Amanda Bao in the News
*. "Pursuing the Promise of Title IX", RIT University Magazine - January, 2023
*. "RIT Faculty Fellows share their playbook for effective teaching", RIT News - September 27, 2022
*. "Applied Critical Thinking: Meet Amanda Bao", RIT Fram Focus volume 7:3 - October 2021
*. "Dreams, hard work, and success await new students", RIT News, August 18, 2021
*. "Amanda Bao: Building bridges as an engineer and a teacher", RIT News, April 14, 2021
*. "Civil engineering technology students and faculty thrive in hybrid classroom environment", RIT News, April 19, 2021
*. "How the FIU tragedy could change bridge construction", CONSTRUCTION DIVE, November 22, 2019
*. "Accelerated bridge construction demo, replacement over I-95 done in 2 weeks", CONSTRUCTION DIVE, June 11, 2019
*. "Jenga Bridge Appears at Blossom and 590", WROC, July 8, 2019
*. "First of two experts says Pittsford rail bridge seems OK", Democrat & Chronicle, September 12, 2014
*. "Bridge deterioration", WHAM-TV (channel 13), May 13, 2014
*. "Amanda Bao has a concrete idea to make bridges stronger", Democrat & Chronicle, May 1, 2013
*. "All shook up", University News, April 1, 2013
Biography
Amanda Bao is an Associate Professor and Program Director in Civil Engineering Technology at Rochester Institute of Technology. She got her Ph.D. degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Colorado at Boulder, USA, in 2006. Dr. Bao started teaching at Rochester Institute of Technology in 2010 and she regularly teaches structural engineering courses. Prior to RIT, she worked as a structural engineer in top engineering firms in the United States, and she is a licensed professional engineer in Colorado and New York, USA. Dr. Bao has been actively involved in engineering education research since 2011, including digital learning, active learning and intensive collaboration with industry. Dr. Bao developed a teaching website: http://baoteachingcet.com/ to post screencasts to supplement traditional lecture-type classes, and she also created hands-on active learning modules to improve teaching and learning effectiveness. Dr. Amanda Bao won the 2021 Eisenhart Award for Outstanding Teaching at RIT. In addition to educational research, Dr. Bao conduct research in the areas of bridge resiliency and sustainability, innovative construction materials and evaluation of aging infrastructure. She is an active member in American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), AISC and ASEE.
Education
Doctor of Philosophy in Civil Engineering, University of Colorado at Boulder, 2006
Masters of Science in Structural Engineering, Tianjin University, China, 2001
Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering, Tianjin University, China, 1998
Appointments
05/2021 to present: Program Director in Civil Engineering Technology, Department of Civil Engineering Technology, Environmental Management and Safety, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY
06/2016 to present: Associate Professor, Department of Civil Engineering Technology, Environmental Management and Safety, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY
08/2010 to 05/2016: Assistant Professor, Department of Civil Engineering Technology, Environmental Management and Safety, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY
04/2010 to 08/2010: Structural Engineer, Michael Baker International, Lakewood, CO
06/2006 to 04/2010: Structural Engineer, Jacobs Engineering Group Inc., Denver, CO
06/2003 to 05/2006, Research Assistant, Department of Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering, University of Colorado at Boulder, Boulder, CO
06/2005 to 09/2005, Research Assistant, Sandia National Laboratory, Livermore, CA
08/2002 to 05/2003, Teaching Assistant, Department of Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering, University of Colorado at Boulder, Boulder, CO
Professional Registration
Professional Engineer in New York: License No. 091108 (Since 2010)
Professional Engineer in Colorado: License No. 42643 (Since 2008)
Research Interest
Bridge Design and Evaluation, Soil-Structure Interaction in Bridges and Buildings, Constitutive Modeling of Infrastructure Materials, Finite Element Analysis, Soil Liquefaction, and Engineering Education. See Publications
Honors and Awards
Eisenhart Award for Outstanding Teaching, Rochester Institute of Technology, 2021
Keynote Speaker at RIT 2021 Fall Convocation, Rochester Institute of Technology, August 2021
Association for Bridge Construction and Design - Western New York Chapter, Research Award, 2021-2022
Association for Bridge Construction and Design - Western New York Chapter, Research Award, 2019
Association for Bridge Construction and Design - Western New York Chapter, Research Award, 2018
Advancing Structural Steel Education Award, American Institute of Steel Construction, 2018
Provost's Learning Innovations Grant, Rochester Institute of Technology, 2018-2019
Provost's Learning Innovations Grant, Rochester Institute of Technology, 2012-2013
RIT START Research Award, Rochester Institute of Technology, 2012
University Fellowship, University of Colorado at Boulder, 2003 to 2006
Engineering Excellence Fund Grant, College of Engineering and Applied Science, University of Colorado at Boulder, 2004