Nancy Ingabire Abayo | Photo by Adam Atkinson
What I study and why: My research area of interest is highly interdisciplinary and relies a combination of expertise from geology, civil engineering, earthquake engineering, seismology, granular physics, and geo-spatial analytics to contribute to a better understanding of the consequences of geohazards so we can better prepare and account for them in our design process. More specifically I have been looking at ways to improve the predictions of the ground cracks resulting from the liquid behavior of granular soils such as sand after an earthquake (i.e., liquefaction-induced lateral spreading). As it stands now, there is high variability in the predictive models, which can threaten the stability of roadways, buildings, and other civil infrastructure. Interestingly my interest in geo-hazards was sparked by a flooding event in my community when I was 8 years old, at which point I decided I was going to become a civil engineer even if I didn’t know what it was/entailed!
Moving forward, I plan to continue drawing from my interdisciplinary background and foster new collaborations with faculty and students to contribute toward infrastructure resiliency through evaluation of potential consequences of natural geological and atmospheric hazards (e.g., earthquakes, floods, limnic eruptions, etc.), as well as corresponding mitigation and improvement techniques.
I am excited to work with Lafayette students and faculty to contribute to these efforts seeking to help address the world’s grand challenges with a focus on natural disasters.
This fall I am teaching: CE 361 (and CE 361L): Introduction to Geotechnical Engineering Lecture and Laboratory.
What students can expect from me: My teaching philosophy centers around being accessible and applying various instructional techniques and strategies that support holistic education, catering effectively to diverse students. I am always looking for ways to help students master the content and allow them various opportunities to demonstrate so. I am passionate about the human aspect of engineering design, and I continually seek ways to help students consider the needs of their communities in their course deliverables where appropriate. I also hold myself accountable to teach with empathy and compassion while accounting for the different ways one can learn, to the best of my abilities.
Getting to know me: I enjoy singing—I do it everywhere, anywhere, anytime. I restrain myself when I am in meetings and while teaching. I also enjoy laminating things, and writing backward (i.e., you can read it with a mirror).
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