UConn EERI Selected to Compete in the 2025 Seismic Design Competition at UC Berkeley

The University of Connecticut’s Earthquake Engineering Research Institute (EERI) team has been selected to participate in the prestigious 2025 Undergraduate Seismic Design Competition (SDC) at the University of California, Berkeley, taking place from March 31 – April 3, 2025. This annual competition brings together over 30 university teams from across the U.S. and around the world to design, construct, and test a scale-model high-rise building capable of withstanding simulated earthquake forces.

About the Competition

The Undergraduate Seismic Design Competition, organized by EERI’s Student Leadership Council (SLC), is a premier event designed to promote the study and application of earthquake engineering among undergraduate students. Participants are challenged to apply their technical knowledge, teamwork, and innovation as they create a cost-effective and seismically resilient balsa wood structure that will be tested on a shaking table to simulate real earthquake conditions.

This year, students are designing a structure with a pedestrian skybridge to integrate into the skyline of Kobe, Japan. The structure must be architecturally compelling while meeting the rigorous seismic requirements needed to withstand the region’s historical earthquakes.

Teams are judged based on multiple factors, including:

  • Oral Design Presentation – Demonstrating engineering rationale, innovation, and feasibility
  • Architectural and Structural Design – Balancing aesthetics with seismic resilience
  • Analytical Prediction of Performance – Using structural analysis tools to forecast the model’s behavior under seismic loading
  • Model Performance During Testing – Evaluating how well the structure withstands simulated earthquake forces

The competition serves as a real-world learning opportunity, helping students develop critical skills in earthquake-resistant design, structural dynamics, and resilience planning, while also fostering leadership, collaboration, and problem-solving within the field of civil engineering.

As part of its mission, the UConn EERI chapter is dedicated to providing students with knowledge and hands-on experience in earthquake engineering and related fields. The seismic design team, supported by the Innovation Shop at UConn, is working hard to bring their innovative design to life and represent UConn on the national stage.

We are incredibly proud of our UConn EERI team and their dedication to advancing earthquake engineering innovation. Please join us in congratulating them and wishing them the best of luck as they prepare for the competition.

Follow them on Instagram (@eeri.uconn) and LinkedIn (UConn EERI) to stay updated on their progress!