Reagan Herman, Ph.D., P.E.

Instructional Professor
Director, Civil Engineering Undergraduate Program

Office Location N107 Engineering Building 1

Phone 713-743-1498 | Fax 713-743-4260

Email rherman [at] uh.edu

Education

Ph.D. University of Texas at Austin (2001) Structural Engineering, Advisor: Karl Frank

M.S. University of Texas at Austin (1995) Structural Engineering, Advisor: James Jirsa

B.S. North Carolina State University (1993) Civil Engineering - Structures Concentration

Professional Experience

2018-present: Instructional Professor, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Houston, Houston, TX

2012-present: Director of Civil Engineering Undergraduate Program, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Houston, Houston, TX

2010-2018: Instructional Associate Professor and Research Associate Professor, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Houston, Houston, TX

2007-2010: Senior Lecturer and Assistant Research Professor, Department of Civil Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD

2001-2007: Assistant Professor of Civil Engineering, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Houston, Houston, TX

1993-2001: Graduate Research Assistant (M.S. and Ph.D.), Department of Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX

Fall 1999: Lead Teaching Assistant for Properties and Behavior of Engineering Materials Laboratory (CE314K), Department of Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX

Summer 1993: Administrator for the National Science Foundation Research Experiences for Undergraduate Program hosted by North Carolina State University Department of Civil Engineering, Raleigh, NC

Summer 1992: Researcher in National Science Foundation Research Experiences for Undergraduates Program, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM

Summer 1991: Researcher in Langley Aerospace Research Summer Scholars Program (LARSS), National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Langley Research Center, Hampton, VA

Students Supervised

Dissertations and Theses

Zhang, Yue, Strength Based Plate Tolerances for Steel Bridge Girders, Ph.D. Dec. 2007
Writer, Eric, Field Study of Thermal Effects in Steel Plate and Box Girder Bridges, M.S. Aug. 2007
Zhou, Daping, Experimental Evaluation of Imposed Plate Out-of-Flatness on Structural Response, M.S. Aug. 2007
Zhou, Chong, Utilizing Lean-On Cross-frame Bracing for Steel Bridges, Ph.D. Dec. 2006
Camacho, Marco, Laboratory Test of Steel Plates Subjected to Imposed Geometric Imperfections, M.S. Aug. 2006
Arikan, Yusuf, Field Monitoring of Thermal Effects in Steel Box Girder Bridge, M.S. May 2006
Grisham, Glenn, Field Measurements of Bearing Displacements in Steel Girder Bridges, MS Dec. 2005
Saglar, Nurullah, Laboratory Buckling Tests of Steel Girders Braced Using Permanent Metal Deck Forms, MS Dec. 2005
Bobba, Sreekalyan, Field Measurements of Diaphragm and Cross-Frame Stresses in Steel Box Girder with Skewed Support, MS Dec. 2003
Muzumdar, Prashant, Field Measurements of Girder and Top Lateral Truss Stresses in Box Girder Bridge with Skewed Supports, MS May 2003

Post-Doctoral Fellow

Egilmez, O. Ozgur, Bracing of Steel Bridge Girders using Permanent Metal Deck Forms, Aug. – Dec. 2005, Feb. – Apr. 2006

Undergraduate Research Assistants

Almazan, Francisco, Oct. 2006 to May 2007
Beane, Brad, Oct. 2006 to Aug. 2007
Sarkis, Simon, Sept. 2006 to Aug. 2007
Nguyen, Quan, June 2006 to Oct. 2006
Garza, Luis, May 2006 to Feb. 2007
Arredondo, Morena, Oct. 2005 to Dec. 2005
Howe, Kenneth, June 2005 to Aug. 2005
Heung, "Jacky", May 2005 to May 2006
Flack, Kevin, Mar. 2005 to Dec. 2005
Velasquez, José, Nov. 2004 to May 2006
Harmon, David, Nov. 2004 to Apr. 2005
Nguyen, Tuong, Sept. 2004 to May 2006
Sim, Szu, Sept. 2004 to Dec. 2005
Wilson, Matias, Jan. 2004 to Dec. 2004
Camacho, Marco, Dec. 2002 to May 2004
Fox, Tanya, Aug. 2002 to May 2003
Williams, Clark, June 2002 to Dec. 2003
Hernandez, Julio, Nov. 2001 to May 2002

