Despite the criticality of the agricultural industry to both U.S. and global sustainable food production, the resulting lack of economic diversity in most rural areas is theorized to be a major contributor to the low resilience of rural communities to natural hazards, including earthquakes and windstorms. While resilience is a function of many socioeconomic and organizational factors, the disaster response of the built environment is a critical aspect that cannot be ignored. In many rural areas, critical infrastructure includes vital agricultural support and production systems, such steel grain bins and center pivot irrigators. However, these structures are not typically design to consistent standards and have been observed to perform poorly in recent severe windstorms. This research aims to generate a fundamental understanding of the performance of agricultural structures during extreme windstorms to enhance rural resilience to natural hazards.
Advisor Name: | Christine Wittich | |
Email: | cwittich@unl.edu | |
Website: | https://wittich.unl.edu | |
Advisor College: | Engineering | |
Advisor Department: | Civil and Environmental Engineering | |
Potential Student Tasks: | Responsibilities include sorting and analyzing observational and survey data in spreadsheets or via Matlab codes. Student will learn about both data processing and structural engineering. Students attend weekly meetings and will participate in presentations and papers on the research. | |
Student Qualifications: | An interest in structural engineering, rural/agricultural communities, and resilience to natural hazards. Excellent organizational skills and the use of Microsoft Excel. Students of any major may apply. | |
Training, Mentoring, and Workplace Community: | This project will allow you to work in a dynamic and diverse group of undergraduate students, graduate students, and faculty at UNL. A workspace can be provided in our office to co-work with other students, but remote work can easily be accommodated. | |
Available Positions | 1 |