Dr. Wael Zatar, dean of Marshall University’s College of Information Technology and Engineering (CITE), has been reappointed as the chairman of the National Committee on Structural Fiber Reinforced Polymers of the Transportation Research Board (TRB) of the National Academics. The committee is among the largest and most prestigious international committees on the subject of structural fiber reinforced polymers.
Zatar just completed his initial three-year term last year. His next term ends in 2021. He has served on the committee for 12 years.
“As a proud Marshall employee, it is my great honor to continue serving in this capacity,” said Zatar, who has been the only professor from West Virginia to serve in this role in the field of composites’ application to transportation infrastructure.
The TRB is a division of the National Research Council (NRC), a private, nonprofit institution that provides expertise in science and technology to the government, the public, and the scientific and engineering communities. The NRC is jointly administered by the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering and the Institute of Medicine.
“It is an absolute privilege to be reappointed as the chair for the standing National Committee on Structural Fiber Reinforced Polymers of the Transportation Research Board of the National Academics,” Zatar said.
The committee is concerned with all aspects of the development and use of structural applications of fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) composites for transportation-related structures, including bridges, maintenance, buildings, pipes, sign and luminaire support poles, guide rails, and guard rails. It provides a forum for gathering and disseminating information on the design, fabrication, serviceability, inspection and repair of fiber-reinforced polymer transportation structures. It aims to develop awareness of the potential impacts of using composites for a wide range of structural applications and provide information for academic courses on FRP composites for civil engineers.
Zatar arranges meetings and workshops, helps identify research needs and serves as a liaison with groups including the Federal Highway Administration Fiber-Reinforced Polymer Composites virtual team, American Concrete Institute and the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials. He helps collect the latest knowledge in the field to implement state-of-the-art practices for repair technologies in West Virginia and throughout the United States.
Originally from Jean Hardiman for Marshall University Communications.