UBC Civil Engineering Researchers Awarded Federal Funding for Projects Addressing Critical Infrastructure and Climate Priorities
On July 9, 2025, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) announced the results of its 2025 Discovery Grant competition. As part of a broader $9.7 million investment in UBC Applied Science research, five Civil Engineering faculty members received a combined total of over $1.3 million in funding. The awarded projects are: The NSERC Discovery Grants program provides long-term operating support for Canadian researchers, enabling them to pursue ongoing programs of research and contribute to advancements in science and engineering. For the full Faculty of Applied Science announcement, visit apsc.ubc.ca
UBC Civil Insights on Vancouver Seismic Risk Report
A new report from the City of Vancouver and Natural Resources Canada has outlined how a 7.2-magnitude earthquake could impact Vancouver, and it highlights six neighborhoods in high-risk areas. In the report, Vancouver’s West End, Yaletown, the Downtown Eastside, Kitsilano, Fairview, and Mount Pleasant have the highest risk of damage from a large earthquake. Seismic experts at UBC Civil Engineering have provided valuable insights on the recent City of Vancouver Council Report on Seismic Risk, highlighting the urgent need for strategies to strengthen vulnerable buildings and infrastructure against earthquake damage. Billions in damage, thousands of injuries: Report maps out Vancouver earthquake […]
Revolutionizing Affordable Housing: Dr. Tony Yang’s Research on Reinforcing Concrete Construction with Welded Wire Mesh
Rapid population growth in major cities worldwide has created immense challenges when seeking affordable housing. However, excess construction costs can be reduced by employing concrete elements such as slabs, panels, and beams that are reinforced with welded wire mesh (WWM). This material consists of electrically welded rods to form a uniformly continuous mesh which has been widely adopted in the industry as it has immense production efficiency, speed, and durability while also reducing project costs. Dr. Tony Yang, a Professor at UBC Civil Engineering, the lead researcher at UBC Smart Structures, and one of the world’s leading experts in structural and […]
UBC Civil in the Media – Learning from Turkiye earthquake
UBC engineering experts were among a group of researchers that visited Turkey to study the aftermath of its earthquake
EERI Competition: UBC Seismic Receives Communications Award
Although their tower collapsed, their exceptional performance still earned them the second highest overall score
Civil Engineering Researcher Recognized for Editorial Leadership
The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) has bestowed upon Dr. Ehsan Noroozinejad, a distinguished Senior Researcher at UBC Smart Structures, the esteemed ASCE Associate Editor Award of the year. This recognition is an exceptional honor, given the competitive nature of the award, with nearly 1,000 Associate Editors hailing from eminent universities across more than 40 ASCE Journals. Dr. Noroozinejad was lauded for his continuous and exceptional service, which has significantly improved ASCE’s publication activities. He has been serving as the Associate Editor for the ASCE Practice Periodical on Structural Design and Construction since 2018 and ASCE Natural Hazards Review since […]
How Base Isolation Technology can Preserve Cultural Heritage
The Great Hall of the Museum of Anthropology at UBC (MOA) is a cultural and architectural masterpiece that requires modern seismic safety measures to protect against future risk
Turning disasters into knowledge, Professor Trevor Carey travelled to Taiwan to advance earthquake resilience
Professor Trevor Carey was part of a team funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation that travelled to Hualien County in Southeastern Taiwan to study the impact of the September 2022 Taitung earthquakes.
