Latest news with #WallofWind
Miami Herald
02-07-2025
- Science
- Miami Herald
FIU's College of Engineering and Computing Leads the Way in Innovation and Excellence
Florida International University (FIU) is transforming the field of engineering and computing, cementing its position as a national trailblazer in innovation and academic excellence. As a proud part of one of the nation's fastest-rising universities – now ranked a Top 50 public university – FIU's College of Engineering and Computing is at the forefront of preparing the next generation to tackle the most pressing challenges of our rapidly evolving world, using advanced tools including artificial intelligence. One of the most exciting developments at FIU is the opening of the first building of the 'Engineering Innovation Complex' in Fall 2025. This 121,000-square-foot, $75 million state-of-the-art facility will house cutting-edge makerspace labs, active learning classrooms, and advanced research laboratories. Structured to excel in sustainable design and operation, the LEED Certified Gold building will feature 20,000 square feet of interactive research and teaching space equipped with best-in-class computing and prototyping equipment. This transformative multidisciplinary facility will enhance student's preparation for high-demand careers in AI, cybersecurity, robotics and automation, advanced materials and manufacturing, next generation electronics, infrastructure resiliency and health. Its opening will further augment the college's ability to deliver excellence across three strategic focus areas of the FIU ExperienceImpact 2030 Strategic plan. Environment & Environmental Resilience: With a strategic focus on sustainability and innovation, FIU leverages its unique location to conduct cutting-edge research in areas such as Everglades restoration, Biscayne Bay recovery, and coral reef and shark protection. The college is also at the forefront of infrastructure resiliency research in sprayable ultra high-performance cement, 3-D printing and resilient structures. The Wall of Wind (WoW), a national experimental facility capable of generating Category 5 hurricane-force winds, has led to improved building codes and safer structures nationwide. Tech and Innovation: FIU is committed to ensuring our graduates are AI-ready. In addition to a comprehensive curriculum transformation, the college recently started a new master's program in applied AI and IoT. It also offers a fully online master's in computer engineering focused on cyber and AI security. The college is also advancing automation and robotics, as well as next-gen electronics, with significant research funding and partnerships, while pioneering advanced manufacturing and materials for aerospace and deep space exploration. With programs and outcomes such as these, the world is taking note. U.S. News & World Report ranks the College of Engineering and Computing among the Top 100 Engineering Schools in the country, and the college was recently named a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense Education and Research for the fifth consecutive year. The college's research impact continues to grow exponentially, with faculty securing over $82 million in research awards in 2024, more than doubling since 2017. Faculty members have been awarded nearly 200 patents in just the past five years. FIU's powerful network in South Florida provides the college's 9,100 engineering and computing students with unparalleled opportunities for professional growth. Strategic collaborations with organizations like Baptist Health, FPL, and the U.S. Army have led to significant advancements in areas such as AI-driven healthcare innovations, renewable microgrids, advanced battery technologies, and additive manufacturing. These partnerships not only deliver innovative solutions to complex problems but also prepare a highly skilled workforce ready to tackle emerging challenges in energy security, infrastructure resilience, and operational efficiency. As Miami rapidly evolves into a major technology hub and maintains its position as the gateway to Latin America and the Caribbean, FIU plays a crucial role in supplying the highly skilled talent needed to fuel this transformation. Graduates are actively recruited by some of the largest corporations in the world, including Google, Microsoft, Tesla, and General Motors. Year over year, FIU students distinguish themselves as some of the most impressive and well-prepared candidates, consistently graduating with degrees in the highest paying careers. FIU's College of Engineering and Computing is a dynamic catalyst for change and innovation. As the college continues to push the boundaries of what is possible, it is not only shaping the future of engineering and computing but also making a lasting impact on our community and the world. Its unwavering commitment to excellence, innovation, and collaboration ensures that FIU is not just keeping pace with the rapidly evolving technological landscape but leading the way.
