Barbara G. Simpson won the Earthquake Engineering Research Institute's 2016 Graduate Student Paper Competition for her paper, "Reducing Concentrations of Inelastic Demand with a Strongback (pdf)."
The paper presents the numerical and experimental results of a “strongback” system, a modification of the conventional braced frame that utilizes a vertical steel truss to delay or prevent weak-story behavior.
Simpson is a PhD student in the CEE Structural Engineering, Mechanics and Materials program. Her adviser Is Professor Stephen Mahin.