I am an assistant professor in the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department at the University of Nevada Reno. Before joining UNR in 2019, I was a postdoctoral scholar at the Mechanical and Civil Engineering Department at the California Institute of Technology (2017-2019). I received a Ph.D. in Civil Engineering (with a major in Structural Mechanics and a minor in Applied Mathematics) from the University of California Los Angeles, an M.Sc. in Earthquake Engineering, and a B.Sc. in Civil Engineering from the Sharif University of Technology. My research focuses on risk-informed engineering of geostructural systems, near-surface characterization, and computational methods for efficient performance-based engineering and uncertainty quantification.
Scott Morrison
Scott has served as WNC’s Accreditation Liaison Officer with NWCCU since 2017 and as an NWCCU evaluator since 2015. Scott’s recent accomplishments include partnering with colleagues and communities on dual credit to build WNC’s Jump Start College Program, expanding cohorts to support underserved populations, revising WNC’s learning outcomes and assessment practices to align with institutional goals, and helping to lead a full revision of the Western’s strategic plan.
Thomas Herring
As director of the Jack C Davis Observatory I engage in a variety of astrometric and photometric measurements. Recently I have focused on double star astrometry. I also have experience in developing Arduino based sensor suites for high altitude ballooning through the NV Space Grant CoP group at WNC.
Gary Swift
I’m not officially a researcher, but I have many years of Applied Engineering experience. 5 years in the Navy as a nuclear submarine officer, 13 years at Southern California Edison as a Shift Technical Advisor and NRC Licensed Operator training instructor, 2 years as a high school Physical Science teacher, 15 years as a Technical Editor, Curriculum Developer and Trainer of Machinery Condition Monitoring, and a couple more years as a Tech Writer.
Winifred Kortemeier
Winifred Kortemeier is a Community College Professor at Western Nevada College.