Michael Chajes

The shaking from a major earthquake may be over in minutes, but its consequences will last for years. University of Delaware experts can address emergency response, distributing aid, assessing damaged buildings, helping vulnerable communities and planning for long-term recovery. Their expertise is particularly relevant as communities across Latin America respond to major earthquakes, including the deadly magnitude 7.4 earthquake in Colombia. Tricia Wachtendorf, co-director of UD’s Disaster Research Center, offers expertise on how governments, nonprofits, emergency responders and community groups coordinate following a major disaster. Her research examines the role of spontaneous or “emergent” groups, humanitarian aid and donations, and how communities and organizations respond in the aftermath of disasters. Jennifer Trivedi, associate professor of anthropology and Disaster Research Center faculty member, specializes in disaster vulnerability and why some communities are more severely affected than others. She also addresses the long-term recovery needs and planning that emerge after the immediate crisis. Michael Chajes, professor of civil and environmental engineering, provides expertise on the structural damage caused by earthquakes, why some buildings collapse while others withstand the shaking and how engineers assess damaged structures and improve earthquake resilience. To arrange an interview with one of these experts, visit their profiles and click on the contact button. Interested reporters can also email MediaRelations@udel.edu.

University of Delaware structural engineering expert Michael Chajes is available to discuss the engineering challenges involved in assessing and stabilizing high-rise buildings following structural damage, structural failures and concerns about potential collapse. Chajes, a professor of civil and environmental engineering and a registered professional engineer, specializes in structural engineering, structural health monitoring and forensic engineering. He has provided expert commentary to national media outlets on major structural failures, including the Surfside condominium collapse and the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse. His expertise is particularly relevant to the ongoing situation in New York involving a high-rise that is at-risk of partial collapse. He can discuss. The conditions that can trigger structural instability during construction, renovation or changes in building use. How engineers assess damaged structures and determine whether a building can be stabilized or safely repaired. The engineering challenges involved in converting older office towers into residential buildings, including changes in structural loads, construction sequencing and temporary support systems. How structural health monitoring and inspection technologies help engineers evaluate the safety of aging infrastructure and high-rise buildings. To arrange an interview with Chajes, visit his profile and click on the contact button. Interested reporters can also send an email to MediaRelations@udel.edu.

The early morning collapse of Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge is leaving experts and area residents alike in disbelief. Michael Chajes, a professor in the civil and environmental engineering department at the University of Delaware, is the go to person to speak on what happened and what this means for the future of this bridge. Chajes's expertise includes forensic engineering, specifically unearthing the root causes of engineering failures, such as bridge collapses. He has participated in the evaluation and testing of numerous major bridges and structures including the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway, Ben Franklin Bridge, Chesapeake City Bridge, Lock Gates on the Erie Canal and several historic trusses and polymer composite bridges. He is also the former Delaware Engineer of the Year. He is a civil engineer and has been speaking to the likes of CNN today about this bridge collapse. He is available and ready to chat if you'd like to connect with him. Chajes has been speaking with networks like CNN about the bridge collapse and is available for comment. He can be reached by clicking his "View Profile" button.