Society for Civil Structural Health Monitoring (SCSHM) Educational Activities Committee

2025 Webinar Series
Summary Report

Overview: The Educational Activities Committee of the Society for Civil Structural Health Monitoring (SCSHM) organized four webinars in 2025. These webinars covered structural health monitoring (SHM) of tunnels, integration of SHM data into digital twins, accelerated and non-destructive testing of bridge decks, and SHM of bridges using optical fibers.

In total, 142 transportation professionals attended the webinar series, averaging approximately 35 participants per session. The webinars attracted a global audience of transportation leaders representing academia, government, and industry.

Each webinar is summarized in the sections below. Links to the recording and final attendance list for each webinar are also provided.

Webinar #1: Recent Advancements in Structural Health Monitoring of Tunnels

• Date: May 28, 2025
• Presenter: Werner Lienhart, Professor and Head of the Institute of Engineering Geodesy and Measurement Systems, Graz University of Technology, Austria
• Final Attendance: 18 attendees
• Recording: Webinar Recording – Recent Advancements in SHM of Tunnels.mp4
• Summary: This webinar highlighted recent developments in sensing technologies and processing techniques for tunnel monitoring, including fiber optic sensing, InSAR measurements, and laser scanning. SHM applications in conventional tunneling as well as in projects with tunnel boring machines were also covered.

Webinar #2: Digital Twins: Integration of SHM Data

• Date: July 30, 2025
• Presenter: Amirali Najafi, Assistant Professor, Texas A&M University
• Final Attendance: 34 attendees
• Recording: SCSHM Webinar_Digital Twins_7.30.2025.mp4
• Summary: A digital twin framework for bridges that enhances structural health monitoring and maintenance planning was introduced during this webinar. Dr. Amirali Najafi demonstrated multiple use cases for the framework and digital twin, which offer engineers a powerful tool for predictive maintenance and informed decision-making.

Webinar #3: Rapid Assessment of Bridge Deck Performance Using Accelerated Structural Testing and Nondestructive Evaluation

• Date: September 17, 2025
• Presenter: Nenad Gucunski, Professor and Chair of Civil and Environmental Engineering Department, Rutgers University
• Final Attendance: 23 attendees
• Recording: SCSHM Webinar_Gucunski_NDE-Bridge-Performance.mp4
• Summary: This webinar evaluated the performance of bare concrete bridge decks compared to decks with UHPC and LMC overlays tested at Rutgers CAIT’s BEAST Lab. The webinar covered the unique accelerated testing capabilities at CAIT’s BEAST Lab, NDE-based condition assessment, long-term monitoring, and comparative results, highlighting the durability of UHPC and LMC overlays for real-world applications.

Webinar #4: Structural Health Monitoring of Bridges with Optical Fibers

• Date: November 5, 2025
• Presenter: Farhad Ansari, Distinguished Professor and Christopher B. and Susan S. Burke Professor of Civil Engineering, University of Illinois Chicago
• Final Attendance: 67 attendees
• Recording: SCSHM Webinar_Ansari_SHM-Optical-Fibers.mp4
• Summary: This webinar explained how fiber optic sensors can and have been used to address bridge issues. It reviewed past practices for visual inspections, NDT methods, and instrumentation for large spans. The session emphasized that effective SHM relies on sound engineering principles, not just access to numerous sensors, to ensure accurate and economical structural assessments.