Rensselaer is America’s oldest technological research university, offering bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees in engineering, the sciences, information technology and web science, architecture, management, and the humanities, arts, and social sciences.

The university offers degrees from five schools: Engineering; Science; Architecture; Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences; and the Lally School of Management; as well as an interdisciplinary degree in Information Technology and Web Science.

Rensselaer offers more than 145 programs at the bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral levels. Students are encouraged to work in interdisciplinary programs that allow them to combine scholarly work from several departments or schools. The university provides rigorous, engaging, interactive learning environments and campus-wide opportunities for leadership, collaboration, and creativity.

Driven by talented, dedicated, and forward-thinking faculty, Rensselaer has dramatically expanded the research enterprise by leveraging our existing strengths and focusing on five signature research areas: biotechnology and the life sciences; energy and the environment; computational science and engineering; nanotechnology and advanced materials; and media, arts, science, and technology.

The Institute is especially well-known for its success in the transfer of technology from the laboratory to the marketplace so that new discoveries and inventions benefit human life, protect the environment, and strengthen economic development.

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

New Row

Contact expert @[Full Name](fullname), @[Job Title](job_title) at @[Organization](organization) for media, speaking, professional opportunities and more.

@[Full Name](fullname) at @[Organization](organization) | Contact Form

Expert Inquiry

Open Sans

LEAP-UCD-2017 Comparison of Centrifuge Test Results

Large-Scale Modeling of Preshaking Effect on Liquefaction Resistance, Shear Wave Velocity, and CPT Tip Resistance of Clean Sand

Verification of the Repeatability of Soil Liquefaction Centrifuge Testing at Rensselaer

Uncertainty quantification and propagation in the modeling of liquefiable sands

Tarek Abdoun is a professor of civil and environmental engineering, and the Technical Director of the Network for Earthquake Engineering Simulation facility at Rensselaer. 

Abdoun's primary research interests are centrifuge modeling, soil-structure interaction, soil remediation, field advanced sensing, and data visualization. He has conducted, and advised other researchers on, successful high-quality centrifuge model tests conducted at the Rensselaer centrifuge. These centrifuge experiments, supplemented by high-quality reliable measurements, have been used to develop or calibrate new design or retrofit engineering methods. 

Abdoun led the Rensselaer physical modelling research team that clarified the failure mechanisms of some of the New Orleans levees during Hurricane Katrina, providing critical feedback to the corresponding numerical analyses. He worked closely on this with the US Army Corps of Engineers and the corresponding U.S. National Academies Oversight Committee.

His work has been cited in news reports on national networks including CNN, NBC, Discovery, and ASCE News, and it was referenced in great detail in an article evaluating the lessons from Hurricane Katrina in the Spring 2007 issue of The Bridge, published by the National Academy of Engineering. 

Abdoun has designed and developed a novel wireless shape-acceleration sensor array, taking advantage of new advances in fiber optic and MEMS sensor technologies. The sensors are capable of measuring ground acceleration and permanent deformation.  Each sensor array is connected to a wireless sensor node to enable real time monitoring and informed assessment of pending failure. 

He is a member of several technical committees and the editorial board of technical journals, including ASCE Geo Institute Committee for Earthquake Engineering and Soil Dynamics, ASCE Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering, Canadian Journal, etc.

Abdoun is the recipient of Rensselaer's 2004, 2006, & 2007 School of Engineering Excellence in Research & Teaching Award, and the 2004 prestigious Casimir Gzowski awarded by the Canadian Society for Civil Engineering. 

He has published more than 120 publications and technical reports.

Earthquakes

Centrifuge Modeling

Soil-Structure Interaction

Data Visualization

Soil Remediation

Field Advanced Sensing

Tarek Abdoun Faculty Page

Studying Soil Behavior Under Pressure Could Save Millions of Dollars

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Team Wins NSF Grant To Develop Geo Explorer Game for Geotechnical Site Investigations

A Prescription for Healthier, Longer-Lived Levees and Dams

with-hurricane-season-underway-what-have-engineers-learned-from-previous-storms

Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering

With hurricane season already underway and projected to be active, communities need to make sure they have learned the lessons from previous major storms so that they are prepared for the next one.

As the technical director for the Network for Earth Engineering Facility at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and an expert in centrifuge modeling, Tarek Abdoun can provide that insight.  Abdoun led a research team that used physical models within the Rensselaer centrifuge to determine how some of the levees in New Orleans failed during Hurricane Katrina. Those findings have provided engineers with a better understanding of how levees respond to extreme floods.  Abdoun is available to talk about what engineers have been able to learn since Katrina, and how that makes levees and dams safer.  

With Hurricane Season Underway, What Have Engineers Learned from Previous Storms?

Select Inquiry Type