as a Students take their newfound knowledge from James’ classes (above) to the job site (left). One of the country’s scenic beaches (top) “break or a rest from work.” His year in Haiti could hardly be characterized as restful. With 12 hour days – if he’s lucky – and rarely a weekend off, he doesn’t complain. But he does worry. “People are living in tents in campsites, even some on streets,” he says. “I worry that since people have been living in tent cities for a year, they may accept them as part of their lives. That would be a very dangerous situation.” James, who herded cows and goats in his boyhood homeland of Kenya, feels very much at home in Haiti. “People never know that I am not Haitian until I open my mouth, and they realize that I do not speak Creole as well as they do,” he says. “Nevertheless, I feel welcome everywhere I go.” www.arce.calpoly.edu ? 15 achieveme