Weathering the Storm: Professors Turn Tragedy Into Transformative Research - University of Alabama News Skip to content Home » Weathering the Storm: Professors Turn Tragedy Into Transformative Research Email For many Alabamians, April 27, 2011, is a day that is etched in their memory. A day marked by widespread devastation as more than 60 tornadoes ripped through the state of Alabama, violently disrupting communities and causing unimaginable loss. One of the deadliest and most destructive tornadoes of the outbreak was an EF4 multi-vortex tornado that touched down in parts of Birmingham and Tuscaloosa, claiming 64 lives and leaving an indelible mark on the areas and individuals that were affected. While the Tuscaloosa tornado and its aftermath undoubtedly brought significant and incomprehensible change to the city, its occurrence served as an unlikely source of motivation for some. It presented the opportunity to focus on groundbreaking storm-related research in hopes of ensuring that communities across the globe are better prepared for severe weather and its oftentimes unavoidable impact. From Destruction to Determination The impact of the Tuscaloosa tornado was deeply personal for Dr. Patrick “Shane” Crawford, an assistant professor in the civil, construction and environmental engineering department. In 2011, he was a junior at The University of Alabama studying civil engineering. As he huddled in the conference room at his student job in the Provost’s Office on the day of the storm, he was entirely unaware of just how much the events that transpired would affect the trajectory of his education and career. From hours of sheltering and listening to wailing weather sirens to surveying the debris-laden city and helping his grandmother repair the damage to her home, Crawford witnessed firsthand the far-reaching effects of the tornado and resolved to do something about it. After earning his bachelor’s degree, Crawford decided to further his education. He pursued both his master’s and Ph.D. at UA, focusing his graduate research on the resilience of communities that face natural hazards. Dr. Patrick “Shane” Crawford “I sought to look at not only reducing the impact of the damage but also understanding how the direct impact to physical infrastructure affects social systems, economic systems and communities,” Crawford said. “I wanted to understand the cascading effect these natural hazards have on all of the interdependent systems within a community and share that information with the public so that local decision-makers could understand how the hazard mitigation policies they make affect the trajectory of the community.” Using the Tuscaloosa tornado as a case study for his dissertation, Crawford closely studied the city’s recovery and rebuilding efforts. Shortly after completing his Ph.D., he completed a postdoctoral fellowship with the National Institute of Standards and Technology before transitioning into a two-year role with the Federal Emergency Management Agency. “At FEMA, we were working to help get tornado standards into model building codes and to encourage states and jurisdictions to adopt building codes in hazard-prone areas that did not require them,” he said. “Historically, engineers were never required to design buildings for tornadoes, but in recent years that has changed due to new science provided by tornado researchers.” Crawford’s research and work in the field ultimately led him back to UA in 2023, when he accepted a position as an assistant professor in the Styslinger College of Engineering . In this role, he has continued his work related to building codes, analyzing structures in countless cities after storms to determine if they are meeting performance levels or if their designs need to be updated. While the goal is for cities to be prepared before a weather event ever occurs, Crawford underscored the importance of using every storm to inform future decisions and safety protocols. Historically, engineers were never required to design buildings for tornadoes, but in recent years that has changed due to new science provided by tornado researchers. “You never want a disaster to happen, but one of the things we always say is ‘we never want to waste a disaster,’” Crawford noted. “If there’s something we can learn in the aftermath of a disaster to prevent something similar from happening in the future, that’s when we go out and conduct the post-event data collection about the performance of structures.” In addition to championing cities to adopt safer, updated codes, he also conducts predictive research on storm outcomes. Using state-of-the-art computer models, Crawford and one of his graduate students run simulations of destructive storms in various cities. Their simulations seek to predict the possible effects a natural hazard could have and encourage researchers to think critically about proactive measures that might spare the city from future damage. “We’re essentially creating models and computational platforms that allow decision makers to make better risk-informed decisions,” he said. While scientific modeling is an integral aspect of Crawford’s work, developing a greater understanding of the social and behavioral patterns of individuals who reside in disaster-prone areas is equally as important. He analyzes the barriers, such as cost and education level, that might prevent residents from constructing or purchasing a storm shelter for their homes. His determination to untangle the complexities of the decision-making process for residents and aid communities in becoming more prepared for future events is not only pertinent to his research but is also advancing the work of his colleague, Dr. Sriram Aaleti. Making Protection More Accessible Although Aaleti was not living in Tuscaloosa in April 2011, he was quickly exposed to the tornado’s grueling impact. He visited UA not long after the tornado when he was interviewing for a position in the civil, construction and environmental engineering department. As faculty drove him through some of the hardest-hit areas of town, the damage that he surveyed proved to be incontrovertible evidence that a practical solution was needed to increase chances of survival during severe weather. Aaleti was hired as a faculty member after that memorable visit. His tenure in the College has led to innovative research projects centered around designing structures built to withstand natural and man-made hazards. Today, the associate professor’s focus is on developing a widely accessible protective solution that homeowners can easily assemble and install in their own homes. Through a project called SmartGuard, Aaleti and his students and collaborators are developing an innovative modular wall system of panels