PhD Students, Jinming Zhang and Shqipron Shala, Win First Place in Student Paper Competition During 2025 EMI Conference

Civil Engineering and Engineering Mechanics PhD candidates, Jinming Zhang and Shqipron Shala, win joint first place in the Modeling Inelasticity & Multiscale Behavior Student Paper Competition, held during the Engineering Mechanics Institute (EMI) Conference in Anaheim, CA, May 27–30.

Hosted by the University of California and organized by the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), the EMI Conference brings together scholars from around the world to discuss the fundamental advances in engineering mechanics. As well as a great opportunity for students to share their research, the student competition is designed to encourage student engagement during the conference, foster networking opportunities, and support the development of technical writing and presentation skills.

Zhang, advised by Professor Huiming Yin, was recognized for his work on dynamic homogenization of viscoelastic composites using a novel inclusion-based Boundary Element Method (iBEM). His research improves predictions of material behavior with thousands of inclusions and has been published in several top journals.

Shala, advised by Professor Haim Waisman, presented a new computational approach for simulating damage from hurricane debris impacts. Building on gradient-based continuum damage theory, his work accelerates damage computation and supports high-speed failure analysis in structures.

Both students shared the top honor after presenting as two of five finalists selected from submissions worldwide.

Congratulations to Jinming and Shqipron on this outstanding achievement!