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KU Engineering professor surveys earthquake damage in Turkey
LAWRENCE — When Rémy Lequesne worked his steel-toed boots over the pervasive rubble of apartment buildings, schools, hospitals and dozens of other structures damaged and destroyed by a massive earthquake in early February in Turkey, he collected clues as to why so many concrete buildings failed. Now the answers he’s uncovered will be put to work revising building codes that could help reduce the damage inflicted by future movements of the Earth’s crust.
New book guides law students, lawyers through ‘Principles of Arbitration Law’
LAWRENCE — A University of Kansas professor of law is lead author of a new book designed to guide law students, practicing lawyers and researchers through arbitration law and to provide a concise and reliable summary of new developments on everything from Supreme Court rulings to arbitration agreements formed by clicking on apps and websites to high-profile celebrity cases.
KU Department of Theatre & Dance announces its 2023 award and scholarship recipients
LAWRENCE — The Department of Theatre & Dance at the University of Kansas recognized 59 students for academic merit and contributions to departmental performances at its year-end awards ceremony in May. They include Kansans from Allen, Crawford, Doniphan, Douglas, Geary, Harvey, Johnson, Pawnee, Sedgwick and Shawnee counties.
Full stories below.
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Contact: Cody Howard, School of Engineering, 785-864-2936, [email protected], @kuengineering
KU Engineering professor surveys earthquake damage in Turkey
LAWRENCE — When Rémy Lequesne worked his steel-toed boots over the pervasive rubble of apartment buildings, schools, hospitals and dozens of other structures damaged and destroyed by a massive earthquake in early February in Turkey, he faced the real-life devastation already known by so many: more than 50,000 dead, more than 1.5 million left homeless, more than $100 billion in damage.
But as the professor from the University of Kansas moved from town to town looking for reasons so many concrete buildings failed — beyond the obvious, immense power of the 7.8-magnitude quake — Lequesne collected clues from among the collapsed floors, twists of exposed steel and cracks that had split hardened combinations of rock, cement and water.
Now the answers he’s uncovered will be put to work revising building codes that could help reduce the damage inflicted by future movements of the Earth’s crust.
“We can make a difference,” said Lequesne, who specializes in how reinforced concrete performs under extreme loads. “We can do better. We can and have to do better, with design, to help avoid collapses, and I think there are things we can do.”
Lequesne, the Stanley T. and Phyllis W. Rolfe Chair’s Council Associate Professor at KU’s School of Engineering, surveyed damage from the Feb. 6 quake as part of a team financed by the American Concrete Institute (ACI). Experts from the United States, Mexico and New Zealand joined faculty, practicing engineers and university students from Turkey to survey and learn from the damage.
With 30,000 members in 120 countries, ACI works to develop consensus-based standards and technical resources that serve as the foundation for concrete-specific sections of building codes in the United States and abroad. The organization also conducts programs for certification, training and education.
Lequesne is confident that the team’s work will result in solid recommendations for updating building codes. Many of the structures that collapsed in Turkey — while built to existing code — would have stood stronger and been safer had they been more stiff, likely by having more concrete walls within their interiors.
“It’s a progressive, continuous process,” he said. “But we can do better.”
The team’s report is expected to be finished later this year, and its findings will be shared during presentations at industry conferences. Lequesne also plans to build lessons from his surveying experiences into his classes, to help the next generation of engineers understand what’s at stake — and strive for advancements that can make a difference.
“If I can connect what we’re learning in class with the human impacts of the decisions we make, that makes it relevant,” he said. “You can see it: What engineers do is important. It’s important work.”
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Contact: Mike Krings, KU News Service, 785-864-8860, [email protected], @MikeKrings
New book guides law students, lawyers through ‘Principles of Arbitration Law’
LAWRENCE — Arbitration is an area of law with both a long history and a trend of rapid evolution in recent decades. A University of Kansas professor of law is lead author of a new book designed to guide law students, practicing lawyers and researchers through arbitration law and to provide a concise and reliable summary of new developments on everything from Supreme Court rulings to arbitration agreements formed by clicking on apps and websites to Donald Trump’s legal battles with Stormy Daniels.