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
What is a downburst? These winds can be as destructive as tornadoes − we recreate them to test building designs
From a distance, a downburst can look like a torrent of heavy rain. But at ground level, its behavior can be far more destructive. When a downburst's winds hit the ground, they shoot out horizontally in all directions, sometimes with enough force to shatter windows and overturn vehicles. These winds behave in complicated ways, particularly in cities, as our latest research shows. Downburst winds can deflect off tall buildings, increasing the pressure on neighboring buildings' windows and walls. The result can blow out glass and chip off facade. Even buildings designed to survive hurricanes can suffer major damage in a downburst. As engineers, we study downbursts with the goal of designing buildings, components such as solar panels and windows, and infrastructure such as power lines that can stand up to that powerful force. To do this, informed by field measurements, we create our own powerful downbursts using a hurricane simulator known as the Wall of Wind at Florida International University. Downbursts can be as destructive as tornadoes, but their winds develop in a very different way. A downburst forms when a thunderstorm pulls cooler, heavier air down from high in the atmosphere. As this rain-cooled air rushes downward, it gains speed. Once it slams into the ground, it has nowhere to go but outward, sending strong winds in all horizontal directions. The wind speed in a downburst can reach over 150 miles per hour. That's the strength of a Category 4 hurricane and strong enough to knock down trees and power lines, damage buildings and flip vehicles. These winds also rotate, but not in the same way tornadoes do. Downburst winds are typically considered straight-line winds, but they rotate around a horizontal axis as the wind curls upward after hitting the ground. Tornadoes, in contrast, spin around a vertical axis. Powerful storm systems known as derechos are often made up of multiple downburst clusters, each containing many smaller downbursts, sometimes called microbursts. On May 16, 2024, a derecho hit Houston with a downburst that was so strong, it blew out windows in several high-rise buildings that had been built to survive Category 4 hurricanes. The winds also pried off chunks of buildings' facades. Two months later, Hurricane Beryl hit Houston with similar wind speeds, yet it left minimal damage to the downtown buildings. To understand how a downburst like this can be so much more destructive – and what cities and building designers can do about it – we simulated both the Houston downburst winds and Hurricane Beryl's winds in the Wall of Wind. The test facility is equipped with a dozen jet fans, each almost as tall as the workers who run them and powerful enough to simulate a Category 5 hurricane. Our team used these fans to recreate powerful downburst winds that hit horizontally with the maximum wind speeds near ground level. Then, we put several models of buildings to the test to see how roofs, windows, facades and the structures of power lines reacted under that force. In the Houston derecho, a downburst hit downtown with 100 mph winds. It cracked some lower windows, likely with blowing debris, but it also caused widespread unexpected damage midway up some of the buildings. The Chevron Building Auditorium actually suffered the most damage on a side that wasn't directly in the line of the storm but was facing another tall building. That left some intriguing questions. It suggested that the way the buildings channel the wind may have created a strong suction that blew out windows midway up the tower. Another burning question is whether building design codes are outdated when it comes to how well their cladding can stand up to these localized winds. Using the Wall of Wind, we were able to test those pressures on models of the Houston buildings and see how downburst winds increased the pressured on a tall building model with excessive forces near the ground level. The ability to simulate these winds is important for improving engineers' understanding of the differences in how downbursts and other wind events exert force on buildings. The results ultimately inform building standards to help create more resilient and better-protected communities. Big storms, like downbursts, can also take down power lines. Power lines extend hundreds of miles between cities and states, making them more susceptible to a hit from a localized severe storm, such as a downburst. If one of the towers falls, it can cause a chain reaction, like dominoes falling one after another. That can knock out power for large numbers of people. With colleagues, we have been testing transmission towers and multispan power-line systems under downburst and hurricane winds to understand how these structures respond, with the goal of developing better construction techniques. That work has helped to update the American manual for the design of power lines, which engineers use for designing safer, more storm-resilient transmission towers. Low-rise and mid-rise buildings are also vulnerable to downbursts, but the effects are less well understood. Downburst winds are most intense between 10 and 300 feet above the ground, meaning the roofs and walls of some low-rises can be hit with intense horizontal wind. Recent building codes have offered design guidelines to help ensure these buildings can withstand tornadoes. However, the way downbursts rotate in a short time around a building or a community of buildings puts pressure on the walls and the roof in different ways. Similar to straight-line winds, we expect high suction on the roof. Due to their short duration, varying wind direction and intense wind speed, downbursts may also cause excessive vibrations and varying pressure distribution on the roof components. We're now testing downburst damage to low- and mid-rise buildings to better understand the risks and help highlight changes that can make buildings more resilient. As populations grow, cities are adding more buildings. At the same time, powerful storms are becoming more frequent and more intense. Understanding the effects of different types of storms will help engineers construct high-rises, low-rises and power lines that are better able to withstand extreme weather. This article is republished from The Conversation, a nonprofit, independent news organization bringing you facts and trustworthy analysis to help you make sense of our complex world. It was written by: Amal Elawady, Florida International University; Fahim Ahmed, Florida International University; Mohamed Eissa, Florida International University, and Omar Metwally, Two key ingredients cause extreme storms with destructive flooding – why these downpours are happening more often What causes the powerful winds that fuel dust storms, wildfires and blizzards? A weather scientist explains30 years after Hurricane Andrew devastated Florida, researchers are using a 'Wall of Wind' to design safer homes – but storms are getting even more intense Amal Elawady receives funding from the National Science Foundation. Fahim Ahmed, Mohamed Eissa, and Omar Metwally do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
