|
Professor Gregory Baecher, a faculty member in the University of Maryland’s (UMD) Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and an affiliate of the Center for Risk and Reliability, has begun a new collaboration with The Hagler Institute for Advanced Study at Texas A&M University (HIAS).
Baecher, who was named a Hagler Fellow earlier this year, is sharing his expertise on large-scale probabilistic risk analysis by cooperating on research projects with Texas A&M faculty and students. The specific focus is on regional systems risk management affecting trans-boundary concerns, such as transboundary water, logistics chains, and natural hazards.
In gauging the risks posed by such events, the programs take into account the likelihood of threats and also economic and social systems fragility, and the consequences of adverse outcomes. Assessments of this kind can be used to inform decision-making about planning, development, energy grids, and supply chain management.
Such work is relevant to the state of Texas, which is currently building an ambitious hurricane protection system that will span the Gulf Coast from Galveston to Port Arthur. In addition to building a massive sea defense system, similar to that protecting New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina, the state along with support from the US Army Corps of Engineers is also repairing the existing coastal infrastructure, including piers and jetties.
For such measures to be effective engineers must be able to estimate the frequency and severity of hurricanes and sea surge and how resilient an area is in the face of such threats. “How vulnerable is the Port of Houston and all of the oil and gas development there?,” he said in remarks published by Texas A&M.
Baecher’s work in this area also has implications for Maryland, which is home to the Port of Baltimore—one of the nation’s largest hubs for vehicle import and export–and to all of the Chesapeake Bay.
While much of his collaboration with Texas A&M is centered around the school’s Zachry Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Baecher is also interacting with faculty in other fields. The ocean engineering, geography, and atmospheric sciences departments also contributed to Baecher’s nomination. Baecher also anticipates working with researchers in agriculture and life sciences, government and public service, and biomedical sciences.
A professor at the UMD civil and environmental engineering department since 1995, Baecher is former chair of the department, and has also been a part of its Project Management program. Prior to joining UMD, he was a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, his graduate alma mater. He is a member of the National Academy of Engineering, and a Distinguished Member of the American Society of Civil Engineers.
May 28, 2025
|
