By Mary Catherine Frantz, intern, Voiland College of Engineering and Architecture
PULLMAN, Wash. – J. Daniel Dolan has received a Fulbright Scholar grant for 2018-19 to study and develop a new prescriptive building code for the Chilean government.
A professor in the Washington State University Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Dolan will collaborate with colleagues at the University of Conception, Universidad San Sebastian, and Universidad del Bió Bió to develop a new building code for earthquakes.
Chile is an area that is plagued with frequent, powerful earthquakes due to its location on active seismic zones. Chile is located at the end of the Ring of Fire, where the outer edge of the Pacific tectonic plate scrapes against the tectonic plates of the other continents. The plate activity creates fissures and faults that build up pressure, released through earthquakes. In the past year alone, Chile has had over 600 earthquakes, making earthquake safety a top priority in building codes.
Dolan’s building code project will be applied to the Chilean housing system — helping low income people, particularly, have safe and secure housing. Dolan will introduce the Chilean government to the American residential building codes as a template and then will work with his colleagues to tailor the code to the needs and expectations of the country.
Founded by U.S. Sen. J. William Fulbright in 1946, The Fulbright program aims to increase mutual understanding among scholars across the globe.
With Washington State University since 2002, Dolan studies dynamic load on low-rise buildings, dynamic response of light-frame buildings, response of dowel connections dynamic testing of structural assemblies and numerical modeling of structural and material response.
Contact:
- Tina Hilding, communications director, Voiland College of Engineering and Architecture, 509-335-5095, thilding@wsu.edu