Classes

Statics (CIVE 2330)

Structural Analysis (CIVE 3337)

Professional Practice in Civil Engineering (CIVE 4311)

Awards & Honors

2011-12 University of Houston Cullen College of Engineering Outstanding Lecturer Award

2010 Moisseiff Award from the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) for Global Lateral Buckling of I-Shaped Girder Systems

2006 Robert J. Dexter Memorial Lecture from the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) Steel Bridge Committee and the American Association of State Highway Transportation Officials (AASHTO) Technical Committee for Structural Steel Design Awards

2005-06 University of Houston Cullen College of Engineering Outstanding Teacher Award

2005 Vinnakota Paper Award from the Structural Stability Research Council (SSRC) for Strength of Metal Deck Forms Used for Stability Bracing of Steel Bridge Girder

2004-05 Top Research Innovation Award from the Texas Department of Transportation for Project Entitled “Lateral Bracing of Bridge Girders using Permanent Metal Deck Forms”

2005 Best of Session Paper Award from the 2004 American Society of Civil Engineers Texas Section Spring Meeting for Steel Box Bridge with Skewed Support: Field & FEA Results

2005 Best of Session by a Younger Member Paper Award from the 2004 American Society of Civil Engineers Texas Section Spring Meeting for Steel Box Bridge with Skewed Support: Field & FEA Result

2002-03 University of Houston Cullen College of Engineering Outstanding Teacher Award Reagan Sentelle Herman, p. 2/11

2000 American Iron and Steel Institute Fellowship

1998 University of Texas Ferguson Structural Engineering Laboratory Commendation for Extraordinary Work

1996-99 University of Texas Research Assistantship

1993-97 University of Texas College of Engineering Thrust 2000 Fellowship

1993-96 National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship

1992-93 North Carolina State University College of Engineering Faculty Outstanding Senior Scholarship

1992-93 American Society of Civil Engineers Scholarship

1989-91 North Carolina State University Merit Award

Honor Societies

Phi Kappa Phi

Tau Beta Pi

Chi Epsilon

Gamma Beta Phi

Alpha Lambda Delta

Phi Kappa Phi

Professional Memberships

American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) (1992 – present)

Associate Editor of ASCE Journal of Bridge Engineering, (December 2007 – December 2008)

Chair of ASCE Steel Bridge Committee (September 2005 – August 2009)

ASCE Steel Bridge Committee, Member (2002 – August 2009)

ASCE Compression and Flexural Members Committee, Member (2004 – 2010)

ASCE Journal of Bridge Engineering, Reviewer (2002 – 2010)

Society of Women Engineers (1992 – present)

Texas Department of Transportation Research Management Council 5 (Structures) Technical Assistance Panel, University of Houston Representative (May 2005 – August 2007)

Texas Department of Transportation Structural Steel Quality Council (2001 – August 2007)

Transportation Research Board (TRB)

TRB University of Houston Representative (August 2006 – August 2007)

TRB Committee AFH70: Fabrication and Inspection of Metal Structures, Member (2002-2009)

Committee AFH70 Director of Research Problem Statements (2002 – 2007)

TRB Committee AFF20: Steel Bridges, Member (2005 – 2012)

TRB Publication Reviewer (2003 – 2012)

Structural Stability Research Council (SSRC) (2002 – 2012)

SSRC Task Group 27, Plate and Box Girders, Member (2002 – 2012)

SSRC Task Group 14, Horizontally Curved Girders, Member (2002 – 2012)

Structural Engineers Association of Texas (2003 – present)

University of Houston Women's Association (2001 – 2004)

Other Awards and Honors

Licensure Status: Professional Engineer (Texas #11841)

Research Interests

Research in design and behavior of steel bridges, innovative bracing systems for bridges, box girder bridges, field monitoring.

