Lehigh University’s Advanced Technology for Large Structural Systems (ATLSS) Engineering Research Center, in cooperation with the University of Naples “Federico II”, organized the Sixth International Specialty Conference on Behaviour of Steel Structures in Seismic Areas (STESSA). The conference, held August 16 through 20, 2009 at the Loews Hotel in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, brought together experts in the field of the behavior of steel structures in seismic areas. The prior editions of the conference were held in Timisoara, Romania (1994), Kyoto, Japan (1997), Montreal, Canada (2000), Naples, Italy (2003), and Yokohama, Japan (2006).

ATLSS Deputy Director and Bruce G. Johnston Professor of Structural Engineering Dr. James Ricles served as the conference’s Co-Chairman. Emeritus Professor Dr. Le-Wu Lu served as the conference’s Honorary Chairman. The conference’s organizing committee was comprised of several ATLSS faculty and staff members in addition to Dr. Ricles, including ATLSS Director and Joseph T. Stuart Professor of Structural Engineering Dr. Richard Sause, who served as Chairman of the Organizing Committee, ATLSS Administrative Director Dr. Chad Kusko, Fazlur R. Khan Endowed Chair of Structural Engineering Dr. Dan Frangopol, ATLSS Research Engineer Ian Hodgson, Lehigh University’s Network for Earthquake Engineering Simulation (NEES) Operations Manager Gary Novak, ATLSS IT Manager Peter Bryan, and ATLSS Conference Coordinator MaryAnn Cahalan.

STESSA 2009 featured 143 technical papers from experts from 28 countries. The papers were categorized during technical sessions according to the following categories: (1) performance-based design, (2) seismic, wind, and exceptional loads, (3) material behavior, (4) member behavior, (5) connection behavior, (6) global behavior, (7) analytical and experimental methods, (8) mixed and composite structures, (9) passive, semi-active, and active control, (10) strengthening, repair, and monitoring, (11) codification, and (12) design, fabrication, and practice.

The conference was sponsored by the ATLSS Engineering Research Center, Lehigh University, the Pennsylvania Infrastructure Technology Alliance, the Latin American Iron and Steel Institute (ILAFA), and the American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC).

For additional information on the conference, please visit the conference website at: http://stessa.atlss.lehigh.edu/.