Dr. Sarah Orton

Sarah Orton serves as the Director of Undergraduate Studies for the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department at the University of Missouri. She is committed to improving undergraduate education through finding ways to motivate students and improve the undergraduate curriculum and experience. She also serves on the Dean’s Council of Teaching Excellence and chairs the college’s Committee on Diversity and Inclusion. She has participated in several programs aimed at improving undergraduate education and is leading an educational research project on examining teaching practices that can improve self-efficacy.

Dr. Orton is an associate professor in Civil Engineering and is an active member of the American Concrete Institute and the American Society of Civil Engineers. Her research projects have involved the use of carbon fiber reinforced polymers to strengthen structures for extreme events (blast, earthquake, collapse), analysis and testing for reinforced concrete frames under disproportionate collapse, seismic response of unreinforced masonry buildings and concrete frames and risk and reliability analysis of bridges and offshore structures. She is a registered professional engineer in Missouri.

Education:

Ph.D. The University of Texas at Austin

Doctor of Philosophy in Civil Engineering, August 2007

M.S. The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Master of Science in Civil Engineering, August 2002

B.S. The University of Texas at Austin

Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering, May 2000

Experience:

8/14 – present Associate Professor, University of Missouri Columbia

8/07 – 8/14 Assistant Professor, University of Missouri Columbia

Conduct research and teaching in structural engineering

9/02-12/03 Engineer, ABS Consulting, Houston TX

Performed risk and reliability analysis of offshore structures including blast and dynamic analyses

6/00-8/00 Intern, Walter P. Moore, Houston TX

Performed preliminary analysis of concrete and steel flooring systems

Determined wind loads on typical buildings

5/98-8/98 Intern, Jones and Carter Consulting, Houston TX

Analyzed water distribution networks and reviewed and corrected construction plans and technical specifications