“Principles of Arbitration Law” (second edition) by Stephen Ware, Frank Edwards Tyler Distinguished Professor of Law at KU, and Ariana Levinson of the University of Louisville is a new book in West Academic Publishing’s Concise Hornbook series.
“I really think this book is the best of both worlds. If you want to spend 10 minutes and get a big picture on a question, you can do that. And its footnotes with cases give you the leads to learn more if you want to do more research on your own,” Ware said.
“Principles of Arbitration Law” includes detailed information on labor and collective bargaining agreements, which often include arbitration agreements for resolving disputes. Ware shared praise for his co-author’s expertise in labor arbitration.
“Labor is a fascinating world of its own in arbitration in its own respect,” he said. “So having that for the book to provide the big picture was important. Ariana went the extra mile to make that part of the book mesh with the rest.”
The second edition also provides detailed information on new and evolving areas of arbitration law. That includes information on all Supreme Court cases regarding arbitration and dozens of other important cases and the Ending Forced Arbitration of Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment Act of 2021. It also covers the #MeToo movement and confidentiality in arbitration as well as high-profile arbitration cases involving celebrities such as Jay-Z and Angelina Jolie.
The book also covers international commercial arbitration. It heavily cites the Restatement of U.S. Law of International Commercial and Investor-State Arbitration, a recent effort by the American Law Institute to clarify, modernize and improve law and to guide judges and lawyers. Christopher Drahozal, John M. Rounds Professor of Law at KU, was among the reporters who produced the restatement, which is now in effect and being cited by courts.
Ware said, “Chris Drahozal and the three other reporters on the restatement did terrific work for years to produce a monumental resource for lawyers in the field. Truly, a service to the profession and to the cause of resolving cross-border disputes well.”
Arbitration agreements that nearly everyone has agreed to in everyday life also find their place in the new book. Such agreements are commonly formed when a user downloads an app or clicks “agree” when using a website. There is also exploration of arbitration agreements that preclude class action suits against businesses and the countering of that by mass-individual arbitration.
“Technology changing how we do things requires courts to adapt. And that’s why we need to update our scholarship in these areas,” Ware said. “Lawyers’ intuition also changes things. Online arbitration agreements often say, ‘If you have a dispute, you need to bring it individually, not as a class action suit.’ Mass individual arbitration is a counter to that approach, born of lawyers’ ingenuity.”
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Contact: Lisa Coble-Krings, Department of Theatre & Dance, 785-864-5685, [email protected], @KUTheatre
KU Department of Theatre & Dance announces its 2023 award and scholarship recipients
LAWRENCE — The Department of Theatre & Dance at the University of Kansas recognized 59 students for academic merit and contributions to departmental performances at its year-end awards ceremony in May.
“Scholarships make a tangible difference in students’ lives and their ability to learn and grow,” said Henry Bial, professor and chair. “In addition to helping defray the rising costs of college attendance, scholarships and awards give us the opportunity to recognize and encourage outstanding performance. We are grateful to all those who have chosen to invest in the future of theatre and dance through their gifts to our various scholarship funds.”
The Kilty Kane Award, given in recognition of outstanding contributions made to the University Theatre, was presented to Diego Rivera-Rodriguez, a Lawrence native who completed his bachelor’s degree in theatre performance and film production. The Kuhlke Humanitarian Award was presented to Asher Suski, an Ames, Iowa, native who completed bachelor’s degrees in theatre performance and linguistics, for humanitarian service to the department. Both awards are named for actors (Jerome Kilty and William Kuhlke, professor emeritus) credited with memorable performances as guest artists in Murphy Hall.
The Key Collaborator Award, given in recognition of outstanding contributions to the University Dance Company, was presented to its inaugural recipient, Anna Hastings, of Olathe, who completed a bachelor’s degree in dance. The Elizabeth Sherbon Award, named for the retired KU professor who established the dance major at KU, was presented to an outstanding dance student. This year’s recipient was Cullen Krishna, a Bellevue, Nebraska, native and KU dance and ecology double major.
The awards and scholarships listed include financial support totaling over $200,000.
