Thank you for visiting my website. I hope you will find that the reading of these notes, examples, and Python algorithms increases your understanding of how structures perform. But I also hope it increases your curiosity. Whether we consider buildings, bridges, or other load-bearing structures we still struggle to answer important questions about their performance. Will the structure be repairable after an earthquake, and how much will it cost to do it? Are there ways we can make structures more sustainable, consuming less energy and water, causing less environmental damage? And how long time will it take to restore the functionality of structures in a community after an earthquake? While I focus on mechanics and reliability in my courses CIVL 332, CIVL 435, and CIVL 518, this online textbook goes further, addressing emerging fields in structural engineering.

You will notice that those emerging fields are still the subject of ongoing research. If you are interested in helping me advance our state of knowledge in those areas then I am always looking for bright and motivated MASc and PhD students to join the research group. Currently I have one opening for a PhD student and here is my general advice to current and prospective structures students at UBC. In my research group I work closely with every student, including frequent one-on-one meetings and weekly research seminars. In addition to publications, one result of our work is the computer program Rt, which we continue to extend under the name Rts. We have adopted the view that computer simulations will play an important role in the future of structural engineering. Hence, you will find that programming skills are useful. Also note that funded Graduate Research Assistant positions are limited and highly competitive. Students who pursue and receive funding through outside scholarships greatly increase their chance of admission. If you would like to join my research team then please review the department’s Graduate Admissions and Graduate Program webpages and then send an email to terje@civil.ubc.ca with the subject “Prospective Student for the Research Group of Professor Haukaas.” Please include a brief paragraph about the research needs and applications that YOU see in the fields that you are interested in. Attach your CV as a PDF document. Thanks again for visiting and have fun studying structures!

Vancouver, June 2019,
Professor Terje Haukaas