Seminar: Dr. Carlos E. Ospina & Alfredo Rivera Share Expertise in Geo-Structural Evaluation & Design of Wharfs

College Station, TX-

Carlos E. Ospina Ph.D., PE and Alfredo Rivera, PE, ENV SP, visited Texas A&M University on August 25th to present their work on \”Case Studies: Geo-Structural Evaluation of 90-yr Old Multi-Purpose Marginal Wharf and Design of New Bulk-Handling Wharf,” to Civil Engineering Graduate Students. The graduate seminar, Structures, Geotechnical and Construction Division is instructed by Dr. Zenon Medina-Cetina, Associate Professor in the Zachry Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Texas A&M University.

Dr. Ospina is the Principal & Vice President of Simpson Gumpertz & Heger (SGH)in Houston, Texas. He oversees the design and support during construction of marine infrastructure projects in the Gulf of Mexico, Latin America, Caribbean Basin, and overseas.

Rivera is a Senior Consulting Engineer with Simpson Gumpertz & Heger (SGH), he specializes in marine infrastructure projects for clients in Texas, the Gulf of Mexico, and overseas. Rivera has 12 years of marine engineering experience, including the planning, analysis, design, and evaluation of new and existing marine infrastructure projects. This includes oil terminals, breakbulk facilities, bulk-handling (solid) terminals, container terminals, and cruise terminals.

Their seminar focused on the geo-structural evaluation of the one-kilometer wharf along the Magdalena River in Barranquilla, Colombia that generates about 80% of the Colombian GDP (gross domestic product). The evaluation aimed to guide the port operator on how to safely operate the existing terminal without exceeding its structural and geotechnical capacities. The presentation highlighted the analysis and design of a new marginal wharf for the same terminal operator north of the existing wharf and described the various analysis tools for evaluation and design of maritime infrastructure.*

*information taken from abstract provided by Dr. Ospina and Mr. Rivera