By Sally Pobojewski
News and Information Services
A team of U-M civil engineers will return from Egypt this week after spending five days evaluating Islamic monuments, mosques and museums for structural damage from the earthquake that struck the Cairo area on Oct. 12.
“We will be doing basic reconnaissance to assess the level of overall damage to these monuments,” said James K. Wight, professor of civil engineering, prior to the group’s departure last week. “If we find significant damage, other teams of experts may return to Egypt to help make repairs.”
The request for U.S. technical assistance was made by Ibrahim Bakr, Egypt’s chairman of antiquities and head of the Egyptian Antiquities Association. Several universities and U.S. organizations are sending evaluation teams and technical experts, according to Wight.
U-M involvement in the project was arranged by Peter M. Banks, dean of the College of Engineering, and Jack Josephson, an alumnus of the College of Engineering who is associated with the Egyptian Antiquities Association.
Tony E. Naaman, professor of civil engineering, and Roman D. Hryciw, assistant professor of civil engineering, are the other members of the U-M inspection team.