Presentations

- “Implementation of Lean-On Cross-Frame Bracing,” American Iron and Steel Institute Design Advisory Group Meeting, Washington, DC, August 6, 2008.
- “Trapezoidal Box Girders: State of the Art,” Training session highlighting state of the art in design and behavior of curved steel box girder systems. This training session was attended by approximately 100 engineers including designers from both Texas Department of Transportation and private consultants. Houston, TX May 30, 2008.
- “Steel Bridge Deterioration Issues,” Federal Highway Administration Enhancing Bridge Performance Workshop, Reston, VA, February 21, 2008.
- “Thermal Effects on Steel Bridges,” Transportation Research Board 65th Annual Meeting, AFF20(1) Methods of Analyzing Steel Bridges Subcommittee Meeting, January 16, 2008.
- “Performance of Steel Bridges under Thermally Induced Loads,” 2007 World Steel Bridges Symposium, New Orleans, LA, December 7, 2007.
- “Use of Lean-On Cross-Frame Bracing in Steel Girder Bridges,” 2007 American Society of Civil Engineers Structures Congress, Long Beach, CA, May 18, 2007.
- "Bearing Displacements in Steel Bridges under Thermal Loads," 2007 American Society of Civil Engineers Structures Congress, Steel Bridge Committee Meeting, Long Beach, CA, May 18, 2007.
- “Effects of Ambient Temperature Loading on Texas Steel Bridges,” Transportation Research Board 64th Annual Meeting, AFH70 Fabrication and Inspection of Metal Structures Committee Meeting, Washington, D.C., January 23, 2007.
- “Steel Bridge Plate Tolerances and Slenderness Values,” Transportation Research Board 64th Annual Meeting, AFH70 Fabrication and Inspection of Metal Structures Committee Meeting, Washington, D.C., January 23, 2007.
- "Instrumentation Employed for Monitoring of Thermal Effects on Steel Bridges and Findings from Displacement Measurements," Texas Department of Transportation Research Management Council," Arlington, TX, November 8, 2006.
- "Constructability Issues Identified during Deployment of Permanent Metal Deck Forms as Bracing for Steel Girder Bridges," Texas Department of Transportation Steel Quality Council, Austin, TX, October 20, 2006.
- "Implementation of Permanent Metal Deck Forms as Lateral Bracing for Steel Girder Bridges," Dexter Memorial Lecture, 2006 American Iron and Steel Institute's Bridge Task Force Meeting, Washington, D.C., July 27, 2006.
- "Innovative Bracing Methods for Steel Bridges," 2006 American Society of Civil Engineers Structures Congress, Steel Bridge Committee Meeting, St. Louis, MO, May 19, 2006.
- "Effects of Thermal Loads on Texas Steel Bridges," Texas Department of Transportation Steel Quality Council, Austin, TX, April 18, 2006.
- "Steel Bridge Research at the University of Houston," Texas Department of Transportation Steel Quality Council, Austin, TX, April 18, 2006.
- “Lean-On Cross-Frame Bracing for Steel Girders with Skewed Supports," 2005 World Steel Bridge Symposium, Orlando, Fl, December 2, 2005.
- "Box Girder Bracing Layout and Details,” Texas Department of Transportation Steel Quality Council, Austin, TX, May 13, 2005.
- “Trapezoidal Box Girder Bridge Bracing: Results from Field Monitoring and FEA," 2005 American Society of Civil Engineers Structures Congress, New York, April 22, 2005.
- “Fabrication, Design, and Erection of Steel Bridges in Texas," 2005 American Society of Civil Engineers Structures Congress, Steel Bridge Committee Meeting, April 21, 2005.
- “Steel Bridge Research Issues: Plate Tolerance and Slenderness Values and Innovative Bracing Systems," Transportation Research Board 84th Annual Meeting, AFH70 Fabrication and Inspection of Metal Structures Committee Meeting, Washington, D.C., January 12, 2005.
- “Reducing Cross-Frames and Improving Flexibility Using Lean-On Braces," Transportation Research Board 84th Annual Meeting, Session 533 Steel Structure Improvements from Field Experience, Washington, D.C., January 11, 2005.
- “Box Girder Research and Field Investigations," 2004 FHWA Steel Bridge Conference, Curved Girder Bridge Design Workshop, San Antonio, TX, December 15, 2004.
- "Steel Bridge Research at the University of Houston," Presentation to Texas Department of Transportation Steel Quality Council, Austin, TX, October 8, 2004.
- “Box Girder Research and Field Investigations,” Curved I-Girder Bridge Design Workshop, International Bridge Conference, Pittsburgh, PA, June 15, 2004.
- “Steel Box Girder Bridge Research Findings,” 2004 American Society of Civil Engineers Structures Congress, Steel Bridge Committee Meeting, Nashville, TN, May 25, 2004.
- “Steel Box Girder Bridge with Skewed Support: Field and FEA Results,” 2004 American Society of Civil Engineers Texas Section Spring Meeting, South Padre, TX, April 23, 2004.
- "Field Testing of Steel Box Girder Bridge with Skewed Support," Presentation to the 2003 World Steel Bridge Symposium, Orlando FL, November 18, 2003.
- “Project 0-4148: Field Monitoring of Trapezoidal Box Girders with Skewed Supports,” Presentation to Texas Department of Transportation Research Management Council, Austin, TX, November 5, 2003.
- "Overview of Fabricated Plate Tolerances and Design Slenderness Values for Steel Bridges Research Study," Presentation to Texas Department of Transportation Steel Quality Council, Austin, TX, September 12, 2003.
- "Field Testing of Steel Trapezoidal Box Girder Bridge," Presentation to 20th Annual International Bridge Conference, Pittsburgh, PA, June 2003.
- "Behavior of Stiffened Compression Flanges of Trapezoidal Box Girder Bridges," Presentation to A2C02 - Committee on Steel Bridges, Transportation Research Board 81st Annual Meeting, January 2002.
- “Steel Compression Flange of Composite Trapezoidal Box Girders,” Presentation to Structures Seminar, The University of Texas at Austin, March 1999.
- “Factors Concerning Placement of Concrete with Epoxy-Coated Reinforcement,” Presentation to American Concrete Institute Convention, ACI 222 Session, March 1996.