UBC engineers want to save whales from drowning…in noise
Originally published in: UBC News Chronic ship noise can lead to stress, hearing loss and feeding problems for marine mammals like whales, dolphins and porpoises. UBC researchers are diving in to help address the issue. According to project lead Dr. Rajeev Jaiman, an associate professor in the department of mechanical engineering, propeller noise accounts for much of the acoustic barrage from ships. “Propeller noise can hit 170 decibels, the equivalent of a jet engine or a rocket lift-off,” said Dr. Jaiman. Popping and singing The reason for the noise is bubbles. The ship’s movement and its propeller’s rotation create steam bubbles that […]
PhD researcher receives Public Scholar Initiative fellowship
Preetish Kakoty (PhD, ’22) has been awarded the 2020-2021 UBC Public Scholar Initiative fellowship. He is one of two UBC Faculty of Applied Science students to receive the honour this year. The metro Vancouver region faces major seismic risk due to its close proximity to the Cascadia Subduction Zone. This risk is further elevated because of the Georgia sedimentary basin, which amplifies ground motion shaking. Together, these factors may potentially bring disproportionate impact to older, tall buildings in West End of Vancouver—many of which house vulnerable sections of the community. Preetish has been working closely with the city of Vancouver and other […]
Professors Li and Yang receive province’s top awards for engineers
We are excited to announce that two faculty members in our Department received the 2020 President’s Awards from Engineers and Geoscientists BC. The awards are the province’s top awards for professional engineers and geoscientists and recognize those with outstanding achievement in professional, technical, and community contributions. Professor Loretta Li received the R.A. McLachlan Memorial Award, while Professor Tony Yang earned the Meritorious Achievement Award. “These awards demonstrate how UBC Civil Engineering faculty members continue to make exceptional contributions through their groundbreaking research and their dedication to excellence in teaching and innovation,” said Department Head Bernard Laval. “On behalf of our Department, my warmest […]
Dr. Carlos Molina Hutt Awarded The Shah Prize by the EERI
Congratulations to Dr. Carlos Molina Hutt, who has been awared the 2019 EERI Shah Family Innovation Prize by the Earthquake Engineering Research Insititute! The Shah Prize is awarded annually to young professionals and academics for creativity, innovation, and entrepreneurial spirit in the field of earthquake risk mitigation and management. In the press release by the EERI, they stated “(c)onsidering the breadth and excellence of Carlos’s leadership, research and engineering practice, it was clear to the prize committee that he is on a trajectory to be an outstanding leader in the field of earthquake risk mitigation in the coming decades.” Carlos will receive the award […]
Seismic risk study & resilience plan with Professor Carlos Ventura
UBC takes great pride to ensure that all students, staff and faculty are safe and well-prepared in the event of an earthquake in British Columbia. One of the largest earthquakes to strike the coast of BC was on June 23, 1946 with a magnitude estimated at 7.3. More recently on October 27, 2012, a 7.7 magnitude earthquake struck the Haida Gwaii region resulting in trigger warnings across north-central BC. The Earthquake Engineering Research Facility (EERF) of UBC, a premier seismic testing laboratory, has been the forefront in conducting research, developing innovative teaching methods, and developing community outreach initiatives that actively reduce or mitigate […]
Receive missile text alert on your phone? Not yet in B.C.
Kent Johansen, a research associate with the earthquake engineering research facility, spoke to CBC about earthquake warning systems. He said traditional SMS text messaging wouldn’t reach everyone fast enough, and that we need dedicated earthquake warning devices. The story also appeared on Yahoo.
Civil researchers trial new earthquake-resistant material
A new earthquake resistant, fibre-reinforced composite material developed by Civil researchers has been taken out of the lab and into the real world for a trial application at a Vancouver elementary school. Older buildings in cities like Victoria, Vancouver, and Portland, especially unreinforced masonry buildings, are at risk for structural damage or collapse in a major earthquake event. Unreinforced masonry walls, such as those built from bricks or hollow blocks, are prone to collapse when shaken, which can cause dangerous bursts of debris and significant loss of life. In Vancouver, many schools are housed in seismically vulnerable heritage buildings with walls like this, and […]
Civil undergraduate receives S-FRAME Prize
Civil undergraduate student Zhuo Nan Chen has been selected to receive the 2017 S-FRAME Software Inc. Prize in Structural Engineering, a $1,000 award offered to the student with the highest academic standing in CIVL 228 Introduction to Structural Engineering. The donor, S-FRAME Software Inc., is a company headquartered in Richmond, BC, that produces a suite of structural analysis and design software. The company was founded in 1981 by George Casoli, an alumnus of UBC’s Civil Department (BASc 1980), and has been a major supporter of the department in recent years: donating software licenses for educational use by civil students, sponsoring engineering […]
Prof. Adebar named Fellow of Canadian Academy of Engineering
Tuesday, June 13, 2017 | By Lindsay Cashin Professor Perry Adebar has been named a Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Engineering. Election to the CAE, one of the highest professional honours accorded an engineer, is based on a nominee’s “distinguished achievements and career-long service to the engineering profession.” Fellows are nominated and elected by their peers, and the CAE welcomed 50 new fellows and two new international fellows this year. Inductees were honoured at the Induction of New Fellows ceremony, in conjunction with the AGM, on June 26 in Ottawa. The CAE citation reads as follows: Professor Perry Adebar has […]
EERF earthquake simulation highlights need for building upgrades
Wednesday, May 24, 2017 | By Lindsay Cashin The Vancouver Sun covered a recent simulation in the EERF, that was designed to show how a retrofitted school building would perform in a 9.0 subduction earthquake. The simulation highlighted the need for the retrofitting and upgrading of older buildings. Read the full story here.
