Learning from Structural Failure is the Topic of Feb. 1 Forum at Cal Poly file:///X:/Copyright/Submissions/_PressReleases%20&%20Cal%20Pol... Skip to Content Cal Poly News Search Cal Poly News Go California Polytechnic State University Jan. 23, 2003 Contacts: Ray Ladd, (805) 756-7432 Architectural Engineering, (805) 756-1314 Patrick Clinton, student event coordinator, pclinton@calpoly.edu FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Engineering Failures To Be Focus Of Cal Poly Structural Forum Feb. 1 SAN LUIS OBISPO - Three noted structural engineers will share their experiences and insights into engineering failures at Cal Poly's 13th Annual Structural Forum, to be held on campus Feb. 1. "Learning From Structural Failures" is scheduled from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Rotunda (Room 213) of Cal Poly's Business Building and is free and open to the public. Presentations will begin at 9:30 a.m. with guest lecturer Chris Poland, who will talk on "How Failures Have Influenced Today's Building Codes and Standards." Poland is chairman, president and CEO of Degenkolb Engineers, one of the West Coast's foremost structural engineering firms specializing in earthquake engineering. Poland has helped develop important state and federal structural engineering standards and has held leadership positions in associations such as the Earthquake Engineering Research Institute. As that organization's president, he is advocating a major expansion of earthquake engineering research, making efforts to help the public understand risks, and working to reduce losses caused by structural failures. Mete Sozen, a distinguished professor of structural engineering at Purdue University, will talk on "Analysis in Denial" at 10:45 a.m. Known worldwide, Sozen has documented and analyzed damage caused by almost every major earthquake in the past 40 years. His research focuses on the behavior of buildings, bridges and dams subjected to static and dynamic loads. At 2 p.m., Robert Iding, an engineer with Wiss, Janney, Elstner 1 of 2 10/2/2009 2:17 PM Learning from Structural Failure is the Topic of Feb. 1 Forum at Cal Poly file:///X:/Copyright/Submissions/_PressReleases%20&%20Cal%20Pol... Associates of Emeryville, will present "Fire Aspects of the World Trade Center Collapse." Iding has specialized in investigating building failures, particularly those caused by fire. He has been investigating the collapse of the World Trade Center towers on behalf of several of his firm's clients. From 1976 to 1978 Iding was on the faculty of Cal Poly's Architectural Engineering Department, where he developed the university's first course in finite-element analysis. The Structural Forum is hosted by the Architectural Engineering Department's student chapter of the Structural Engineers Association of California, a club in the College of Architecture and Environmental Design. For more information, see the Architectural Engineering Web site, www.arce.calpoly.edu, or call (805) 756-1314. - 30 CP Home • CP Find It Get Adobe Reader • Microsoft Viewers Events • Recent Releases • Cal Poly Magazine • Cal Poly Update E-newsletter • Contact Public Affairs • Alumni • Giving • Athletics Cal Poly Public Affairs California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo, CA 93407 805.756.7266 polynews@calpoly.edu 2 of 2 10/2/2009 2:17 PM