The Zachry Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering recently welcomed two Hagler Fellows from the 2024-2025 class whose collaborations in artificial intelligence (AI) and large-scale quantitative risk analysis are already bearing fruit. Both have participated in workshops about their respective fields and continue working closely with many professors and students across multiple disciplines here at Texas A&M University.
The Hagler Institute for Advanced Study at Texas A&M selects top scholars with outstanding professional accomplishments or significant recognition in their careers. The Hagler Fellowship supports each class member's collaborations for one to five years and provides operational support and Ph.D. fellowships to students involved in the collaborations.
AI in Civil & Environmental Engineering
Dr. Youssef Hashash, a civil and environmental engineering professor at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, researches the application of deep learning and AI techniques to geotechnical engineering.
Hashash’s areas of interest include earthquake engineering, tunneling, excavation and support systems. He will collaborate with Dr. Jean-Louis Briaud, a professor in the Zachry Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, on research related to bridge scour, which involves simulating erosion around bridge foundations, amongst other topics.
“Simulating scour is a very challenging problem using computer methods, so we are looking at potentially using some newer AI techniques to run these simulations faster because they are very time-consuming,” said Briaud.
It’s all about the data. Always ask if current tools are acceptable and if they are representative of observations. If not, you find a knowledge gap that AI might improve, what areas might be improved, and then, which AI technology to use.
In one of his first workshops, Hashash discussed the many advancements throughout the history of AI and their application to engineering. He also detailed some of the benefits of different types of AI approaches in engineering specialties, including geotechnical engineering, especially when they involve vast amounts of data.
“It’s all about the data. Always ask if current tools are acceptable and if they are representative of observations,” Hashash said at the AI workshop. “If not, you find a knowledge gap that AI might improve, what areas might be improved, and then, which AI technology to use.”
Hashash is a National Academy of Engineering member and a Fellow of the American Society of Civil Engineers.
Large-scale Quantitative Risk Analysis
Dr. Gregory Baecher, a civil and environmental engineering professor at the University of Maryland, describes himself as a civil and geological engineer by training and profession. His collaborative efforts at Texas A&M will center around large-scale quantitative risk analysis for regional risks.
Baecher uses a probabilistic approach, which considers both the risk of an event and its consequences, to analyze natural hazards, supply chain management, national infrastructure, and power grids, among other things.
“Typical coastal risk problems tend to be sub-state level,” said Baecher. “There’s a major project here along the Texas Gulf Coast, from Galveston to Port Arthur, building hurricane protection systems to protect the Port of Houston; that’s a typical big risk project.”
This coastal project involves the construction of a vast sea wall, like one erected outside New Orleans after Katrina, and repairing existing jetties. Baecher explained that the three components in most risk analyses are the hazard or threat level, the vulnerability or fragility of the infrastructure, and the consequences. Consequences can sometimes be divided into financial or economic, health and safety to people, and environmental.
Typical coastal risk problems tend to be sub-state level. There’s a major project here along the Texas Gulf Coast, from Galveston to Port Arthur, building hurricane protection systems to protect the Port of Houston; that’s a typical big risk project.
“So, in Galveston’s case, that would be hurricane and hurricane surge – the increase in water level as the hurricane comes ashore,” said Baecher. “How vulnerable is the Port of Houston and all of the oil and gas development there? And the third piece is the consequences.”
Hagler Fellows collaborate not only with civil engineering but also with other departments and colleges. The ocean engineering, geography, and atmospheric sciences departments also contributed to Baecher’s nomination.
Baecher hopes to collaborate with the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, the Bush School of Government and Public Service, and the College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences.
“Our main interest for collaborating is looking at regional issues and problems that might require a number of experts from different disciplines that can come up with potential solutions,” said Dr. Zenon Medina-Cetina, an associate professor at Texas A&M’s civil and environmental engineering department. “The main geographical area of interest so far is North America, from Mexico through the U.S., all the way to Canada.”
“It will be interesting to look at problems that do not recognize borders, for example, the impacts expected from climate change, issues related to energy production, transportation, food, and other issues like the recent pandemic,” Medina-Cetina continued. “There are a number of systems that move across North America with global impacts that we think should be studied.”