Victoria buildings at risk of earthquake destruction: Study
Monday, February 20, 2017 | By Lindsay Cashin MSN published a Vancouver Sun story quoting Carlos Ventura, civil engineering professor and the director of UBC’s earthquake engineering research facility, after a study in Victoria found that almost 4,000 buildings in that city are at risk of complete damage from a major earthquake. Prof. Ventura said all communities in a region of high seismic risk should conduct similar studies.
Tankers could pose risk to Ironworkers’ bridge
Friday, November 18, 2016 | By Lindsay Cashin Metro News mentioned Ricardo Foschi, Professor Emeritus of Civil Engineering, in a story about the possible dangers of more oil tankers in the Burrard Inlet. Foschi and other academics believe increasing the traffic through the Second Narrows could also increase the chances of an accident.
Seismic rift divides BC governments
Wednesday, November 2, 2016 | By Lindsay Cashin Professor Carlos Ventura, Director of the EERF, was included in an earthquake preparedness article in The Province. In a video, he explained the benefits of the UBC lab that simulates the impact of earthquakes on buildings. “We want to see what level of damage this structure will experience, then we inspect the building and we find out where the weak spots are,” he said. “Then we fix that weak point and then we test it again and then we learn if that is enough to increase the capacity.”
BC earthquake threatens Vancouver buildings
Monday, October 31, 2016 | By Lindsay Cashin The Province highlighted the earthquake risk of many older Vancouver buildings. Carlos Ventura, the director of UBC’s earthquake engineering reserch facility, was interviewed for the story. The entire community needs to make a commitment to implementing seismic upgrades of at-risk buildings, Ventura said. He added that unreinforced masonry buildings can be upgraded to withstand earthquakes by tying parapets to roofs and anchoring walls to roofs and floors, although brittle concrete buildings can be more complicated.
Discussing earthquakes in BC
Monday, October 17, 2016 | By Lindsay Cashin Professor Perry Adebar, Professor Carlos Ventura, and Kent Johansen from the EERF spoke to CBC Radio’s Fault Lines podcast about the issues surrounding earthquakes in B.C. Prof. Adebar noted that certain structures would be of more concern in a large quake. “Generally speaking the average Vancouver house will do extremely well,” he said. “It’s the high-rise condos, the older ones particularly, where we worry a bit more.” Listen to the featured podcast. Prof. Adebar also spoke with CBC about the threat of mass homelessness in the aftermath of a major earthquake in BC. Strict building […]
B.C. not using earthquake warning technology
Friday, October 14, 2016 | By Lindsay Cashin Kent Johansen, an engineer with UBC’s Earthquake Engineering Research Facility, was quoted in a CBC story on earthquake warning technology. UBC researchers have developed a warning system used in B.C. Catholic schools and a few public schools, and Johansen says the system needs to be more widely implemented. “It is really human lives. It is something that is a government’s responsibility to get done,” he said. “It would be lovely if somebody would think, ‘let’s get it in all the schools.’ Because in the big picture, it’s so little [money] compared to the risk.”
Prof. Adebar on the use of wood in tall buildings
Tuesday, September 27, 2016 | By Lindsay Cashin Professor and Head Perry Adebar spoke with the Ubyssey about the use of wood in hybrid, mass timber structures like the new Brock Commons Tall Wood student residence building. “I’d love to see timber used more, but I’d hate to see it done for political reasons — I’d like to see it done for the right reasons.”
Prof. Adebar speaks about vulnerability of new condo buildings
Wednesday, August 17, 2016 | By Lindsay Cashin Professor and Head of Civil Engineering Perry Adebar spoke to Roundhouse Radio about how new condos may be uninhabitable after a major earthquake. “The most serious threat after a significant earthquake is that a large part of our city won’t be habitable,” said Prof. Adebar, noting that the risk is heightened with striking, “irregular” new buildings. Prof. Adebar added that in California where earthquakes occur every 10 to 15 years, building designs are more regular. Listen to the 12 minute segment now.
Prof. Adebar on the risks of irregularly designed condo buildings
Friday, August 12, 2016 | By Lindsay Cashin Professor Perry Adebar spoke with The Globe and Mail about the risks of irregularly designed condo buildings when it comes to earthquakes: “The more exciting and interesting your building is, the more likely you won’t be able to use it after a significant earthquake.”
Prof. Tannert on the benefits of building towers with wood
Tuesday, July 5, 2016 | By Lindsay Cashin Professor Thomas Tannert is quoted in The Province, discussing the benefits of using wood in the construction of towers, like UBC’s new 18-storey Brock Commons student residence building.
