Team

Current Members

Faculty

Aly Mousaad Aly, Ph.D., P.E., M.ASCE

Associate Professor

Director, WISE Research Lab @ LSU

3230H Patrick F. Taylor Hall

Phone: (225) 578-6654

Email: aly@lsu.edu.       Curriculum Vitae [PDF] (Last update on November 21, 2021)

My team's research aims at advancing knowledge in Wind Engineering and Structural Optimization and Control to build more resilient and sustainable coastal infrastructure, enhance safety, and reduce the tremendous cost of rebuilding after windstorms and earthquakes. Dr. Aly is the director of the LSU WISE research and education program. The WISE lab has state-of-the-art experimental facilities, such as the open-jet (with a test section of 4m x 4m, capable of producing realistic hurricane winds at high Reynolds numbers). In addition, the research team has access to a boundary layer wind tunnel, as well as high-performance computing resources for advanced CFD simulations. Our research looks at creating resilient and sustainable homes, transportation infrastructure, solar panels, wind turbines, etc. The findings are crucial for homeowners, local governments, and insurance companies to deal more effectively with natural hazards. For example, it can help officials fine-tune design codes or give coastal residents options for making their dwellings more storm-resistant. Aly worked at Western University as a research fellow in wind engineering of green energy infrastructure. Dr. Aly carried out a vegetated building envelope experimental study for the Bosco Verticale (Vertical Forest) building in Milan. He worked at the wind tunnel of the Polytechnic University of Milan on research projects related to wind effects on civil engineering structures (tall buildings, large roofs, bridges, and sensitive structural members). Aly executed experimental aerodynamic/aeroelastic studies of the CityLife-Milano project, which involved three tall buildings: Isozaki Tower, Hadid Tower, and Libeskind Tower. He developed new techniques for implementing smart dampers in super tall buildings and a novel energy-based probabilistic approach to assess the efficacy of intelligent damping technology. Aly received his Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from Polytechnic University of Milan, M.Sc., and B.Sc. in mechanical engineering from Alexandria University.

 

Graduate Students

Feng Xie, P.E.

Ph.D. Student, Wind/Structural Engineering

M.S. in Civil Engineering, Syracuse University

B.S. in Civil Engineering, China University of Geosciences

 

Md Faiaz Khaled

Ph.D. Student, Wind/Structural Engineering,

B.S. in Civil Engineering, Bangladesh University of Engineering & Technology

 

Cynthia Barton-Ruiz, Ph.D. Student, Sustainable Construction for Hurricanes, B.S. and M.S., Louisiana State University.

 

Ronald Lee  

Ph.D. Student, Control/Structural Engineering,

B.S., MIT

 

Hannah DiLeo  

M.S. Student,  Structural/Bridge Engineering,

B.S. in Civil Engineering, Louisiana State University.

 

Emily Rone  

M.S. Student, Wind/Structural Engineering,

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Louisiana State University.

 

James Powers

M.S. Student, Structural Engineering,

B.S. in Civil Engineering, Louisiana State University

 

Jack Clarke

M.S. Student, Structural Engineering,

Engineer at Joule Energy

 

Patrick Crifasi

M.S. Student, Structural Engineering,

 

 

 

 

 

Undergraduate Students

 

Ryan T Clancy 

Undergraduate Student, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering

LSU President's Future Leaders on Research Awardee.

 

Eli P Barbin

Undergraduate Student, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering

LSU President's Future Leaders on Research Awardee.

 

Hong Zhu

Undergraduate Student, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering

- 2021 LSU Discover Scholar Awardee (Spring and Fall Semesters)

 

 

 

 

Jacob Conerly

Undergraduate Student, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering

 

 

 

 

Alumni

Postdoctoral Researchers

 

Dr. Milad Rezae, P.E.

Civil Engineering, LSU, 2017

 

Dr. Hamzeh Gol-Zaroudi, P.E.

Civil Engineering, LSU, 2017-2018.

 

 

Graduate Students

 

  Suvash Chapain, Ph.D. 

  Ph.D. in Control/Structural Engineering,

  Thesis: Vibration Control in High-Rise Buildings and Wind Turbines to Achieve System-Level Performance Under Multiple Hazard Loads

 

Milad Rezaee, Ph.D., P.E.

Ph.D. in Civil Engineering, LSU, 2017-2018

Thesis: Vibration Control in Wind Turbines for Multihazards

 

Hamzeh Gol-Zaroudi, Ph.D., P.E.

Ph.D. in Civil Engineering, LSU, 2017.

Thesis: Atmospheric Boundary-layer Processes to Mimic Peak Pressures on Low-Rise Buildings: CFD Versus Full-scale and Wind Tunnel Measurements

 

  Matthew Thomas, E.I.

 M.S., Wind/Structural Engineering, 2021

 B.S. in Civil Engineering, Louisiana State University.

