n is ko.
'en r issue goes
10
Old hospital is new patient for UMR's structure doctors UMR c ivil eng ineers are testing their li ghtweight co mposite materials on a new patie nt: the old Malcolm Bliss Hospital in St. Louis. The experiment to strengthe n the old hospital 's structure is part of a new "partnering agreement" between UMR and the City of St. Loui s. UMR researc he rs have already tested the Photos by Bob Ransom/ Black Star m aterials successfull y on a highway bridge near Rolla. Now they ho pe to de mon strate how well those composite materi als perform in a building structure. This is a unique opportunity, because tests to failure can be performed on the 35-year-old structure. The old hospital wi ll be eventu all y demoli shed. The li ghtweight materials " hold promise as an affordable means to strength en buildings, bridges and oth er co ncrete structures," says Antonio Nanni, the Vernon and Maralee Jones Professor of civil engineering at UMR and director of UMR's Center fo r Infrastructure Engineering Studies. In St. Loui s, Nanni 's research team is reinforc in g portions of the old hosp ital's concrete and masonry infrastructure to test it for stre ngth. If the composi te "bandages" wor\C, they might be used to stre ngthe n o ld buildings for loads they were not designed for. The use of these co mposites might also help aging buildings better resist high winds and earthqu akes.
Under new management Lemay Center of St. Louis joins forces with UMR The Lemay Center fo r Composites Technology of St. Lo ui s is under new management. The center, establi shed in 1996 by GLCC In c. of Columbia, S .c. , is now under the direction of UMR 's School of Engineering. The Lemay Center was created to strengthen the producti o n capabilities of industries in the United States in the vital area of composite tec hnology, says center director James E. Koch , PhD EMgt '93 . "In essence, the center is a teaching factory th at promotes economic development by increas ing the use of composite techn ology in our everyday li ves," Koch says . Robert Mitchell, dean of UMR 's School of Engineer ing, says th at UMR has accepted management of the center because composite techn o logy is central to UMR 's strategic pl an. "The uni versity also wants to see the St. Louis region become the natio na l leader in thi s technology," Mitc hell says. The cen ter 's primary funding comes from the U.S. Departme nt of the Navy's Manufacturin g Technology (MANTECH) program. Additiona l fu ndin g is also provided by the Missouri Department of Economic Development and UMR.
FACULTY NEWS Nanni named ASCE Fellow Antonio Nanni, UMR 's Vernon and Maralee Jones Professor of civil engineering, has been named a Fell ow of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE). The designati on is one of the hi ghest pro fessional recogrtiti ons among ci vil engineers. Nanni joined the UMR faculty in 1997. He specializes in the rehabilitation of structures and also directs UMR 's Center for Infrastructure Engineering Studies.
Christensen receives Thomas Jefferson Award Lawrence O. Christensen, Distingui shed Teaching Professor of hi story at UMR, received the Urtiversity of Mi ssouri 's Thomas Jefferson Award for 1999. The $5,000 award, fu nded through a grant from the Robert Earll McConnell Foundation, goes to a faculty member whose work, character and loya lty to the university "best exemp lifies the principles and ideals of Thomas Jefferson." Christensen is an expert on Mi ssouri hi story. He has been on the UMR history facu lty since 1969.
Wiebe named engineering management chair Henry Wiebe, professor of engi neering man agement at UMR and interim cha.ir of that department since 1997, became chai r of the department on Jul y 1. An expert in total quality man agement, Wiebe has been a member of the UMR faculty since 1969.
Sauer honored by ASHRAE Harry J. Sauer Jr. , ME' 56, MS ME' 58, professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering at UMR, received the 1999 Louise and Bill Holladay Distingui shed Fe ll ow Award fro m the American Society of Heatin g, Refri gerating and AirConditi oning Engineers (AS HRAE). Sauer, whose UMR career began as a graduate assistant in 1956, has served on various AS HRAE committees and has conlTi buted to several chapters in the ASHRAE handbook, Fundamelllais.
MSM¡UMR ALUMNUS I Fall 1999
25