Kansas scholarship and award recipients are listed below, with the full list of recipients available online:
1. ShonMichael Anderson, Wichita, Charles “Buddy” Rogers Scholarship, Loren Kennedy Ambassador
2. Giavonni Armstrong, Topeka, Patricia Joyce Ellis Drama Scholarship
3. Katelyn Arnold, Topeka, Patricia Joyce Ellis Drama Scholarship
4. McKenna Bizal, Overland Park, General Dance Scholarship
5. Morgan Blanton, Wichita, General Dance Scholarship
6. Elliot Bowman, Topeka, Julie Damron-Dittmer Scholarship
7. Quintin Castro, Larned, Brian Ten Eyck Davis Award
8. Renee Cyr, Lawrence, Donald and Betty Dixon Scholarship in Theatre, Susan Tisdall Niven Scholarship, Ethel Hinds Burch Outstanding Returning GTA Award
9. Hayden Daugherty, Wathena, Gerhard Zuther Memorial Award for Dramatic Scriptwriting, Loren Kennedy Ambassador, Alexis and Craig Stevens Performing Arts Scholarship
10. Johnny Dinh Phan, Overland Park, Jump Start Award
11. Sofia Dunkelberger, Wichita, General Dance Scholarship
12. Sydney Ebner, Shawnee, Lee Family Scholarship in Dance
13. Zoe English, Mission, John David Lentz Memorial Scholarship
14. Coy Garrett, Lawrence, Loren Kennedy Ambassador, Sally Six Hersh Memorial Scholarship
15. Sophia Harrison, Topeka, Dance General Scholarship
16. Anna Hastings, Olathe, Jump Start Award, Key Collaborator Award
17. Cooper Holmes, Overland Park, New Theatre Guild: Don Knotts Scholarship
18. Olivia Laycock, Wichita, Patricia Joyce Ellis Drama Scholarship
19. Edmund Ludlum, Topeka, Claire Reinhold Scholarship in Theatre, Patricia Joyce Ellis Drama Scholarship
20. India MacDonald, Topeka, Jack B. Wright Award
21. Connor Maloney, Wichita, Friends of Theatre & Dance Reese Saricks Scholarship, Loren Kennedy Coordinator, Loren Kennedy Scholarship, Moxie Talent Agency Scholarship, Glenn Bickle Award
22. Knox McClendon, Topeka, Marilyn Hunt Scharine Award, Allen Crafton Memorial Scholarship, Julie Damron-Dittmer Scholarship, Stephanie Ann Smith Memorial Scholarship
23. Olly G. Mitchell, Maize, Dorothy and Benjamin Glick Scholarship, New Theatre Guild: Jackie and Curtis Stokes Scholarship
24. Alexis Mullen, Wichita, Donald and Betty Dixon Scholarship in Theatre
25. Jordan Nevels, Overland Park, Loren Kennedy Ambassador, New Theatre Guild: Dodie Myers Brown Scholarship, Social Activism Award, Kari Wahlgren Theatre Scholarship
26. Katie Noll, Overland Park, Lee Family Scholarship in Dance, Dance General Scholarship
27. Gretchen Ott, Derby, Adah Hagan Clarke Scholarship in Theatre
28. Jordan Ray, Topeka, Alexis and Craig Stevens Performing Arts Scholarship, Loren Kennedy Ambassador
29. Ella Rhuems, Pittsburg, Claire Reinhold Scholarship in Theatre
30. Molly Richardson, Lenexa, Janet Hamburg Dance Scholarship
31. Diego Rivera-Rodriguez, Lawrence, Kilty Kane Award
32. Eliana Rundus, Lenexa, Juanita Strait Scholarship
33. Anna Shelton, Hesston, Lee Family Scholarship in Dance, Loren Kennedy Ambassador
34. Jordan Stoehr, Cheney, Margaret Bushong and Suzanne Calvin Scholarship
35. Jonathan Wall, Iola, New Theatre Guild: Dennis D. Hennessy & Richard Carrothers Scholarship, Patricia Joyce Ellis Drama Scholarship
36. Maya Welde, Overland Park, Dorothy and Benjamin Glick Scholarship, Margaret Bushong and Suzanne Calvin Scholarship
37. Lolly Winsor, Junction City, Julie Damron-Dittmer Scholarship.
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