Following article 7.4.3 of the EMI bylaws, the 2023 Engineering Mechanics Institute (EMI) Election opened on May 22 and will run until June 23, 2023, to fill two (2) vacant seats on the Board. Elected candidates will serve on the Board of Governors from October 1, 2023 to September 30, 2026.
Members of EMI who are eligible to vote (EMI members who are not students and who are current with their membership dues) were sent their email ballot with log-in credentials on May 22, 2023, from: [email protected]. If you did not receive an email, please check your spam folder, or email us at [email protected].
Meet the slate of candidates
Michele Barbato, Ph.D., C.Eng, P.E., F.EMI, F.SEI, F.ASCE
Professor of Structural Engineering and Structural Mechanics, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of California, Davis
My vision as a potential member of the EMI Board of Governors (BoG) is to contribute in an active manner to serving the needs of the worldwide engineering community with respect to research, application, and education in a broad sense. I plan to support with particular emphasis the professional growth of our new generation of engineers and other professionals involved in both established and emerging areas of Engineering Mechanics. I fully embrace the vision to promote “an interdisciplinary forum for researchers, practicing engineers, industry representatives, citizen groups, public officials and others” and I will work with the other BoG officers to increase the interaction between academia and industry within the EMI and its activities. I believe that a stronger interaction between the Engineering Mechanics research and industry communities would be highly beneficial to advance the EMI’s mission; thus, I plan to work hard to facilitate new effective collaborations between these two communities. To the best of my abilities, I will promote the highest level of transparency and engagement between the BoG and EMI membership. Read full vision and short bio.
Raimondo Betti, Ph.D., M.ASCE
Professor, Department of Civil Engineering & Engineering Mechanics, Columbia University
My vision for EMI perfectly aligns with the description of EMI that can be found on the ASCE website: “a premier interdisciplinary organization of engineering mechanics that promotes research and the application of scientific and mathematical principles to address existing and emerging engineering and societal issues”. This description contains all the components that I consider fundamental to the mission of EMI.
First of all, EMI must continue to be recognized as the pivotal center of engineering mechanics, supporting and disseminating research in all branches of mechanics through conferences, technical committees, webinars, the Journal of Engineering Mechanics, etc. I was an Associate Editor for JEM for three years (2003-05) and have served on various technical committees (Chair and Vice Chair of the Dynamics Committee of EMD (2003-2008) and currently a member of the Dynamics and Structural Health Monitoring committees) and I have had many opportunities to experience first-hand the importance of having such a forum that is representative of the engineering mechanics community. It is through these venues that ideas are exchanged, theories are challenged and collaborations are born; these are indicators of a vibrant research community and should be maintained. Read full vision and short bio.
Jia-Liang Le, Ph.D., P.E., F.EMI, M.ASCE
Professor, Department of Civil, Environmental, and Geo- Engineering, University of Minnesota
Engineering mechanics is a beautiful scientific discipline rooted at the intersection of science and engineering. It impacts almost every aspect of our life including energy efficient buildings, sustainable transportation infrastructure, resilient lifeline systems, novel construction materials, advanced microelectronic devices, innovative medical devices, etc. ASCE EMI has been a flagship professional society in this field. I feel very fortunate and proud to be part of this very vibrant scientific community. Read full vision and short bio.
Chee Wah Lim, P.E., F.EMI, F.ASCE
Professor, Department of Architecture and Civil Engineering, City University of Hong Kong
I wish to write this statement to express my vision on the governance and development of ASCE Engineering Mechanics Institute (EMI), as well as my strong interest and commitment towards the organization.
First, I wish to elaborate on my 25-year close involvement with both ASCE and EMI, I first joined ASCE as a member in 1999 and I was conferred the ASCE fellowship in 2013. I have been a very active member of ASCE and EMI for many years and I was elected as an EMI Fellow in 2017. I served on the EMI Stability committee as Vice Chair (2017-2019) and Chair (2019-2021), and currently I am still serving the EMI Stability Committee as a Past-Chair and a key member in the Committee Control Group. I am also the Lead Guest Editor, since 2021 for a Journal of Engineering Mechanics (ASCE) special issue which is in the process of being published soon in the journal. Read full vision and short bio.
Babak Moaveni, Ph.D., F.EMI, M.ASCE
Professor, Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, Tufts University
EMI is one of the smaller institutes of the ASCE and has been flexible to evolve and improve over the past years. Over the years, the EMI annual conference has grown in size, but it still has the feeling of a smaller and more intimate conference to many of the EMI members. The Journal of Engineering Mechanics, as the primary publication of EMI has also been a resource to many members and seen improvements in its impact factor. The institute has consistently explored improvements by being open-minded and accepting ideas proposed by its staff, members, committees, and the Board of Governors. I have enjoyed serving on the EMI Strategic Planning Committee to hear some of the institute’s challenges and discuss ideas about how to address them. As a board member I would be very interested to see how we can systematically collect and help to realize good ideas from all constituents of EMI, from students to committee chairs. Read full vision and short bio.
Haim Waisman, Ph.D, F.EMI
Associate Professor, Department of Civil Engineering and Engineering Mechanics, Columbia University
With your support, I wish to be elected to the EMI Board of Governors, so that I can bring in new ideas to better serve our community, strengthen the connections between technical committees, keep people engaged during the year, and help junior researchers get more exposure within the larger EMI community. Advancing Engineering Mechanics through research, education and community service has been the primary goal of my career. Thus, my affiliation with EMI, where I find my natural fit to be, has been longstanding. Read full vision and short bio.