Brady Cox

Brady Cox was chosen from a group of fourteen applicants. The applications were reviewed by Eric Williamson, University of Texas at Austin; James LaFave, University of Illinois; Gustavo Parra-Montesinos, University of Michigan; and Nadim Wehbe, South Dakota State University. The candidates were drawn from eleven universities in California, Indiana, Minnesota, Missouri, New York, Texas, and Washington. They represent the fields of public administration and policy, and structural, civil, geotechnical, and environmental engineering.

The focal point of Cox's research is the development of an in-situ test to determine directly the liquefaction resistance of soil deposits. He has designed a new liquefaction sensor that, when perfected, will provide the earthquake engineering community with a powerful, direct new tool for liquefaction hazard assessment.

According to Kenneth Stokoe, professor of Civil Engineering at the University of Texas at Austin, "Up to now, characterization of the nonlinear properties of geotechnical materials has only been performed with small test specimens in the laboratory." The University of Texas is developing large-scale field equipment for dynamic loading of geotechnical structural systems as part of the George E. Brown, Jr. Network for Earthquake Engineering Simulation (NEES). Cox will use this unique equipment to carry out highly specialized field research. Stokoe expects this work will provide "an enormous step forward in reducing a significant geotechnical earthquake hazard."

The objective of EERI is to reduce earthquake risk by advancing the science and practice of earthquake engineering, improving understanding of the impact of earthquakes on the physical, social, economic, political and cultural environment, and by advocating comprehensive and realistic measures for reducing the harmful effects of earthquakes.

Earthquake Engineering Research Institute
499 14th Street, Suite 320
Oakland, California 94612-1934

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