SDC is a student competition where teams of Civil Engineering students are expected to design and build a seismically resistant and cost- effective building model using balsa wood material. Over 35 teams from universities in the U.S. and globally competed in this year's Seismic Design Competition hosted by the Earthquake Engineering Research Institute (EERI) held at the National Conference on Earthquake Engineering in San Francisco, California between April 11-14, 2023.

The goal of the Seismic Design Competition is to encourage undergraduate students to study earthquake engineering and to provide an opportunity to work on a hands-on project designing and constructing a cost-effective frame building to resist seismic loading.

The constructed balsa wood models were tested on a Shake Table device to verify the performance of the seismic load-resisting system. Each team was judged based on their overall oral presentation, poster, architectural design, ability to fit design criteria constraints, and an analytical description of how their model would perform.

It was the first time that a team from Seattle University competed in the SDC and hence it was an entire challenge of its own. We are proud of our team for showcasing the definition of true teamwork and family!

Team members (from left to right): Ibtisam Alkhawfi, Jianjun Chen, Chelsea Chey, Michee Ngoya, Marc Abella, Ketsia Kayembe, Ifrah Khalif