[userforum-feedback] UF Nomination

[Cláudia Reis]

To whom it may concern,

It is my pleasure to nominate Gloria Faraone to the User Forum 
Committee.

Gloria is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Civil, 
Construction and Environmental Engineering at San Diego State University 
since Fall 2021. She is an early-career professional that earned a Ph.D. 
in Structural Engineering from the University of California San Diego in 
June 2021.

Gloria’s research experience is integrated to and motivated by practice, 
including full-scale structural testing and numerical modeling of 
structural elements to sustain loads from multi-hazard events. Her 
research interests focus on improving the performance of new and 
existing structures and nonstructural components and systems under 
different types of natural hazards, including earthquakes, floodings, 
and hurricanes, while including concepts of  sustainability and 
reusability of construction materials and reparability of structural 
systems.

The results of her last industry-sponsored research project, including 
full-scale structural testing, highlight unsafe practices and support 
code changes that are currently being discussed in design committees, 
such technical committees of the Building Seismic Safety Council (BSSC) 
for the 2026 NEHRP Provisions updates, where she is a corresponding 
member contributing to evaluate research findings, and practices, and 
aid in the development of the next generation of seismic safety 
provisions. With the support of the industry, the results were also 
divulgated to practitioners via training seminars. This experience 
complements Gloria’s knowledge of the multiple research-into-practice 
paths that can lead to improvements in design practices to advance the 
safety of our communities and reduce the multi-hazard impacts on the 
built environment.

On a personal note, I met Gloria Faraone during the last NHERI Summer 
Institute and had the pleasure to work with her on the development of a 
NSF mocking proposal. She was a dedicated team player all along, showing 
a strong sense of responsibility, efficiency and communication 
capacities.

For the aforementioned reasons, I believe Gloria would represent a great 
contribution for the User Forum committee.

Thank you for considering it,