Lina Espinoza

Colombia

Lina studies the impact of low temperatures on the seismic behavior of HSRS. The study employs an experimental program that includes material-level investigations, such as tension tests, buckled bar tension (BBT) tests, and large-scale testing of RC columns subjected to quasi-static cyclic lateral loading at different temperatures. The experimental program is accompanied by an analytical component, which will be used to complement and expand the experimental results to develop design recommendations and facilitate HSRS integration into bridge designs in cold seismic regions.

Lina served as the outreach chair for the EERI student group at NC State for two years. During that time, she and her peers introduced K–12 students in the U.S. and kids from a coastal community in Colombia to earthquake engineering. Lina gave short presentations about civil engineering, earthquakes, and how engineers design safer buildings, followed by fun, hands-on demos to expand and help the students understand the learned concepts.