Rice Unconventional Wisdom

Engineering Solutions graphic title

STUDENT LIFE

Steve Xu

"To me, engineering is about learning how to think in such a way that every problem in life has an elegant solution."

ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT

Alumnus Spotlight: Jim Whitehurst
From computers to airlines and back

Jim Whitehurst, CEO of RedHat, says his computer science background helps him to solve the complex problems that come with the job.

UNDERGRAD RESEARCH

Matt Stearns
Sensitivity of Multi‐Span Simply Supported Concrete Girder Bridge

One of the most pressing issues in coastal construction is the vulnerability of bridges to storm surge wave loading during extreme storm events, such as hurricanes. This vulnerability has been observed most prominently in recent events such as Hurricane Katrina (2005) and Hurricane Ike (2008). The goal of this research is to evaluate which bridge and loading parameters have the greatest influence on the damage to bridges during extreme storm events, with an emphasis on span unseating.