Geotechnical Engineering
The University of Washington Geotechnical Engineering Program is one of the oldest programs in the United States. Beginning in 1935, our program has produced outstanding students who have achieved great success in practice and academia. Our program provides a solid background in all traditional areas of geotechnical engineering, and allows students to focus on areas of particular interest including geotechnical earthquake engineering, numerical analysis, landslide hazards, and other contemporary topics. Students also interact with leaders in the local professional community, many of whom are UW graduates, through special courses taught by practitioners, field trips, seminars, and professional society meetings.
UW students and faculty conduct research in a broad range of areas of geotechnical engineering, including seismic site response, earthquake- and rainfall-induced analysis, numerical modeling of flow slides and other large-deformation problems, soil liquefaction, soil-structure interaction, and partially saturated soils. Our research is funded by federal and state agencies such as the National Science Foundation, the U.S. Geological Survey, and the Washington State Department of Transportation.
Student Profile:
Steph Abegg,
PhD Candidate
I chose to pursue my graduate studies at UW CEE because of its respected program, excellent faculty, and variety of research opportunities. The geotechnical engineering group has the camaraderie and power I was looking for in my area of study. I am also an avid alpinist and photographer, having scaled hundreds of challenging summits in North America, so it was a great perk to be nearby my favorite stomping grounds - the beautiful and rugged North Cascades.
My research is part of a 3-year Network for Earthquake Engineering Simulation (NEES) project investigating earthquake liquefaction initiation and effects. This project is an multi-institution project which includes researchers from Alaska, California and New York, and includes both analytical and experimental work. I have specifically been looking into identifying time-evolving ground motion intensity measures that can accurately predict the occurrence and timing of liquefaction, and to explore the use of timing information to improve the accuracy of predictions of the effects of liquefaction. This will inform more accurate design and emergency preparedness decisions in liquefaction-prone areas.
The Geotechnical Engineering group is proud to partner with the ASCE Seattle Geotechnical Group in research projects and promoting the professional development of the local geotechnical community.
