March 30, 2012
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VICKSBURG, Miss. – ERDC Geotechnical and Structures Laboratory’s (GSL) Dr. Paul Mlakar, a senior research scientist and distinguished member of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), recently presented an invited seminar on Hurricane Katrina to ASCE’s New Jersey Section.
The interest of these geotechnical engineers was piqued by the flooding in their region associated with Hurricane Irene last fall.
In his presentation, Mlakar explained exactly what happened during Hurricane Katrina and why. He stressed the importance of a systematic approach, resilience, and residual risk in the engineering of hurricane protection, while communicating the contributions of the Corps of Engineers to the practicing professionals in the audience.
Within GSL, Mlakar works with weapons effects and structural dynamics, conducting research and guiding the overall program in the response of structures to extreme loads. He pioneered U.S. initiatives on worldwide weapons effects and structural dynamics research, establishing himself as one of the preeminent forensic civil engineers in the country. He led the collection effort of ephemeral data for the Interagency Performance Task Force Team, post Hurricane Katrina.