Expansion of earthquake detection systems in schools
Monday, June 27, 2016 | By Lindsay Cashin CKNW reported on the upcoming expansion of school earthquake detection systems, and quoted Carlos Ventura, the head of UBC’s Earthquake Engineering Research Facility.
Prof. Carlos Ventura on the risk of liquefaction at new hospital site
Thursday, March 10, 2016 | By Lindsay Cashin On The Coast highlighted concerns that the new site for St. Paul’s Hospital in Vancouver could liquefy during an earthquake. Carlos Ventura, director of UBC’s earthquake engineering research facility, told CBC that while the concern is real, technology and engineering have improved in the past few decades and engineers have come up with structures that will “perform very well” in the event of an earthquake. The risks can be minimized by doing proper treatment of the soil and providing proper foundations, said Ventura. Segment starts at 00:53:09.
EERF experts discussion of recent Metro Vancouver earthquake
Tuesday, January 5, 2016 | By Lindsay Cashin Still image above shows data transmitted by the system’s seismometers during the M4.8 earthquake. Watch the entire event unfold. Civil engineering experts provided expert commentary in various media outlets on the magnitude 4.3 earthquake that shook Metro Vancouver late on Dec. 29. Kent Johansen, a researcher working with UBC’s Earthquake Engineering Research Facility, said an early earthquake warning system developed at UBC gave a few seconds’ warning before the earthquake struck. Even such a short warning can reduce the number of casualties from an earthquake by half, Johansen told media. (CBC News, CBC On the […]
Earthquake Day
Thursday, October 29, 2015 | By Lindsay Cashin UBC partnered with the Vancouver Public Library (VPL) and the City of Vancouver to bring Earthquake Day to downtown Vancouver on October 15. Held as part of the University’s Centennial celebrations, Earthquake Day was conceived as a free public event to coincide with ShakeOut BC Day, with the aim of increasing earthquake awareness and resilience in the community and showcasing UBC’s research in the area of earthquake engineering. A series of informative mainstage events and interactive outreach activities attracted members of the public to the VPL Promenade, where they could also visit booths […]
Q&A with Prof. Ventura: preparing for an earthquake in BC
Thursday, October 15, 2015 | By Lindsay Cashin October 15 is officially ShakeOut BC Day, and more than 750,000 British Columbians are expected to participate in this year’s drill. In this Q&A, UBC earthquake safety expert Carlos Ventura talks about the nature of earthquakes and what’s being done to ensure that the buildings where we live, study and work are earthquake-ready. There’s a lot of talk about B.C. being overdue for the Big One: an earthquake of 9.0 magnitude or greater. Is the province ready for a major quake? It’s important to understand that it’s not only the magnitude of the […]
Dr. Robert Sexsmith comments on Dewdney bridge closure
Thursday, September 24, 2015 | By Lindsay Cashin Dr. Robert Sexsmith, Civil professor emeritus, spoke with the Vancouver Sun about the conditions that led to the recent Dewdney Slough Bridge closure. Read the full story.
Dr. Carlos Ventura discusses need for crucial seismic upgrades
Thursday, August 27, 2015 | By Lindsay Cashin Dr. Carlos Ventura, Civil professor and director of UBC’s Earthquake Engineering Research Facility, spoke with CTV News Vancouver about the need for crucial seismic upgrades at B.C. schools. Read the full story.
Civil Instructor’s recent paper recognized as Key Scientific Article
Wednesday, April 22, 2015 | By Lindsay Cashin Dr. Yahya Nazhat’s recent peer-reviewed paper entitled The kinematics of granular soils subjected to rapid impact loading has been recognized by Advances in Engineering as a Key Scientific Article contributing to excellence in engineering, scientific, and industrial research. Advances in Engineering strives to alert the scientific and industrial community to “innovative papers considered to be of importance to the progress in Engineering technologies,” via its website, which is visited nearly 650,000 times each month. The Department congratulates Dr. Nazhat on this achievement.
Watch 4.8 Tofino quake unfold on BC’s Early Warning System
Tuesday, March 31, 2015 | By Lindsay Cashin Watch the Earthquake Early Warning System at work! This video, narrated by Civil Engineering Research Associate Dr. Kent Johansen, shows how a recent magnitude 4.8 Tofino earthquake propagated through the area from Powell River to Chilliwack. Developed under the lead of Dr. Carlos Ventura, the Earthquake Early Warning System was fully deployed in southwestern BC in September 2014.