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FEATURE
projectiles – as fast-moving objects – travel through soil. Most
recently, they focused on modeling the behavior of torpedo
anchors used for tethering offshore oil platforms in deep waters,
using transparent soils.
In the last few years, Iskander returned to an area that he
explored decades ago during his doctoral work, but with a twist.
Together with his students, he is adapting methods from computer
science for predicting pile capacity. They hope to employ artificial
intelligence (AI) to better predict the capacity of driven piles.
“It’s still preliminary, but we have created a Pile Capacity
Data Warehouse by importing several databases of pile load tests
and associated soil information into a state-of-the-art relational
database that can be queried, similar to an airline reservation system.
We have also programmed the most widely used pile design
methods. Currently, we are exploring how various popular design
standards perform against load test data by using several advanced
data analytics techniques. In the next few years, we will look into AI
approaches to improve established design methods, but also predict
the capacity of piles using AI rather than calculating it using conventional
approaches.”
Iskander has also done noteworthy research on earth pressure
against rigidly framed earth structures, nondestructive testing of
drilled shafts and seismic earth pressure. Notably, an interactive
online seismic earth pressure calculator that he developed with students
can be used to compute earth pressure during an earthquake
for a variety of frictional or cohesive backfill, considering wall inclination,
backfill slope, ground water and layered systems.
While Iskander teaches mostly at the graduate level, he
also instructs undergraduates in soil mechanics and foundation
engineering.
“I teach two courses with some regularity: Instrumentation
Monitoring and Condition Assessment of Structures, which introduces
students to the various sensors used to monitor foundations
and structures. I also teach Advanced Foundation Design. About
25 percent of that course deals with shallow foundations and 75
percent with deep foundations, with piles representing about a
third of the course. It’s probably one of the most comprehensive
deep foundation courses out there, at least in the U.S.”
An abridged version of Iskander’s instrumentation
course is offered as a continuing education course. His ASCE
Instrumentation and Monitoring Boot Camp and other continuing
education courses have been taken by over 600 practicing engineers.
As Chair of the Civil & Urban Engineering Department,
Iskander oversees over 20 full-time and 50 adjunct faculty members
and a number of staff and graduate student employees.
The department is a thriving organization that carries out
$3 to $5 million of research annually. It is home to a total of 550
students, studying in a variety of civil, construction, transportation
or environmental fields and has an annual operating budget of just
over $5 million, in addition to research expenditures.
Iskander’s time is divided between teaching, research and
administration – although he joked that administrative duties tend
to absorb more than their fair share of the day.
Paperwork is not the most rewarding part of his job. Iskander
saves that accolade for working with young people, including
elementary school students who have been involved in the NYU
Tandon School of Engineering K-12 STEM (science, technology,
engineering and mathematics) outreach program.
“Our first idea was to introduce some of the modern sensors
that engineers use to high school physics, chemistry and biology
68 | ISSUE 4 2018
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