Selected Publications

- Herman, Reagan S., Todd A. Helwig, and Zhanfei “Tom” Fan, “Behavior of Steel Trapezoidal Box Girder System under Live Loading Part 1: Field Study,” (manuscript to be submitted for review and publication in the American Society of Civil Engineering Journal of Bridge Engineering, 95% complete).
- Helwig, Todd A. Reagan S. Herman, and Zhanfei “Tom” Fan, “Behavior of Steel Trapezoidal Box Girder System under Live Loading Part 2: Analytical Study,” (manuscript to be submitted for review and publication in the American Society of Civil Engineering Journal of Bridge Engineering, 75% complete)
- Egilmez, O. Ozgur, Todd A. Helwig, and Reagan S. Herman, “Buckling Tests of Steel Bridge I-Girders Braced by Metal Deck Forms,” (manuscript to be submitted for review and publication in the American Society of Civil Engineering Journal of Structural Engineering, 75% complete)
- Li, Dawei, Todd A. Helwig, and Reagan S. Herman, “Intermediate External Diaphragm Design for Curved Steel Trapezoidal Box Girder Bridges” (manuscript to be submitted for review and publication in the American Society of Civil Engineering Journal of Structural Engineering, 75% complete)

Refereed Journal Publications

- Egilmez, Ozgur O., Reagan S. Herman, and Todd A. Helwig, “Lateral Stiffness of Steel Bridge IGirders Braced by Metal Deck Forms,” ASCE Journal of Bridge Engineering, Vol. 14, No. 1, January/February 2009, pp. 17-25.
- Yura, Joseph A., Todd A. Helwig, Reagan S. Herman, and Chong Zhou, “Global Lateral Buckling of IShaped Girder Systems,” ASCE Journal of Structural Engineering, Vol. 134, No. 9, September 2008, pp. 1487-1494.
- Fan, Yu-Lin, Y.L. Mo, and R.S. Herman, "Hybrid Bridge Girders," Concrete International, American Concrete Institute, Vol. 28 No. 1, January 2006, 65-69.

