O.H. Ammann Research Fellowship
Nominations Sought For O.H. Ammann Research Fellowship
Nominations are being solicited for the 2009 O. H. Ammann Research Fellowship in Structural Engineering, which is bestowed annually to a member for the purpose of encouraging the creation of new knowledge in the field of structural design and construction. The O. H. Ammann Fellowship was endowed in 1963 by O. H. Ammann, Hon.M.ASCE, and was increased in 1985 by Klary V. Ammann (widow of O. H. Ammann). The application is included on the web page. The deadline for submitting applications is February 20, 2009. Please click here for the application.
Announcement of the 2007 O.H. Ammann Research Fellowship Award
The SEI Technical Activities Division Executive Committee awarded the 2007 O.H. Ammann Research Fellowship in Structural Engineering to Mr. Kapil Khandelwal, a Ph.D. candidate at the Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering of the University of Michigan. The fellowship, which the TAD Executive Committee bestows annually for the purpose of encouraging the creation of new knowledge in the field of structural design and construction, was awarded for his research entitled "Multi-scale Computational Simulation of Progressive Collapse of Steel Frames." Khandelwal's study involves the behavior of structural steel systems under extreme loading conditions, such as the removal of load bearing columns. His research is highly interdisciplinary and draws on resources from various engineering disciplines including computer science, material sciences, fracture mechanics and solid mechanics. The final aim of Mr. Khandelwal's research is to mitigate socio-economic impacts of local structural system failure by: 1) developing a fundamental understanding of progressive collapse of steel building systems; 2) using this information to develop design guidelines which will ensure that damage in a structural system is arrested in a local region without compromising the safety and stability of the entire structural system. Mr. Khandelwal says that this important new research area has significant implications for revising national design guidelines to ensure that new structures are more collapse resistant. The results of his research will probably find its way into codes like FEMA 273 and, thereby, advance performance-based design of structures. Mr. Khandelwal’s full report will be posted when it becomes available.
Mr. Khandelwal graduated from the Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee, India in 1998 with a B.S. in Civil Engineering. He then joined the Electrical Manufacturing Company in Calcutta (India), where he was involved in the design of overhead power transmission line towers. After receiving a GATE scholarship from the Department of Education, Government of India, he joined the masters program in Structural Engineering at the Indian Institute of Technology in Delhi. In his M.S. program, Mr. Khandelwal worked on a research project on semi-active control of steel building frames under seismic excitations using fuzzy logic control. His academic performance earned him the “NBCC Prize for Excellence” award in 2001. Thereafter, Mr. Khandelwal joined RMSI, Noida (India), in the Risk Management Group. At RMSI, he was involved in the development of novel quantitative models and techniques for evaluating risk to civil engineering structures from natural disasters like earthquakes, floods and windstorms. Mr. Khandelwal is currently pursuing a Ph.D. program in Civil/Structural Engineering at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. At Michigan Mr. Khandelwal has been awarded the Rackham Fellowship (2003-2007) and Agarwal Fellowship (Winter 2006) from the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. He has also won the National PERIship Award (2006-2007) from the National Hazard Center, University of Colorado.
Congratulations to Mr. Khandelwal for his hard work and dedication which earned him this fellowship award.
Past Winners of the O.H. Ammann Research Fellowship Award:
2002 Beth Brueggen
2003 Beth Brueggen
2004 Kerri Anne Taeko Tokoro
2005 Dragana Jankovic
2006 Dragana Jankovic