  - LCOPRI ASCE scholarship recipient, Project: Open-Jet Testing;

  - 2018 LSU Discover Scholar Awardee

 

 

 

 Bianca Goodlow 

M.S., Heat Island Effects, 2020

B.S. in Civil Engineering, Louisiana State University

 

 

 

 

Nader Yousef, EIT     

M.S., Wind/Structural Engineering, 2020

B.S. in Civil Engineering, Universidade Anhanguera Uniderp

 Area:   Experimental and computational investigations of wind-induced loads on low-rise buildings.
 

 
James Benson 

M.S.,  Structural Engineering, 2020

Thesis: CFD Study of Wind Loads on Overhead Sign Structures

 B.S. in Civil Engineering, Louisiana State University.

 

Erin Dougherty  

M.S.,  Structural Engineering, 2019

Thesis: CFD ANALYSIS OF BRIDGE PIER GEOMETRY ON LOCAL SCOUR POTENTIAL

B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the United States Coast Guard Academy, New London, CT

 

Jennifer Whipple, EIT

M.S., Wind/Structural Engineering, 2020

Thesis: Investigation of Wind Loading on Ground-Mounted Solar Arrays: A Comparative Study

B.S. in Civil Engineering, the University of Louisiana at Lafayette

 

 Marc Hoffmann, P.E.

M.S. in Civil Engineering, LSU, 2018.

Thesis: Over-Height Vehicle Impact Reduction on Bridges: A Case Study

 

Laura Iverson

M.S. in Civil Engineering, LSU, 2016.

Thesis: Aerodynamic Mitigation of Roof Suction Using Solar Panels.

 

Srinivasa Adithya Sailesh Abbur, EIT

M.S. in Civil Engineering, LSU, 2015.

Thesis: Vibration Mitigation in High-Rise Buildings Under Multi-Hazard.

 

Amar Cumurovic, P.E.

M.S. in Civil Engineering, LSU, 2014.

Area: Dynamic response and mitigation of steel stacks under wind loads

 

Mujahed Shalabi, P.E.

M.S. in Civil Engineering, LSU 2014.

Area: Flow validation in a new open-jet simulator at LSU

 

Brian Carrington, P.E.

M.S. in Civil Engineering, LSU, 2014.

Area: Aerodynamic retrofitting of roof geometry on low-rise buildings to reduce uplift

 

Undergraduate Students

 Matthew Thomas, EIT

Undergraduate Student, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Louisiana State University,

– LCOPRI ASCE scholarship recipient, Project: Open-Jet Testing;

– 2018 LSU Discover Scholar Awardee

 

Emily Rone, E.I.

Undergraduate Student,  Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Louisiana State University.

 

Raymond Poche

Undergraduate Student, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Louisiana State University

– 2018 LSU Discover Scholar Awardee

 

 

 

Talk a little about your Research, Involvement, or skills learned at LSU.

My research at LSU focuses on the effects of wind loads on roofs and roof-mounted solar panels. I am studying why solar panels fail when subjected to loads often less than the advertised load capacity. Many variables affect how the panels withstand these wind forces, including the location of solar arrays to the roof, the array shape and size, inclination angles, mounting scheme, wind direction, and even the aerodynamics of the roof design itself. In performing this research, I learned about the fluid mechanics and dynamics of wind and rain computational fluid dynamic simulations in the OpenFOAM software to visualize flow fields and measure pressure and velocity profiles at various locations. In my research and my classes at LSU, I developed many skills that I believe will help me for the rest of my life. These include diligence, self-discipline, time management, communication, motivation to improve my skills, and even the ability to learn new information quickly while building upon previous fundamental material. I have applied these skills to the best of my ability here at LSU, allowing me to publish a journal with my research mentor, maintain a 4.2 GPA, earn several scholarships, and build new friendships along the way. I hope to continue this success in years to come.

 

Fabiola Campoblanco, P.E.

Senior Undergraduate Student, 2014

Area: Hurricane wind generation in a new Open-Jet simulator at LSU

 

 Sunny Nguyen

Undergraduate, B.S.

Area: Wind Engineering

 

Lisa Goodgion, EIT

Undergraduate, B.S.

Area: Hurricane Engineering and Open-Jet Testing

 

Joseph Richard Bresowar

Undergraduate, B.S.

Area: Open-Jet Testing and Aerodynamic Mitigation

 

  Dalton R Guidry  

Undergraduate, B.S.

Area: Wind Engineering.
 

 

 

K-12 Student Researchers

 

Brice Sanders, Kenilworth Science and Technology School, 3rd Place Winner, 2018 Region VII Science Fair

 

Derrick Batiste, Kenilworth Science and Technology School, 3rd Place Winner, 2018 Region VII Science Fair

 

Jordan Freeman, Kenilworth Science and Technology School, 4th Place Winner, 2017 Region VII Science Fair

 

Kolby Trosclair, Kenilworth Science and Technology School