Pawel Woelke, Thornton Tomasetti

New York, NY Pawel Woelke, Ph.D., P.E., an associate principal at Thornton Tomasetti was one of 60 engineers invited by the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) to attend the 2016 Japan-America Frontiers of Engineering Symposium (JAFOE). The symposium took place on June 16-18 at the Arnold and Mabel Beckman Center in Irvine, Calif.

Started in 1995, the JAFOE brings together 60 engineers ages 30-45 from U.S. companies, universities and government labs to discuss leading-edge research and technical work across a range of engineering fields. The goal of the Symposium is to facilitate collaboration in engineering, the transfer of new techniques and approaches across fields, and establishment of contacts among the next generation of engineering leaders.

Dr. Woelke is a leader in Thornton Tomasetti’s Weidlinger Applied Science practice and heads the firm’s industrial R&D efforts, which involve tackling challenging engineering problems in automotive, rail, aviation, shipping and other industries. He also heads the team responsible for the development of WAimat Suite, an ensemble of software modules that facilitate high-fidelity advanced material modeling.

He has contributed to and led vulnerability studies and mitigation design efforts for critical infrastructure in the New York metropolitan area for bridges, tunnels, buildings, storage facilities and retaining walls, as well as elements of non-load bearing building envelopes subjected to explosive, impact, thermal and cutting threats.

Dr. Woelke was an invited participant in the National Academy of Engineering’s 2013 Frontiers of Engineering Symposium.

Woelke said, “Being selected to attend the Japan-America Frontiers of Engineering is an honor. Broadly defined topics across different engineering disciplines emphasizes the bigger picture, which we sometimes forget. It gives us the opportunity to learn about new techniques and technologies that impact, influence or inspire our own work. It is a tremendous learning experience that enables us to promote best practices throughout the field of engineering.”