comprised of ultra-high-performance concrete and metamaterials. “The UHPC panels are connected with polymeric mechanical material shear connectors,” Aaleti said. “This smart panel system can be easily configured to create a multifunctional storm shelter, which is both lighter and more modular compared to current alternatives available on the market. The lightweight and easy-to-assemble modular smart panel system can also promote do-it-yourself installation and will help enhance the degree of safety for our population as a whole.” Dr. Sriram Aaleti A key advantage of the novel system is its suitability for retrofitting existing homes, apartments and commercial buildings. Rather than having to conduct renovations, individuals can easily build and install the modular safe room within an existing structure. Designed with convenience and versatility in mind, it can also be disassembled, and the panels can be used for practical purposes, such as shelving, at times when the shelter is not needed. The project, which is supported by the Alabama Research and Development Enhancement Fund Program, has opened the door for numerous collaborative opportunities in the broader civil and construction engineering industry and within the College. Aaleti has partnered with leading companies in the industry and is planning to conduct rigorous testing and ensure the shelter prototype meets even the strictest safety standards. In addition, he has developed a strong working relationship with Crawford. The data and insights Crawford has gathered from his building code and community resilience research work have proven to be invaluable in helping Aaleti consider all possibilities for the mass production and distribution of this shelter design concept. Aaleti hopes that the safe room will one day become a low-cost and reliable storm preparedness solution that is sold in retail stores across the state and, eventually, the country. “Utilizing the smart panel system created for this project would make Alabama’s infrastructure more resistant to natural hazards, while expanding business prospects for local manufacturers and enhancing the state’s built environmental resilience,” he said. For now, though, Aaleti is simply focused on two things: further testing and refining his model. He has enlisted the help of Dr. Sree Kalyan Patiballa, assistant professor in the department of mechanical engineering, to test the efficacy of additional materials for inclusion in the UHPC panels. Utilizing the College’s state-of-the-art Large-Scale Structures Laboratory and Debris Cannon Laboratory, the pair are working toward conducting extensive rounds of final testing to ensure the revolutionary shelter will soon provide enhanced protection for individuals no matter where they reside. Equipping the Next Generation In the same lab in which Aaleti is testing his cutting-edge design, Dr. Armen Amirkhanian is introducing students to the ever-important fields of civil and construction engineering. Through his sophomore-level CE 262 course, the associate professor expertly trains future generations of engineers to understand the capabilities of various materials and the role they play in developing structurally sound buildings. The quad-barrel debris cannon simulates wind-borne debris causing damage to structures during severe weather events. Students measure a UHPC panel in the College’s Large-Scale Structures Laboratory A student prepares to run experiments in the Debris Cannon Laboratory. An undergraduate student inserts a two-by-four into one of the barrels of the debris cannon. “The course covers all materials in civil engineering, ranging from concrete and steel to aggregates and asphalt,” he said. “At this point in the major, the students have not taken any structural design classes, but they must take their limited knowledge of the materials and solve a problem that’s unfamiliar to them.” The challenge at hand: designing a concrete panel that will withstand the impact of a two-by-four being launched from the debris cannon at approximately 130 mph. It is a task that even some of the industry’s most experienced engineers would grapple with, but each semester, Amirkhanian’s students take it in stride and use their resourcefulness and put their skills to the test with one of the College’s most sophisticated pieces of equipment. It teaches them important concepts about tornado shelter design code and why certain requirements are in there. The University of Alabama is one of only a few institutions in the U.S. with a debris cannon and the only university campus in the world with a quad-barrel debris cannon. The cannon can independently or simultaneously launch debris from each of the four barrels, simulating real-world scenarios such as wind-borne debris causing damage to structures during tornadoes and hurricanes. The lab is also equipped with high-speed cameras that record the speed of the debris’ launch, enabling students to review the footage and determine the primary area of impact and how their panel failed if it ends up sustaining damage. Watch the Debris Cannon in Action “Students in the course get to see something that no other undergraduate student in this country gets to see,” Amirkhanian emphasized. “It helps them better understand what they are designing as a civil engineer, and it teaches them important concepts about tornado shelter design code and why certain requirements are in there.” Although the semester-long project is far from easy, the focus and ingenuity it requires of students prepares them to be the most well-equipped innovators and builders of tomorrow. Dr. Armen Amirkhanian A Safer Future Nearly 15 years ago, the powerful EF4 tornado that ripped through Tuscaloosa left those who witnessed it feeling powerless. Insurmountable uncertainty lingered over the city as officials and residents questioned how to recover, rebuild and reestablish a stronger and safer community. As a result of the unwavering dedication and expertise of researchers like Crawford, Aaleti and Amirkhanian, there is now a renewed sense of hope that individuals might soon be more prepared than ever before to protect themselves from the deluge of weather-related threats they face. From conducting community research and developing a potentially lifesaving product to educating the industry’s future professionals, the trio’s work has undeniably led to transformative advancements in storm research and enhanced safety measures. Although it certainly has not been easy at times, they have proven that weathering the storm is oftentimes what yields the most promising results. This website uses cookies to collect information to improve your browsing experience. Please review our Privacy Statement for more information.