FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Michelle Bernhardt, assistant professor of civil engineering at the University of Arkansas, is available to comment on the effects of recent, severe flooding in the Midwest.

Bernhardt studies the behavior of multi-scale granular material. She uses computer modeling to digitally simulate small particles, such as soil, and show how they react to displacements and stress, such as those caused by an earthquake or flood. These particle-to-particle interactions improve understanding of large-scale interaction and how materials react to different loading mechanisms. Her research contributes to furthering knowledge of fundamental soil behavior.

Next week Bernhardt will travel to parts of Arkansas and Missouri to photograph and assess flood damage and the performance of levee systems. She will work alongside the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, local levee districts and researchers at other universities as part of a Geotechnical Extreme Events Reconnaissance (GEER) Association team, sponsored by the National Science Foundation.

CONTACTS: Michelle Bernhardt, assistant professor, Department of Civil EngineeringCollege of Engineering479-575-6027, [email protected]

Matt McGowan, science and research communications officerUniversity Relations479-575-4246, [email protected]