Conference Proceedings / Technical Papers Published in Refereed Conference Proceedings

- Herman, Reagan, Todd Helwig, Eric Writer, and Quan Chen, “Performance of Steel Bridges under Thermally Induced Loads,” 2007 World Steel Bridges Symposium, New Orleans, LA, December 5 – December 7, 2007, CD Distribution.
- Helwig, Todd, Reagan Herman, Yue Zhang, Omar Espinoza, and Bulent Mercan, “Fabricated Plate Tolerances for Steel Bridges,” 2007 World Steel Bridges Symposium, New Orleans, LA, December 5 – December 7, 2007, CD Distribution.
- Herman, Reagan, Todd Helwig, John Holt, Ronald Medlock, Michelle Romage, and Chong Zhou, “Lean-On Cross-Frame Bracing for Steel Girders with Skewed Supports,” 2005 World Steel Bridge Symposium, Orlando, Fl, November 29 – December 2, 2005, CD Distribution.
- Helwig, Todd, Reagan Herman, John Vogel, Ozgur Egilmez, and Nurullah Saglar, “Lateral Bracing of Steel Girders by Permanent Metal Deck Forms,” 2005 World Steel Bridge Symposium, Orlando, Fl, November 29 – December 2, 2005, CD Distribution.

Non-Refereed Conference and Journal Publications

- Fasl, J. D., M. Romage, T. A. Helwig, R. H. Herman, and K. H. Frank, “Field Measurements on Leanon Bracing System for Steel Girder Bridge with Skewed Supports,” Proceedings of Structural Stability Research Council/North American Steel Construction Conference, Phoenix, AR, April 1-4, 2009, pp. 277-293.
- Fasl, J. D.; M. Romage, T. A. Helwig, R. H. Herman, and K. H. Frank, “Field Measurements on Steel Girder Bridge with Skewed Supports Utilizing Lean-on Bracing,” Proceedings of ASCE Structures Congress, Austin, TX, April 29-May 2, 2009, CD Distribution.
- Helwig, T. A.; Yura, J. A.; Herman, R. H.; and Zhou, C., “System Buckling of I-shaped Girders,” Proceedings of Structural Stability Research Council/North American Steel Construction Conference, Nashville, TN, April 2-5, 2008, pp. 261-277.
- Zhou, Chong, Reagan S. Herman, and Todd A. Helwig, “Lean-on Cross-frame Bracing for Steel Bridges in Texas,” Proceedings of the American Society of Civil Engineers 2007 Texas Section Fall Meeting, Forth Worth, TX, October 3-7, 2007, CD Distribution.
- Helwig, T. A.; Reagan S. Herman, Yue Zhang; Omar Espinoza, and Bulent Mercan, “Fabricated Plate Tolerances and Design Slenderness Values,” Proceedings of New York City Bridge Conference, New York City, NY, August 27-28, 2007, CD Distribution.
- Herman, Reagan S., Todd A. Helwig, and Chong Zhou, “Use of Lean-On Cross-Frame Bracing in Steel Girder Bridges,” Proceedings of the 2007 American Society of Civil Engineers Structures Congress, Long Beach, CA, May 16-19, 2007, CD Distribution.
- Egilmez, O. Ozgur, Todd A. Helwig, and Reagan Herman, “Strength Requirements of Metal Deck Forms used for Lateral Bracing of Steel Bridge Girders,” Proceedings of the 2006 International Colloquium on Stability and Ductility of Steel Structures, Instituto Superior Tecnico Press, Lisbon, Portugal, September 6-8, 2006, V. 2, 1045-1052.
- Egilmez, O. Ozgur, Todd A. Helwig, and Reagan Herman, “Stiffness Requirements for Metal Deck Forms used for Stability Bracing of Steel Bridge Girders,” Proceedings of the 2006 Structural Stability Research Council Annual Conference, San Antonio, TX, February 8-11, 2006, 203-222.
- Herman, Reagan. S., Dawei Li, and Todd A. Helwig, “Trapezoidal Box Girder Bridge Bracing: Results from Field Monitoring and FEA,” Proceedings of the 2005 American Society of Civil Engineers Structures Congress, New York, April 20-24, 2005, CD Distribution.
- Egilmez, O. Ozgur, Todd A. Helwig, and Reagan Herman, “Strength of Metal Deck Forms Used for Stability Bracing of Steel Bridge Girders,” Proceedings of the 2005 Structural Stability Research Council Annual Conference, Montreal, Canada, April 6-9, 2005, 257-276.
- Helwig, Todd, Reagan Herman, and Chong Zhou, “Lean-On Bracing for Steel Bridge Girders with Skewed Supports,” Proceedings of the 2005 Structural Stability Research Council Annual Conference, Montreal, Canada, April 6-9, 2005, 295-306.
- Herman, Reagan S. and Todd A. Helwig, “Steel Box Girder Bridge with Skewed Support: Field and FEA Results,” Proceedings of the American Society of Civil Engineers 2004 Texas Section Spring Meeting, South Padre, TX, April 23, 2004, CD Distribution.
- Herman, Reagan S. and Todd A. Helwig, "Field Testing of Steel Box Girder Bridge with Skewed Support," Proceedings of the 2003 World Steel Bridge Symposium, Orlando FL, November 19-21, 2003, Curved and Skewed Girder Design and Construction Workshop, National Steel Bridge Alliance, CD Distribution.
- Herman, Reagan S. and Todd A. Helwig, "Field Testing of Steel Trapezoidal Box Girder Bridge," Official Proceedings of the International Bridge Conference 20th Annual Meeting, June 9-11, 2003, Instrumentation, Rating, and Failure Investigation Session, IBC-03-22, 139-146.

