RIT Engineering Technology Students Take Aim at Structural Failures

Rochester Institute of Technology engineering technology students are using the tragedies of the past to help prevent tragedies in the future. Students in professor Abi Aghayere’s structural analysis class will be presenting their findings at 9 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 7 in room 1480 of RIT’s James E. Booth Building.

“Given the tragic collapse of the I-35W bridge in Minneapolis this summer, I thought it was important for students to research and study past structural failures, their causes and the lessons learned, with a view to preventing future structural failures,” says Aghayere, the acting chair of RIT’s Department of Civil Engineering Technology, Environmental Management & Safety.

Aghayere has examined a number of bridges in New York state and believes there is a great deal of action that must be taken to prevent a Minneapolis-like tragedy in New York state and around the country.

“I continue to have concerns about our infrastructure in the United States because many of our bridges are approaching the end of their useful life, which is typically 50 to 75 years. Due to less than adequate maintenance over the years on some of these structures, anything could happen without warning,” Aghayere says.

MEDIA NOTE: Media interested in covering these presentations should contact John Follaco at (585) 475-4948.