Meet the Team

Dr. Jose Capa Salinas

Jose Capa Salinas is an Assistant Professor in the Civil Engineering Department at the University of St. Thomas. He completed his undergraduate degree at Universidad Tecnica Particular de Loja (Ecuador). Following graduation, he accepted a full-time position in a consulting firm, where he worked for two years. He returned to academia to obtain his Master's and Ph.D. degrees from Purdue University (Indiana). Dr. Capa Salinas has led and been involved in research projects for state departments of transportation, the Federal Highway Administration, and private companies.

Dr. Capa Salinas’ research interests include structural health monitoring, infrastructure inspection, drone applications, steel and concrete behavior, natural hazards, and machine learning. Dr. Capa Salinas serves on professional technical committees for the National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP), the Transportation Research Board (TRB), and the Minimum Design Loads and Associated Criteria for Buildings and Other Structures (ASCE/SEI 7-28).

Undergraduate students

Rebecca Bishop

Senior - Civil Engineering

Project: Exploratory Studies of Epoxy Adhesives in the Retrofitting of Steel Bridges

Awards: 2025 AISC Ernest J. McCartney/B&B Welding Company, Inc. Undergraduate Research Fellowship. UST UROP Collaborative Inquiry Grant (Spring 2025, Fall 2025)

Cole Johnson

Sophomore - Civil Engineering

Project: High-Fidelity Modeling of Epoxy Adhesive in Structural Applications

Michael Janik

Junior - Data Science

Project: Advanced Post-Processing Techniques for Large-Scale Experimental Data

Awards: UST UROP Ignite Scholar (Summer 2025)

Ben Brandt

Senior - Civil Engineering

Project: Quantitative Inspection Framework for Uncoated Weathering Steel in Bridges

Awards: UST UROP Collaborative Inquiry Grant (Fall 2025)

Maria Magambo

Junior - Computer Science

Project: Variational Physics-Informed Neural Operators in Infrastructure Applications

Awards: UST Center for Applied Math Grant (Summer 2025)

Michael Rosas Ceronio

Junior - Computer Science and Mathematics

Project: Physics-Informed Neural Networks in Infrastructure Applications

Awards: UST Center for Applied Math Grant (Summer 2025)

Mario Gomez

Junior - Mechanical Engineering

Projects: Design of an Accelerated Corrosion Testing Environment for Steel Specimens. Exploring Public Perception of Drone Integration in Civil Spaces.

James Anglin

Senior - Marketing Management

Project: Exploring Public Perception of Drone Integration in Civil Spaces.

Bennett Cotterman

Junior - Electrical Engineering

Project: Expanding Measurement Capabilities in Large-Scale Structural Testing

Past members

Ian Hensley (UST Fall 2024 – Spring 2025):
- Effect of Insulation on the Structural Performance of Steel Spherical Cryogenic Tanks
- Awards: 2025 AISC Student Travel Grant
Sean Appold (UST Summer 2025)
- Exploring Public Perception of Drone Integration in Civil Spaces
Carlos Perez Ryan (UST Summer 2025)
- Design of an Accelerated Corrosion Testing Environment for Steel Specimens
Michael Springer (UST Spring 2025)
- Design of a Large-Scale Experimental Frame for Structural Testing
Aidan McKeefry (UST Spring 2025):
- Effect of Insulation on the Structural Performance of Steel Spherical Cryogenic Tanks

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