Reports / Manuals

- Herman, Reagan S. “Bridge Deterioration Issues and Performance Measures” and “Steel Bridges Session” Sections of the American Society of Civil Engineers / Structural Engineering Institute Enhancing Bridge Performance Workshop Report, Reston, VA, November 2008.
- Helwig, Todd A.; Joseph A. Yura, Reagan S. Herman, and Eric Williamson, “Trapezoidal Box Girders; State of the Art”, Texas Department of Transportation Research Report 0-4307, Submitted March 2007.
- Yura, Joseph A.; Todd A. Helwig, Reagan S. Herman, and Eric Williamson, “Trapezoidal Box Girders; State of the Art”, Texas Department of Transportation Project Summary Report 0-4307-S, Submitted March 2007.
- Herman, Reagan S., Helwig, Todd A. and Dawei Li, “Summary Report: Behavior of Trapezoidal Box Girders with Skewed Supports,” Texas Department of Transportation Project Summary Report 0-4148- S, May 2004.
- Helwig, Todd A., Reagan S. Herman, and Dawei Li, “Behavior of Trapezoidal Box Girders with Skewed Supports,” Texas Department of Transportation Research Report Number 0-4148-1, May 2004.
- Herman, Reagan S., “Behavior of Stiffened Compression Flanges of Trapezoidal Box Girder Bridges,” Doctoral Dissertation, The University of Texas at Austin, August 2001.
- Vaca-Cortes, Enrique, Khaled Z. Kahhaleh, James O. Jirsa, Harovel G. Wheat, Ramon L. Carrasquillo, Reagan S. Herman, and Miguel A. Lorenzo, “Corrosion Performance of Epoxy-Coated Reinforcement – Summary, Findings, and Guidelines,” Research Report 1265-S, Center for Transportation Research, Bureau of Engineering Research, The University of Texas at Austin, July 1998.
- Herman, Reagan S. and James O. Jirsa, “Consolidation of Concrete with Epoxy-Coated Reinforcement,” Research Report 1265-2, Center for Transportation Research, Bureau of Engineering Research, The University of Texas, April 1997.
- Herman, Reagan S., “Consolidation of Concrete with Epoxy-Coated Reinforcement,” Master’s Thesis, The University of Texas at Austin, December 1995.